Conflict In Jerusalem

Let's open our Bibles to John chapter 7. We'll spend most of our time in John 8 tonight, and I would love to be able to make it all the way through chapter 8. We'll see. We'll see how that goes. Remind you that we are in an intense time in studying our Lord's life, an intense time of opposition to His ministry, a three-month period called conflict and instruction, chiefly conflict as He's in Jerusalem and Judea, right at the center of opposition to Him on the part of the Jewish leaders. He has stayed away from that area now for 18 months or a little longer, actually almost two years, but now He's right back in the type of opposition. Well, that woke up, didn't it? I thought we were over this. Thought I had it fixed. Maybe we ought to get that guy out of the way. Yeah, that's got it. What were we talking about anyway? This three-month period of our Lord's ministry is filled with opposition. We're going to see it tonight in John chapter 8, as we see just accusations thrust at our Lord as we see comments made about Him, even about His birth. A couple of really snide comments made on the part of the Jewish leaders about His birth, and just awful things said about Him. But I want to begin by backing up to a couple of pictures that we didn't use last week because we were downstairs. It just wasn't feasible to really set up all the equipment to do PowerPoint down there. So I want to show a couple of pictures that really fit best with last week. We saw our Lord was in the temple. The first actual event that takes place in our Lord's, this part of our Lord's ministry was teaching in the temple at the feast of Tabernacles. And we saw that at the last day of the feast, during the time when the priest is pouring out water as part of a ceremony to highlight the wondering of Israel and the wilderness and God providing water from the rock, and at a pause in that ceremony, Jesus cries out, anyone who's thirsty come to me, and I will give you water to drink. And Jesus was claiming to be the fulfillment of all of those Old Testament pictures of Him in the wilderness. But the interesting part of our Lord and this particular part of the ceremony in the temple is seen in this map of Jerusalem. Here is the temple mount, which is a large part of the Old Testament and New Testament city of Israel, on Mount Mariah. And from the temple, okay, then here's the full of salam, we saw that that's where the priest would get the water from. And there was a huge procession that would travel from the temple, down this, what's called, the step street. This is all downhill. It's all steps, it's kind of a street, but it's on levels. Remember they didn't have bars. So, okay, there's a wide, wide place for people to walk in the animals together. And so it's step street all the way down the south of the pool of salam. A couple of pictures of the pool of salam. This is what it looks like today. If you were to go to Jerusalem and see the pool of salam, you go down these steps where the pool actually is. It's fed by water from the, from hisakaest tunnel. I think I mentioned last week, this was a tunnel built by hisakaia in the Old Testament. When Israel was under siege, to get water from a spring outside into the city. And you can walk through this tunnel even today. It's about a mile mile up for it. And you can walk through this thing, come out right here in the pool of salam. So I've waited in that pool before. This is what it would have looked like in New Testament times. Next picture gives us an indication. It was a much grander scale. The water was actually gathered in a larger pool. And from this pool, and then going back up the, the slope street and steps up to the temple, would be the procession for this particular part of the ceremony and temple. And that's when our Lord cried out, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me. Now we get to the end of chapter seven. And we find in verse 53, then each went to his own home. We saw at the end of chapter seven that the Pharisees were debating about Jesus and trying to arrest him, the temple guards, they sent to arrest him were fascinated by listening to him. And they couldn't do anything, couldn't arrest him. And when it says they all went to each, each went to his own home. Basically what that's saying is the feast is over. Everybody goes back home. But Jesus doesn't. Jesus stays. Verse one. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. So Jesus is not going back home. Jesus is not going back to Nazareth. He's not going back to Galilee or Copernum where he's made his home for so long now. He's going to stay. And he's going to stay for about three months in either Jerusalem or around Jerusalem. And for now he goes out to the Mount of Olives. This will be a place where Jesus will typically stay at least the nights when he's in Jerusalem. He'll go out to the Mount of Olives and stay there. Let's take a look at the Mount of Olives. I think we've got it up there. We're talking about the conflict over the woman caught on a deltree. And the accusation of the Pharisees is the first point there. This picture is taken from the Temple Mount across the Kidren Valley right here. And this is the Mount of Olives. It's just a brief walk from the actual city itself. And this is the point at which usually this point right here is the point at which is thought Jesus would do. Jesus ascended back into heaven. When he saved, this was mostly garden area in Jesus day. And even today this church right here, the Church of all nations, has part of the garden of Gethsemane in flowed right here. And some olive trees that go back, some of them are estimated to go back almost till the time of Christ. So it's still very much a garden area like it was in the time of Jesus. Now we're going to turn around and we're going to stand on Mount of Olives and look back to Jerusalem. And we're on the Mount of Olives now looking across the city of Jerusalem. Right here is the day that Dome the Rock which is of course as you're familiar with. The Muslim shrine and accompanying El-Axas mosque right here. But this is the Temple Mount. This is where the Temple would have been in Bible times. So here again, the Piedermen Valley, the Queen of Cross of the South, which is the Valley of Heaven. We talked a little bit about this is the city of David, the Old Testament city of Zion. And this is where the Temple would have been. This is the new city of Jerusalem in the back then. So the Mount of Olives is right there beside the city. I mean it's just a stone's throw away really. So Jesus would go out at night to the Mount of Olives, spend the night and then look at verse 2. At dawn he appeared again in the Temple Courts where all the people gathered around him and he sat down to teach them. Again sitting down in the synagogue meant to take the seat of authority, the seat of Moses as it's called. And same thing would be true in the temple. Jesus when he is seated shows that he's ready to teach. So people gather around to listen. But he is rudely interrupted as he is teaching. In verses 3 through 6 we have the accusation of the Pharisees here. The teachers of the law in the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, teacher this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? They were using this question as a trap in order to have a basis for accusing him. Now the accusation of the Pharisees is trap and they basically bring this woman to Jesus to accuse her. Now something just doesn't sound right about this, does it? What sounds funny about this whole thing? Where is the man? Okay, yeah. Where is the guy? Okay, that is a serious question. And we'll come back to that in a moment. But anything else just sounds funny to you about this. Rude for him to interrupt his teaching. He's right in the middle of teaching and they rush in. It's obvious that's part of the trap. They want to catch him in a public place. They want to catch him where he's dealing with people in public and they can discredit him because they think they've got him in a position that he can't get out of. Either way he goes, they think they've got him with this. Does, doesn't it? How do you catch someone in the act of adultery? You know, I mean, it sounds like this was either she was part of the ploy, which as the story goes on, it doesn't sound like that's the case. But either that or they had some inside information, probably on the part of the man, because the man is let go. The law of Moses basically said both are to be stoned. So the question, where is the man, is a legitimate question? Because both of them, if the Pharisees were really concerned about the law of Moses, if they were really concerned about justice, they should have brought both. If she's caught in the act of adultery, don't you think the man would be there too? I mean, kind of obvious that would be the case. So either they're lying about that and she's simply a known woman of ill-reputed or the man was an accomplice. So that probably is what happened. And so he's not there, but they bring her, make her stand before the group in public, say to Jesus, this woman is caught in the act of adultery, and the law of Moses commanded us to stoned such women, well it also commanded the man to be stoned as well. Now what do you say? They're trying to put him in a position where no matter what answer he gives, he's going to be in trouble. What will they think if he says, no, you don't stoner? What will they accuse him of then? Breaking the law. No concern for the law of Moses. If he says, go ahead and stoner, then what are they accusing of? Not living up to what he preached, exactly. He was known as the Friend of Centers. People could be forgiven. And there's probably something else here too they could accuse him of. This is a little more remote, but Jews were not allowed to kill anybody. Jews were not allowed to... It was only the Romans that could actually carry out capital punishment. That's why the Jewish council had to go to pilot to have Jesus crucified, because they needed Roman authority and put me one to death. So they could have gotten him on that as well, although there are occasions, and we'll see one of them again tonight, we'll get that far, where they tried to stoned Jesus, wanted to kill him. But it's obvious this is a trap, it's obvious they're trying to discredit Christ. You know what the worst thing is about this? They are not shocked at this woman's sin. They are not concerned about the law being broken. They're not grieved about any of that. They are using this woman. They are exploiting her to further their wicked plans. The only thing they care about is to discredit Jesus so they can find some grounds to accuse him and have him killed. That's all they're concerned about. And that is so much like legalists who brutally use people for their own ends. For their own agenda. That's the way legalists treat sinners. That's the way legalists treat fallen Christians with brutality. Don't really care about restoring them. They want to use fallen people to further their own agenda. And that's exactly what's happening here. So that's the accusation of the Pharisees. Any questions? Comment about that further. Well, he did read their hearts. And as far as actually talking about them killing him, that would come a little bit later. He did know very early on that they were trying to trap him. For instance, in Mark 3, when the man was placed in the synagogue with a withered hand and Jesus looked around and knew what was in their hearts. They were trying to set him up. When he actually starts talking about them killing him, it's a little bit later. And they have already made clear their intentions. But certainly he did know exactly what they were thinking. Okay. Any other questions? Let's take a look at the challenge of Jesus. The Pharisees bring up an accusation. They're trying to pin him in a corner that he can't get out of. And Jesus turns the tables on him. It's incredible how over and over again he did this. But notice the challenge of Jesus to them. It's the first six. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time. The older ones first until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. So much ink has been spilled on what Jesus wrote on the ground. Obviously we do not know for sure. Any guesses? What do you think he was doing? Writing down their sin? Possibly. Just doodling, making them suffer? Could be. Can anybody read into what he said about reading? I'm not sure that you could say anything from this story necessarily about that. I think it's clear that Jesus did believe in capital punishment. He believed in the law of Moses. Obviously the law of Moses quite clearly taught capital punishment in several places. But Jesus had his trial before pilot admitted that pilot had the authority to put him to death, but that authority was only given by God. He did not debate the fact that there were capital crimes that he could be put to death for. His only debate was with pilot. You don't have any authority unless God gives it to you. So I think that's an evidence that Jesus believed in capital punishment. Good point, Daniel. This passage is often used to teach that Jesus did not believe in capital punishment because this is a woman that was guilty of capital crime and he let her off. But Jesus knew she was just being set up. What you're saying is exactly right. This passage really has no bearing on capital punishment. But it is used that way sometimes to say that Jesus did not believe in capital punishment. Obviously Jesus realized there was a much deeper issue here. And the deeper issue was the heart of the Pharisees, not what this woman had done. We're going to see in a moment that I think this woman realizes her sin, whereas the others didn't. Let's get back to what Jesus was doing when he was writing. Again, none of us can say for sure what Jesus was doing when he was writing on the ground. But every accusation, if it was going to be punished, had to be written out. Do you remember they wrote the accusation over Jesus on the cross? That was Roman law that when someone was to be put to death, their crime had to be identified publicly. And that's why Pilate put the accusation above Jesus head. It's quite possible that Jesus stoops the first time to start the judicial proceedings to write out her crime. If we're going to put her to death, we've got to do this properly. So we're going to write out her crime. And then they keep questioning him and he straightens up and says, if any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Now, by the way, that's not again a declaration of proper legal proceedings. He's not saying that the only person who can judge another is someone who's without any sin. Obviously, that would do away with all human justice. That's not the point. The point is that Jesus knows she has been brought under false pretenses. He knows that she has been brought merely as a tool to express the wickedness of the Pharisees heart that they really want him dead and they think they can use her to put him in a position where they can form an accusation against him. So he realizes the real issue, although there is an issue about what this woman has done, there's a deeper issue and that is their hearts. And so he's not only going to write out her sin, I think he starts writing out their sins. Whoever said that, I think probably when he stooped down the second time and wrote on the ground, he's just asked him the question, whoever is without sin, you throw the first stone. Is there anybody in that audience without sin? Jesus stooped down and starts writing again. Possibly, he starts writing out the accusation that was true for each of them. I would love to have seen that. It says that they just started leaving. They started walking away, starting with the oldest. I wonder if that's where Jesus started. If he was indeed, maybe he was just writing in the ground, covetousness, lying, pride, greed. Maybe he was just writing a series of sins. Any of you without sin, let me number them for you here. I know you're not. And they realize it. Now, the awful thing is, they realize that nobody is guiltless and can throw the first stone, but rather than admitting it, they walk away. Self-righteous pride. That's the challenge of Jesus. Jesus challenges them to examine their own hearts about what's going on inside them. Any comment or question about verses 6-9? Yes. Right. What could be? If he was writing specific names and specific sins, they'd all want to scatter. That may be. It's very interesting to guess. We do know that accusations had to be written out. They're bringing him an accusation against a woman. That leads me to believe there's some link in what he's writing with accusations. After he has challenged them about our you without sin and stooped and writes a second time, I wonder if it wasn't to start writing the accusations against them. It may have been very specific. But look at the forgiveness of the woman in verses 10 and 11. Jesus straightened up and asked her, woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? No one, sir, she said. Then neither do I condemn you. Jesus declared, go now and leave your life of sin. Now, let me ask you, did you think this woman was saved? What do you think happens here? Do you think she's forgiven in the sense that she came to trust Christ? Do you think Jesus just brushes off the whole thing? What do you think is going on here? He didn't dismiss the law because there were not two or three witnesses left to continue the accusation against her. He did nothing legally wrong by the law of Moses. Did he hurt her with a choice? He left her with a challenge, go and send no more. Do you think there's any evidence here in this story that she actually came to faith and was forgiven in the sense that this is a moment of salvation for her? Do you think there's any evidence in the story for that? What did you see? When the total to go, unless she was ready to go. The NIV has no one, sir, but it's the Greek word, kuryas, which can be translated as a polite, sir, or it's the same word for lord. So I think it's very possible she's referring to him as lord. The Pharisees have referred to him back in verse 4 as teacher or master. She has a different title for him. I think that indicates something about her perception of him. So I think that's an important clue that maybe there's more going on here spiritually than just her getting off the hook. Okay. All right. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Could be. Could be. You know, it's her reaction is somewhat strange. If she's not guilty, her reaction is strange. She would be protesting her innocence if at least when she's left alone here with no accusers. So it's hard to tell what part she actually plays in. And maybe she is guilty. Maybe she's known for being a woman who is committed adultery, even if she wasn't caught in the very act. It's hard to know. Yeah. Could be. It's interesting to me that when Jesus is pointing out their sin, and whether or not he wrote their sin, he's still pointed it out when he asked him the question or when he said to them, let him who is without sin cast first on. And none of them knew they could do that. So basically he has pointed out the fact that they are simple. They leave. She stays. Does that say anything to you? They run. They want to hide. She stays. It's almost like the Lord has opened a wound and the Pharisees run from it. She stays to be healed of that wound. She's looking for more from him. Or she would have gone to. There's something about that. And maybe I'm reading too much into it. But something about that that also indicates to me that that her heart has been touched by the mercy and grace of our Lord to the point that she has trusted him from her heart. And then Jesus says, neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin, which is basically true of all of us who come to know Christ. Genuine salvation always results in a changed life. I mean, it's not biblical. It's not theologically correct for anyone to assume that you can trust Christ as your Savior and then just go back and live the way you're always living. So he's challenging her. If you really are trusting me, then show the evidence of that in your life. Go and leave your life of sin. I think there's probably evidence of the fact this woman who actually was forgiven of her sin and her past. If she indeed was guilty and you know, it's a little difficult to tell all the details here. Exactly. Yes, good point. Yes. That would have affected everybody else in the audience too with the same conclusion. You know, none of us would be able to throw that stone either. So do I think the Pharisees were actually intending to stone her? I don't know. Yeah, they could have. Although they in just later in the chapter, they will pick up stones to throw at him and want to kill him. But that was more thing of rage. This was planned. This was plotted. They probably were not planning on stoning her. There are some times in rage where they would seek to kill someone like Jesus. But this seems to be more carefully thought out and plotted. So probably not. Probably they were not planning on stoning her. The whole thing was basically to put him in a spot where no matter which way he answered, they thought they had him caught. They could accuse him of something. I don't think they had in mind stoning her anyway. Okay. Anything else? It's possible. She may have already repented in her heart and mind before they even got her there. Hard to know all that was going on in her heart. We just don't know enough. Okay. Let's move on to the conflict over the person of Christ and the rest of this chapter. Jesus basically makes three claims, verse 12, when Jesus spoke again to the people. And you get the impression that this is the same day that Jesus was already teaching in the temple that morning when the Pharisees interrupted him. And now they've left and he has sent the woman away and he resumes teaching. That's the impression you get. But when he resumes teaching, he makes three claims about himself. And those three claims are hotly disputed by the Pharisees, by the religious leaders. Okay. Verse 12, when Jesus spoke again to the people he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Now what we're going to see is the way the Pharisees challenge him on that shows that they were in darkness. Okay. Jesus claim to be the light of the world and the way they respond shows they need that light more than anything because they're in darkness. Without Christ, people are in darkness. And Jesus is the light that can dispel that darkness. Notice how they show the spiritual darkness in them. The Pharisees challenge in verse 13. Here you are appearing as your own witness. Your testimony is not valid. So what they're trying to say is every claim must be established with two witnesses. You're claiming this for yourself. Where's the witness? Well, Jesus says, okay, I'll give you the witness for a 14. Jesus answered, even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid for I know where I came from and where I'm going. But you have no idea where I came from or where I'm going. Jesus is basically saying, because I am God, I can give testimony without a corresponding witness. Because I know where I came from, I came from heaven. Verse 15, you judge by human standards. I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right because I'm not alone. I stand with the father who sent me. Now notice what he says next. In your own law, it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself. My other witness is the father who sent me. Okay, so there's my corresponding testimony, testimony, witness. And that is the father. Verse 19, they dispute that claim. Then they ask him, where is your father? Jesus responses, you do not know me or my father. Jesus replied, if you knew me, you would know my father also. So here's the first description of somebody that's in spiritual darkness. They are without God without, because they don't know the father. You see, if you don't know Jesus, you don't know God. And that's something that's very important for people to understand. There are a lot of people who talk about knowing God, having a relationship with God, but they don't know Jesus. They've not come through Jesus. You know, I get a little concerned when I hear public testimony, and he's to talk a lot about God, but never mention anything about Christ. You know, I'm always reminded of James 219, the devils, the demons believe in God and fear him. There are not going to be any demons in heaven. It's not belief in God that will save you. It is faith in Jesus Christ and what He did for you on the cross. That is the way to God. That is the way to have a relationship with God. So people who talk about having a relationship with God, but never talk about Christ, there's something missing there. Jesus makes it very clear. You don't know my father. You're religious. They're the most religious people in the nation, but they don't have a relationship with the father because they don't know the son. People in spiritual darkness need the light. Jesus is the light. And a good description of spiritual darkness is you don't know the father without God. Another description is people who are in spiritual darkness are without hope. Look at verse 21. Once more Jesus said to them, I am going away and you will look for me and you will die in your sin where I go. You cannot come. This made the Jews ask. Now please notice this give and take all through this. There's, when Jesus makes a statement, they fire back at him. There's conflict. There's controversy here. So verse 22, this made the Jews ask, will he kill himself? Is that why he says where I go? You cannot come, but he continued. You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins. If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins. Could it be any more clear than that? If you do not believe I am who I said I am. If you do not believe who Jesus is, you will die in your sins. So to be in spiritual darkness is not only to be without God, it's to be without hope. If you don't know Christ who is the light, then you are without hope. There's no hope. You will die in your sins. And have to pay for your own sins. But notice they indicate that a part of spiritual darkness is also being without understanding verse 25, who are you? They asked. Who are you? What a question to ask after all this time appearing Jesus. And notice his response, just what I've been claiming all along Jesus replied. I have much to say in judgment of you, but he who sent me as reliable in what I have heard from him, I tell the world. Verse 27, they did not understand that he was telling him about his father. So Jesus said when you have lifted up the son of man, what's he talking about there? Crucifixion. Okay, after that, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own, but speak just what the father has taught me. The one who sent me as with me, he has not left me alone where I always do what pleases him. Now verse 30 is very interesting. Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him. And it couldn't be any clearer. What he's saying is I'm the light without me, you're in darkness. You don't know God. You will die in your sins and you have no way to understand what I'm talking about. You can't understand anything spiritually without me. And so some people got it. Some people understood it and trusted him as savior. Of course there were many who didn't. So he claims to be the light of the world that's disputed by the religious leaders, the Jews, but the claim stands. He has another witness and that is the father. Okay, any comment or question? There? Yes. As a nation, yes. Right. A couple of things there. It's a good observation, John. A couple of things. One is in John's Gospel, the term the Jews is typically used of the Jewish leaders, the religious leaders. It's another term for the Pharisees and scribes. And the people who were leading the nation spiritually, but were in darkness themselves. So usually that's what's meant by the term the Jews in John's Gospel. But even if it's referring to the whole nation, the same indictment can be made of the whole nation, which as a whole has not turned to Christ. And so they are hopeless, lost in darkness without Christ. Even though they are the chosen people of God, they are God made a covenant with them. Jesus has come to fulfill that covenant and to usher in the new covenant, which will introduce them into a personal relationship with him as their Messiah and they're rejecting that. So even as a nation, the same indictment can be said of them. Yes. There were certainly a remnant who were believing and trusting. They didn't understand everything yet, but they were believing that Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah. What he had been waiting for all of his life, he saw. He recognized the Messiah as a baby. He recognized this was the fulfillment. So there were people that understood what was happening, understood who Jesus was. Certainly there were. You know Jesus after the resurrection appeared to 500 people at one time. And this is before the apostles start preaching in Jerusalem and thousands of people are getting saved. So we know that at least 500 people were following Jesus at the time of his death. So there are people who do understand what's happening and grasp it and trust him. Okay. So Jesus claims to be the light of the world. Secondly, Jesus claims to be the liberator from bondage. You see it there in verses 30 through 47. Verse 30 says that many put their faith in him and to them, to the Jews who had believed him, Jesus says, if you hold my teaching, you are really my disciples. The disciples of follower, a learner. Obviously you don't really follow him unless you continue following. So that's basically all he's saying there. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Okay. That statement implies that they are in bondage. The truth will set you free. That implies that they are not free. They're in bondage. And Jesus goes on to talk about two different kinds of bondage that the Jewish people are in. One of them is bondage to sin. Look at what he says in verse 33. They answered him, we are Abraham's descendants. And if never been slaves of anyone, how can you say that we should be set free? I mean, they realize what he was saying. They caught the implication that they're in bondage. And they resist that. We're Abraham's descendants. We've never been bondage anybody. Jesus replied in verse 34, I tell you the truth. Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Jesus states a very important theological truth there. And that is our bondage to sin. Everyone who sins is a slave to sin in bondage to sin. We are all born with a sin nature that drags us irresistibly that way. We're in bondage to it. Everyone who sins is in bondage to slave to sin. Jesus is talking about spiritual slavery here. They don't get that, but that's what he's talking about. And he says in verse 35, now, slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. So Jesus points out that there's one kind of bondage and that's bondage to sin. But then the conversation kind of moves in another direction. And Jesus is going to challenge them on another kind of bondage. And that is bondage to religion. Bondage to religion. What's going to happen in these next few verses, let me just kind of summarize it, then we'll flesh it out as we read it, is that they're going to claim because we are Abraham's descendants, we're okay spiritual. Because we're Jews, we're the covenant people of God. We're we're we follow the Old Testament religious system. We're okay. Because we've descended from Abraham, we're Jews. So notice how this works out verse 37. Jesus says, I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me because I have no because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence. And you do what you have heard from your father. You do what you've heard from your father. Jesus is leading up to something here, but they interrupting verse 39. Abraham is our father, they answered. If you were Abraham's children, said Jesus, then you would do the things Abraham did. In other words, you notice the distinction between being Abraham's descendants and Abraham's children. He said, I know your Abraham's descendants ethnically, racially by lineage, you have descended from Abraham, but you're not Abraham's children. There's a distinction there. Paul will capitalize on that distinction later in the book of Galatians and talk about the true sons of Abraham or people of faith. Abraham is a man of faith, he trusted God. And what Jesus is drawing here is a distinction between you know being a Jew and being a believer between being in the covenant people of God ethnically and racially. And really being a son of Abraham, a child of Abraham by faith, being the same kind of person who trusts God, he makes that distinction. And what he's saying basically, if you really had genuine faith, it would show in the way you live. You would do the things Abraham did. Verse 40, as it is, you are determined to kill me. A man who has told you the truth that I heard from God, Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does. Again, he's leading up to something, basically he's leading up to the fact that you've got another father who's really your spiritual father. Not talking about Abraham, but again they interrupt him and listen to what they say. Verse 41, we are not illegitimate children. They protested. The only father we have is God himself. There I believe is a not so subtle slam against Jesus in those words. You see, most people viewed Jesus if they knew anything about his birth and growing up years. They viewed him as an illegitimate son. I mean, most people did. I mean, most people did not believe what Mary told them about the virgin birth. Unless God put it in our hearts, most of us probably wouldn't believe the story like that. Most people viewed Jesus as an illegitimate son. When he's talking about who their father is, they look him right in the eye and say, we're not the one around here that's illegitimate. That's basically what they're saying. So Jesus replies, verse 42, Jesus said to them, if God were your father, you would love me, where I came from God and now I'm here. I've not come on my own, but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you because you are unable to hear what I say? Now here's the point. Jesus has been driving toward verse 44. You belong to your father, the devil. And you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding the truth where there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, where he is a liar and the father of lies. Finish the thought. Yet because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I'm telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God, here's what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. Basically, he's saying you're claiming to be the children of Abraham. You are his racial descendants. Yes, you are not his children because Abraham was a man who trusted God. You do not know God. You don't belong to God. Your spiritual father actually is the devil. Now that's not going to go well. That's not going to set well with them. We'll have to wait until next week. Our time is up. We'll see how they respond to that. Again, with total misunderstanding and misrepresentation. But you can tell the fever pitch of opposition is picking up. Jesus has been in the temple just a few days and already they are so mad they want to kill him. It's going to be that wafer the rest of his life now. Let's pray. Father, as we walk with our Savior into these kinds of settings, we are amazed at his composure. We are amazed at his ability to speak the truth and speak it in a way that cuts down all lies and opposition. Father, help us to understand clearly that it is not a religious identification that makes us right with you. It is only through knowing Jesus is our Savior that we belong to God and we are right with God. Help us to be very clear on that. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.