“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” John 8:56-59

How could Abraham have seen Jesus’ day? The Jews asked this when Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” They said to Jesus, “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?”

How could Abraham have seen Jesus’ day when Abraham lived about 2,000 years before Jesus was born? We go back to Genesis for the answer.

In Genesis 12:1-3, we learn that “the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

In Genesis 12:7, we read, “And the LORD appeared unto Abram …” And the LORD spoke or appeared to Abraham numerous times (cf. Gen. 13:14; 15:1ff.; 17:1ff.; 18:1ff.; 21:12ff., 22:1ff.).

In Genesis 18, the LORD appeared to Abraham, along with two of His angels, ate with him, and walked and talked with Abraham regarding the coming birth of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Did Abraham see Jesus’ day and rejoice in it? Yes, if Jesus was and is the LORD God in human flesh and blood, if it was the eternal Son of God, the pre-incarnate Christ, who appeared and spoke with Abraham and gave Him the promises of God to send the Messiah and Savior, the promised Seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed!

And how did Jesus answer the doubts of His hearers? “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

Do you understand what Jesus was saying? His Jewish hearers did, and they took up stones to throw at Him. Jesus claimed to be the eternal Son of God, who appeared to Abraham and later to Moses. Jesus claimed to be the I AM of Exodus 3, Jehovah God Himself, who appeared to Moses at the burning bush and later to Moses and God’s people at Mt. Sinai.

In Exodus 3:13-15, we read: “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”

When Jesus spoke these words in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:4-6), those who came to arrest Him fell backward to the ground. Here, in John 8, when the Jews sought to stone Him to death, “Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

So, who is Jesus? And are His words calling upon all to repent of their sins and place their faith in Him and His cross for pardon and forgiveness true? Most certainly! He is Jehovah God Himself, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the great I AM who appeared to Moses at the burning bush. He took on human flesh and blood and became true man, born of the Virgin Mary, that He might redeem us from sin and eternal damnation by His innocent sufferings and death in our stead and make it sure to us by His glorious resurrection!

Listen to His words, turn from your sinful ways and trust in Him and His cross for mercy, and rejoice in His promise to raise you up to life everlasting. His words are sure!

O merciful Savior, grant that I see You for who You are and trust in You for life and salvation. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” John 5:39-47

Do you believe the words of Jesus — that He is the only-begotten Son of God, come into this world a true man that He might fulfill God’s law for us and then suffer our condemnation and punishment by His death on the cross?

As Jesus’ words make clear, not all who claim to be God’s children and read and study the Scriptures understand the message of God’s Word. Not all see their utter sinfulness and failure to measure up to the demands of God’s holy law, and not all look to Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross in faith for mercy, forgiveness, and everlasting life.

Jesus’ hearers in John 5 read and studied the Scriptures — particularly the Torah, the writings of Moses — and thought they could please God and be acceptable in His sight by their keeping of God’s commandments. They failed to see that the commandments revealed their sinfulness and that the Scriptures pointed to the coming Messiah and Savior who would redeem them from their sins and iniquities by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross. Though the Old Testament Scriptures pointed them to Jesus the Messiah and to His atoning sacrifice as the only way to be acceptable in God’s eyes, they failed to see that Jesus was their Messiah and Savior — their only hope for salvation and partaking of the glories of God’s everlasting kingdom.

Instead of hearing God’s Word, they accepted men’s words and interpretations. Instead of seeking glory from God, they sought honor and glory from men and rejected the truth of God’s Word.

As Jesus said, He did not need to accuse them before God the Father; the very writings of Moses, which they read and studied and claimed as the basis for their beliefs, condemned them for their failure to keep God’s commandments and their refusal to look to Christ Jesus and His perfect sacrifice for pardon and forgiveness.

If Jesus’ hearers believed the writings of Moses, they would also believe Jesus’ words, repent of their sinful ways, and look to Jesus and His cross for mercy. Why? Because Moses wrote about Jesus and His coming.

Jesus is the Offspring of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15), Abraham’s Offspring through whom the nations of the world would be blessed (Gen. 12:3; 22:18), the substitute Lamb offered up in the place of God’s people foreshadowed by the ram offered up in the place of Isaac (Gen. 22:13-14), the perfect Lamb of God foreshadowed by the Passover Lamb and Israel’s sacrifices (Exo. 12:1ff.; John 1:29), the Prophet like unto Moses (Deut. 18:15-19).

And, of course, if we also include the Writings and Prophets of the Old Testament, we would know the place of Messiah’s birth, that Jesus is God Himself in human flesh and blood, that He would suffer and die and redeem us from all our sins, that He would rise again and establish an everlasting kingdom, that He would ascend into heaven, that He would come again in glory and be our judge, that the only way to be saved is to turn from our sins and look in faith to Messiah Jesus and His cross and place our hope and confidence in Him.

Do you believe Jesus’ words? Do you believe Him when He reveals your failure to keep God’s commandments? When he reveals the fact that you are a sinner and cannot stand in God’s judgment on the basis of your own life and works? Do you believe His words, as well as the testimony of Moses and all the prophets, that Jesus is God the Son and the Messiah and Savior? Do you believe that only through faith in Him and His atoning sacrifice on the cross can we sinners be pardoned by God and acceptable in His sight?

If you do not come to Jesus and believe His words, if you do not trust in Jesus as your Savior, the words of Moses and all the prophets condemn you.

In John 3:35-36, we read: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

O gracious and merciful Father, we Thank You for the gift of the Son and for forgiveness and life through faith in His name. Grant that we hear and believe the witness of Your Word and the witness of the Son that we might repent of our sins and trust in Messiah Jesus, and so receive the everlasting joys of heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“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; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24

While unbelievers — those who do not repent of their sinful ways and look to Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross in faith for pardon and forgiveness — face the condemnation of God’s Son on the Last Day, the day of His coming in judgment, those who hear Jesus’ Word and trust in the promises of God to pardon and forgive the sins of all who trust in Jesus the Messiah and His sacrifice for the sins of the world have every reason to take comfort and rejoice.

Why? Listen to Jesus’ words: “Verily, verily, I say unto you …” Jesus is telling us to listen up, for this is absolutely true! “… He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life …”

What does this mean? While all who continue in impenitence and unbelief remain dead in their trespasses and sins and under the wrath of God, those who hear Jesus’ Word and look to Him and His cross in faith have everlasting life!

And of great comfort to sinners like me, they “shall not come into condemnation; but [have] passed from death unto life.”

This means that all who trust in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross will not be condemned on the day of judgment but have passed from death to life — from being dead and under the curse and condemnation of God because of their sins to being alive to God and free of all condemnation because their sins were judged and atonement was made on the cross of Christ.

Jesus said the same thing to Nicodemus in John 3:14-16, 18: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. … He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

If you believe Jesus’ words and trust in Him and His cross for pardon and forgiveness, take comfort! You will not be condemned on the day of judgment but have passed from death unto life!

But, if you do not believe Jesus’ words and do not trust in Jesus and His cross for pardon and forgiveness, you stand condemned already because you do not believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God, your only Savior. Now is the time to repent and look to Jesus for pardon and forgiveness!

Dear Lord Jesus, Son of God and my only hope of salvation, wash away my sins in Your blood, shed on the cross when You made atonement for the sins of the world. Keep me in the true and saving faith that I may not be condemned when You return in judgment but partake of the everlasting joys of heaven for Your sake. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8:45-47

Because of their own religious views, Jesus’ hearers were unwilling to believe the truth He, the Son of God in human flesh, told them. Their erring beliefs got in the way of their acceptance of the truth revealed by God in His Word and explained to them by Jesus, the very Son of God.

Because they failed to see the perfect righteousness demanded by God and did not recognize their own sinfulness and shortcomings, they failed to recognize their need for the sinless Son of God to come into this world as a man to be their Messiah and Savior and redeem them from all their sins and make them acceptable to God by faith in Him and His atoning sacrifice.

The same is true today. People reject the Bible’s clear and straightforward teaching because it reveals their own imperfections and sins and shows their need for Jesus, the sinless Son of God who came into this world as a man to atone for their sins. They reject the simple truth taught by Scripture that faith in Jesus Christ and His cross is the only way to be counted righteous and acceptable in God’s eyes.

Another example is people’s attempts to make Jesus and the Bible’s teaching fit into the mold of their personal beliefs or that of a particular church or denomination. When Jesus teaches the truth, they do not believe it, or they twist it to say something Jesus never said or taught.

Which one of us can find fault in Jesus or accuse Him of sin or false teaching? No one! He is the sinless Son of God, and His words and teachings perfectly reflect the truth revealed by God in His Word!

So, why are we, at times, unwilling to accept and believe the truth Jesus taught, that which is plainly revealed to us in the Bible? Jesus’ answer? “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”

We let our own views and opinions get in the way. We fail to see our utter sinfulness and corruption, and we fail to see that Jesus is the sinless Son of God who came into this world to redeem us from our sins and make known to us the way of salvation — through repentance and faith in Jesus’ name!

Those who refuse to repent of their sinful ways and look in faith to Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for pardon and forgiveness are not of God. They do not hear and believe the truth, whether it be the words spoken by Jesus or that which God revealed in the writings of the apostles and prophets.

But those who, by the working of God’s Spirit, hear and believe God’s Word and accept Jesus’ words as true see and acknowledge their own utter sinfulness, and they look to Jesus and His cross for mercy, forgiveness, and life everlasting.

God grant that I hear and believe Jesus’ words and place my faith in Him and His cross for life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.” John 5:1-16

Jesus came into the world “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and here we see Him reach out in compassion both to heal a man who had received no compassion and ultimately to save a lost soul. The religious leaders of the Jews, on the other hand, showed no compassion and even began to persecute Jesus for showing compassion on the sabbath day.

John 5 tells us of Jesus’ compassion on a man with a debilitating infirmity who was lying by the Pool of Bethesda (which means House of Mercy) in the hope of being able to pull himself into the pool when the water was stirred by an angel so he could be healed. However, as Jesus knew and recognized, he had been in this state for 38 years. And, as the man stated to Jesus, he had no one who cared enough for him to help him into the pool when the water was stirred, and someone else always made it into the pool before him.

In love and mercy toward this man, Jesus, the Son of God, said to him, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” The man was healed, stood up, picked up his bed, and walked.

There was, however, a problem for those who should have rejoiced at this miracle of God and the mercy shown to this helpless man. It was the Sabbath! Instead of praising God for healing this poor man, the Jewish leaders confronted the man, saying, “It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.”

They showed no mercy and no compassion toward this man but were so wrapped up in their legalistic interpretations of the commandment regarding the Sabbath (cf. Ex. 20:8-11; Isa. 58:13-14) that they failed to recognize that showing mercy and doing good on the Sabbath was at the heart of the commandment (cf. Hosea 6:6; Matt. 12:7-8). They were so concerned over strict obedience to the letter of the law that they missed entirely the spirit of the law — love for God and neighbor!

Why did they do this? Because they sought to be righteous and acceptable to God through their obedience to the letter of the law — amplified by traditions of the elders that added human interpretations and applications, often contradicting the very spirit of God’s law.

Does this still happen today? Most certainly! Whenever people condemn others for failing to follow their own man-made traditions and applications of God’s commandments. It happens when people condemn the worship of others because it differs from their own worship styles and traditions, when ministers are condemned for showing compassion on those who are ill or who have strayed by ministering to them with God’s Word and Christ’s Supper before they are officially received and approved as church members, or when “Christians” condemn others for playing cards, dancing or consuming an alcoholic beverage. Indeed, the list could go on, but the point is that it is so easy for us to fall into the same trap as the religious leaders of the Jews — to be so wrapped up in our own self-righteous attempts to please God with our man-made traditions and applications of God’s Word that we miss the point of God’s Word and condemn the innocent.

Sad to say, man-made religious views and traditions often keep people from trusting in Jesus Christ for mercy and forgiveness. The religious leaders of the Jews so hated Jesus for doing good works on the Sabbath that they began to persecute Him and wanted to kill Him. Jesus’ teaching and works were counted as an affront to their efforts to be righteous before God by their strict obedience to their traditions. Rather than acknowledging their own sinfulness and looking to Jesus as their Messiah and Savior from sin, they sought to discredit Jesus and destroy Him.

Could it happen yet today? Most certainly! It is easy for us to think God is pleased with us because we hold to our religious traditions, worship with the same liturgies and hymns and in the same styles as our forefathers, strictly observe the Sabbath and Old Testament dietary laws, or set aside Sundays as a new Sabbath, refrain from alcohol, avoid dances or card playing, etc., etc., etc. It is so easy for us to go beyond the clear words of Scripture and condemn those who fail to live in accordance with our religious views and traditions.

When we do so, not only do we fail to see the spirit and intent of God’s law, but we fail to see the truth that we are utterly sinful and cannot please God with our works. As Isaiah writes, even our best works are “unclean” and “filthy rags” in God’s eyes (Isa. 64:6). And, when we fail to see our utter sinfulness and the wrath and judgment of God upon us which is due, we fail to look to Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead for pardon and forgiveness.

Out of concern for this man’s soul, Jesus also cautioned the man whom He had made whole: “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14). Jesus warned this man that the eternal consequences of sin are far greater than the earthly consequences of sin. To suffer forever the condemnation of God in the fires of hell is far worse than the 38 years he had spent as an invalid. Jesus was urging this man to repent of His sinful ways and look to Him for pardon and forgiveness lest a far worse thing happen to him than what he had already experienced.

So also, Jesus urges and calls us to repent of our sinful ways and look to Him and His cross for pardon and forgiveness. If we depend on our own religious works and traditions, if we fail to acknowledge our utter sinfulness before God, “we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). How can God forgive and cleanse us? It is because “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2).

Dear Lord Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, grant that I not twist Your Word and seek to be acceptable in Your sight by my own works and traditions, but humble myself, acknowledge my sins, and look to You for pardon and forgiveness. In Your mercy, cleanse my heart and soul in the precious blood You shed for me on the cross that I may be made whole and acceptable in Your sight. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]