He Debates with the Jews in the Temple

["Click here for John's account"]

Jesus and His Disciples had gone to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles. There He went into the Temple and taught. We saw in the previous lesson that of those who heard Him, some believed, some were afraid, some were spellbound and some were experiencing pangs of conscience. In this scripture, we see that there was a 6th. group, those who argued.
We can divide this debate in to two parts. The statements of Jesus and the counter-statements of the Jews. Let us look first at what Jesus said.
"I am the light of the world." As the sun physically lights the world, the Christ, spiritually lights the world. Spiritual enlightenment, is understanding, a gift from God. It is not enough to just gaze upon the "light", Jesus said we must follow it, believe it and walk in it.

Now what did the Jews object to in this statement? "He was a witness for Himself, therefore, it was not verified to be true." To them, credentials had to be established for someone, by another. But, did not Moses and the Prophets witness of themselves and their divine calling? Besides, others, even that very week, bore witness that they believed that He was the Christ, therefore, the "light of the world." What was Christ's reply to this objection?
There was no doubt in the mind of Jesus who He was. There was no doubt where He had come from or where He was going. This was more than they knew. He had tried to tell them but they did not understand, therefore their judgment of Him was incorrect and without credence.
Then Jesus makes a statement that is difficult to understand. "You judge according to the flesh, but I judge no man." We judge, and often condemn ourselves, but Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, judges no man. His function is not to judge but to save. However, if He were to judge, like everything else that He did, it would be true. Besides, it is the law, the testimony of two witnesses is conclusive. "I and the Father that sent me are two witnesses."
By now the Jews had backed themselves into a corner. But they were not finished. They had many questions. "Where is your Father?" This, perhaps, was the obvious question sense Jesus had just spoken of His Father. They could not bring themselves to believe that this man was speaking of Jehovah, the True God. They would not allow themselves to think of Jesus as anything but a common man. They knew, by now, of the death of Joseph whom they presumed to be Jesus' father and so they asked, "Where is your father?"
It was obvious to Jesus that these sanctimonious Jews did not know Him or His Father whom they claimed to worship. They were described as "blind men" seeking to identify colors. Their understandings were darkened. Why couldn't these educated and knowledgeable men of Israel understand? Children understood. Uneducated people understood, even blind people understood. Three people have attempted to answer this question:

Matthew Henry says it was because they choose not to.
John Calvin said it was because they had not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul said unless you know Jesus you cannot possibly know the Father. Jesus said the same thing in verse 19, "If you knew me you would know the Father."

Oh how these Jews would have liked to arrested Jesus and silenced Him forever, but they could not. Why? "His hour had not yet come." Matthew Henry, in speaking of this, says, "The frequent mention of this, His hour had not yet come, intimates how much the time of our departure out of this world depends upon the fixed council and decree of God. It will come, it is coming, it has not yet come but is at hand. My time is in the Father's hands, better there than in mine."
Then Jesus made another statement: "I will go away and you will seek me and die in your sin, for where I am going you cannot come." Hearing this, the Jews remarked, "What's He going to do, kill Himself?" These educated Jewish leaders were so blinded by their hatred that they could not know the truth when they heard it. But He did not leave them without hope, "I told you that you would die in your sins and you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am He", (The Messiah).
These Jews could not understand who Jesus was, but again He attempted to explain to them. "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, or when you have crucified me, then you will know that I am He, the Christ." Even as He spoke, many believed on Him and to them He said, "If you continue in my word, you will be my Disciples, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free."
What was this freedom that Jesus was talking about? Freedom from sin, but if you do sin, there is freedom from the responsibility of sin, freedom from the penalty of sin.
Verses 37 thru 59 record the words that Jesus directed toward the Jewish leaders. How can you reason with people who have already made up their minds? I see more and more the necessity of turning over our lives to Christ and subjecting our wills to His.
As we have seen, each statement that is made by Jesus is countered by a stupid statement by the Jewish leaders. Certainly not reflecting the privileged position these men enjoyed or the academic level to which they had achieved. Confusion reigned supreme, "MY Father.... Your Father", neither side appeared to understand who the other was speaking about.
Note what Jesus said of His Father, "I speak of what I have seen with my Father." The Greek verb appears to be "heard" rather than "seen". But really both are correct because Christ was from the beginning and He heard and seen all that was spoken and created. His "doctrine" did not come out of a book but came from first hand experience.
But what of their father? Jesus said of them, "You do what you have heard of your father." "If God were your Father, you would love me." "The Devil is your father and you do what he desires." How could these "chosen people" be followers of the Devil? Were they not the descendants of Abraham? Yet they acted with all the evil characteristics of the Devil.
Notice those characteristics:

They sought to kill Jesus. They were so possessed with evil that they sought to kill a man that had done them no harm. They were so emerged in false things that they could not Neither recognize nor tolerate the truth. They were so un-godly that they sought to kill the Son of God.
They were full of hatred. So "black" were their hearts that God's Word found no place in them. For God's Word to be effective in our lives it must find a dwelling place within us. Not only a dwelling place, but it also must have room to work. i.e. To work sin out of us and to work Grace into us. Also it must find a "ruling place". God's word must become the rule and practice in our lives. Obviously, these people had no place in their lives for God's Word.
Evil replaced understanding. Therefore, they could not understand what He said. Why? Because they could not allow themselves to hear the truth. It threatened their position and their authority. Selfish reasons will always keep you from "hearing" the truth. God's purpose and plan for His people often falls on deaf ears because of selfish reasons.
They possessed the very nature of Satan. Satan was a murderer, Satan was a liar. The Devil had been called the Angel of Death since the time of Cain, who, possessed with evil, was able to kill his own brother. These Jews could and would kill Jesus. The chief tools of the Devil are lies and miss-applied truths.
They possessed the ability to do violence. When debate failed they used their hands. "They took up stones to throw at Him." We all become angry at times, particularly when we don't get our own way, but any form of violence against our brother, is the work of the Devil.

Matthew Henry says, "Everyone has a stone to throw at their religion." We throw stones at that which is most important in our lives. Why do we insist on living in such a way as to make our religion un-attractive? Why do we spend thousands of dollars to build and maintain a building and not be more considerate of that for which it stands.
These Jews were descendants of Abraham. Why didn't they act like it? After all this exchange of charges and counter-charges, the Jews condemned Him of being a Samaritan and a Demon. Being a Samaritan, in the eyes of Jews, was being about as low as you could get. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews because they had intermarried and did not worship at Jerusalem. Jesus was often called a "Galilean" but even that did not compare to being called a Samaritan.
Why did they think He was a Demon? It was His liberal views and radical application of the Law, at least in their eyes, that made them accuse Him of this. "His mind was clouded", they said. Thus what He said and taught could not be trusted.
But notice He had a word of encouragement, even for these vile people. "Truly, I say unto you, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death." This, they totally did not understand. Abraham died, surly everyone else would die. Matthew Henry calls this verse, the Doctrine of Immortality. It specifies the two characteristics of the believer:

The believer is one that keeps the words of Jesus. We must not only receive His word but we must "keep it", until it becomes written on our minds. "Kept" becomes the rule and practice of our lives.
The believer is one that shall never see death. In Christ, death is swallowed up in victory. Physically, we appear to die but only these earthly bodies die, the soul goes directly to be with the Lord. Death is but the passing from mortality to immorality.

All of this was "foreign" to these Jewish Leaders. To them, He was a threat to their power and to suggest that He had seen Abraham when He wasn't even 50 years old, was more that they could stand and they took up stones to throw at Him but He hid Himself, for His hour had not yet come. They surly must have thought that they had him, yet He passed through the midst of them and went out of the Temple. Jesus followed His own advice that He had given to His Disciples. He instructed them that if they were not accepted in one city they were to shake off the dust of that city and go to another.
It is a sad day when Christ departs from a place and people are not aware it. Loss of mission and witness in a church or person is sad but like the ax head from the ax, we know when it is gone and if we do persist in our disobedience, Christ' blessings will not depart from us as they did from these Jews.
So Jesus had gone to Jerusalem to teach the Jewish Leaders who He was and God's plan of salvation, but they hardened their hearts, they choose not to understand, and Jesus passed out from among them and went out of the Temple.
As Jesus left the Temple, He passed by a man who had been blind sense birth and that brings us to our next event in the life of Christ.

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