John 19:16b-27 "THE KING ON THE CROSS"

 

We now come to the last part [Chapters 19- 21] of John’s Gospel. 

The hour has come (see Jesus’ high-priestly prayer in John 17:1[1]). 

This is what Jesus was born for and for this truth Jesus came into the world (John 18:37). His 33 odd years of life now come to a climax. “For this purpose I have come to this hour…” (John 12:27) Here we find the grand purpose of Jesus’ earthly life. It is here that we find the heart of the gospel – the sum and substance of the Christian faith. Here we find all our hope. Here we find the solution to man’s greatest problem, ever since the fall in Genesis 3. Here we find the King on the Cross.

The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church, says that these events, the crucifixion, the death and burial, the resurrection are matters of first importance.

“3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day pin accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 

Today we shall consider the first -the crucifixion 

OUTLINE

(i)                  Vv. 17- 22 The King is enthroned on the cross. Jesus is lifted up

(ii)                Vv. 23  - 24  The King is  dis-robed.

(iii)               Vv. 25- 27 The King’s care for His own.

 (i)       Vv. 17- 22 The King is enthroned on the cross. Jesus is lifted up

16. He (Pilate) delivered him over to be crucified. So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.

Jesus is delivered over (handed over) to be crucified by the Roman soldiers. The grand truth here is that those that handed Jesus over are in reality handed over by God (see Acts 2:23). They are doing what they want to do, but only because God allows them to do it. We shall see this when we come to verse 24.

John doesn’t repeat all of the details that you have in the other Gospel accounts. He says nothing about Simon of Cyrene[2], who, at some point carried the cross because Jesus had become simply too weak from the pain and loss of blood. The explanation for this lies in John’s focus.  His focus is now entirely on the King and His work of the cross.

18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 

Again, John bypasses the dialogue[3] between the two other men (robbers) crucified with Jesus.  His focus is on the inscription:  

19Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

The Jews were offended by this inscription. They had  opposed Jesus  claims to divinity[4], His claims to be the Son of God,  and  his claims  to possess a kingdom  not of this world (John 18:36-37). But since this in itself provided no proof of guilt in the Roman system they framed the charge in terms of  Christ being a king[5], in opposition to the Roman Caesar.  Pilate knew their hypocrisy (see 19:15,16 – “We have no king but Caesar”),  and so, to  irk the Jews  he  had  the charge, written in the   Aramaic (language of common use in Judea), and in Latin (the language of the Romans) and in  Greek (the Lingua Franca or street language of the Roman empire).  The Jews wanted to change the inscription, “This man claims to be the king of the Jews”, but Pilate obstinately refuses to oblige and says, “What I have written I have written.” 

And so the inscription bears the truth. The one on the cross is the King of the Jews. He is the long awaited Messiah and Deliverer of the OT, but in so many ways  He is profounder than  Jew and  Roman were  able to understand. 

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life….”  (see John 3:16-21). Here on the cross, Jesus is lifted up (see John 12:32). Here is the beginning of the exaltation and the enthronement of Jesus the King! The King who is the Lamb and the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep (John 10). He frees them from bondage  and makes them subjects of His kingdom. Look to Him!

(ii)        Vv. 23 - 24 The King’s is dis-robed.

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.”This was to fulfil the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them,  and for my clothing they cast lots. ”So the soldiers did these things.”

Now we read of the division of Jesus’ clothes as He is left to die a slow agonizing death on the cross. Prof. F.F Bruce   says that the clothes of an executed man were legally made over to the executioners[6]. His outer garment/cloak (the himation), they divided into 4 parts, along the seams (4 soldiers crucified him). His inner garment/ tunic (the chiton) was seamless.  Such a garment was difficult to divide, and instead of tearing it up, they cast lots among themselves to see who would get it.  Now please see this. At the beginning of Jesus’ trial they robed him mockingly in a purple robe, with a crown of thorns (John 19:2), but now they disrobe him.  Now do you remember in John 13, in the upper room, when the disciples were arguing as to who would be the greatest? Jesus disrobed  Himself. He took a towel and wrapped it around His waist, and He washed the disciples’ feet as a symbol of what He was going to do on the cross. Well here we are! John sees here the fulfilment of Scripture with reference to Psalm 22:18[7] - a Messianic Psalm, which begins with the cry of forsakenness from the cross[8].  In fact, we observe that the closer  John gets to the cross,  the more  ‘that the Scripture might be fulfilled’  passages he inserts[9]. 

All is foreknown by God. Nothing catches Him off guard.  The humiliation of His Son, the cross is all part of God’s plan for our salvation. Jesus, on the cross, is disrobed and exposed for the purpose of our redemption- that we may be clothed in His righteousness.  Chris Anderson  has written a hymn that  illustrates  this truth,

“His robes for mine: O wonderful  exchange! 

Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage. 

Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified. I Christ I live, for in my place He died.”   

And as for  the  Jews and their priests and Judas  and  Pilate and the soldiers we must ask – what  does all the dress  and cloth matter in the world  if  they and we are not dressed in the righteousness  of  Jesus  when we must appear before the  throne of the Judge of all the earth?  

(iii)  The King’s Care for His Own (19:25-27)

25… but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

This section forms a huge contrast to the previous scene of the executioners - the soldiers, who had to do the actual horrible job of killing Jesus.  The focus now shifts to those that deeply care for Jesus. They are gathered before the cross, and they are watching this horrible scene. In his excruciating pain Jesus does an extra-ordinary thing. He says to Mary, His own mother, “Behold your son!” And to John (the beloved disciple), the writer of this gospel, he says “Behold your mother.” He is now speaking to her and  John as the King. He has completed the work on earth, and now He must finish the work of the cross. He must die, be buried and rise again … and after that ascend back to the Father. He must finish the work which His Father has given Him to do (John 17:4). Things will change from now on.  He must leave behind that very personal relationship that He had with His mother. He must leave His mother behind in the care of others, and He commends her to John, His beloved and trustworthy disciple: “Behold your mother!”

You may remember Mark 3:31-35. There Jesus was told that His mother and brothers had come to see Him. He then took opportunity to explain the nature of true family ties and bonds. You will remember that Jesus answers the question, “Who are my mother and brothers”, by pointing to those sitting around Him on that occasion. He said, “whoever does the will of God… is my brother and sister and mother”.  And here is the great l truth. In and through the cross the King creates a new family - a new set of brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. He creates the church – the forever family of God.

CONCLUSION

Dear people. We are living in days of great distress.  We have lost 1414 people in 28 days[10]. Much is said about medical solutions, and these will be a part of God’s answer. The greater truth is that our Creator is speaking to this sinful world. I don’t think that there is much said about this, because people do not like to connect God and pain.  

But every pestilence and plague in the Bible is ultimately sent from or permitted by God.  A great illustration is found in Numbers 21:4-9. The people grumbled for the umpteenth time against Moses and God. “And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people… so that many people of Israel died.” After the people had been thoroughly afflicted, they confessed their sin and asked Moses to pray that God might remove this plague. In response Moses made a   serpent and lifted it up on a pole. The promise was that everyone that looked to the serpent would live.

Jesus uses this picture when He speaks about being lifted up on the cross.  Let us lift our eyes to the King on the cross. It is to God that we must turn and forsake and confess our great sin which translates in all sorts of ways: stubbornness, pride, idol worship (replacing God with man- made things and solutions)…

God has spoken in His Word. He has told us what our sin accomplishes – eternal death and separation from God. And He has  spoken again. In His mercy and grace He has offered us a solution. In the cross, in the death and in the resurrection of Christ, God offers those that look to Him and trust Him   full pardon from sin  and eternal life. 

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[1] The hour has not yet come:  7:6,8,30 ; 8:20  ; The hour is coming 16:25,31; The hour has come : 12:23, 13:1; 17:1

[2] Matthew 27: 32;  Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26

[3] Matthew 27:44 ;Luke  23:39-43

[4]

[5] Luke 23:2

[6] FF Bruce : The Gospel of John, Eerdmans,p.369

[7] All 4 Gospels record the division of the clothes :  Matthew 27:35;  Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23,24

[8] Psalm  22:1   cf. Mark15:34 ; Matthew 27:46

[9][9]  John 17:12; 18:9,32; 19:24,28,36

[10] President’s speech , 30^th July 2021

John 15:18-6:4 “WHAT CHRISTIANS CAN EXPECT FROM THEIR WORLD”

 

One of the ugliest emotions must surely be hate. Some of the ugliest words you may ever hear is, “I hate you”.  Some of the ugliest things that people do to each other is to let their hate turn into an ugly rage. Hitler and his cronies hated Jews, gypsies and handicapped people, and anyone that did not conform to the Nazi vision of a “master race”, was mercilessly exterminated. Jews and Palestinians find no political common ground, and so they hate and kill each other. The Chinese government and many governments in this world hate the Christian church or any faith based movement that does not conform to their political doctrine. The Islamist Boko Haram in Nigeria hates the Christian church. As we speak, we see hate and mockery poured out upon Christians who hold to the authority of Scripture, particularly in matters of creation, gender, marriage etc.

As we make our way to this passage we remember that Jesus was hated[1] for the gospel words that He spoke. Plans were constantly made to arrest Him and to kill Him. In the book of Acts   the early Christian church in Jerusalem was persecuted and dispersed because the Jews hated His followers. And now Jesus reminds us right here, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you…” (15:18 cf. 7:7).

Jesus speaks these words against the background of His earlier words concerning being a fruit-bearing vine (15:1-8). The supreme fruit on our Christian vine are love and joy (15:9 – 17). The Lord Jesus says in conclusion of that section, “These  things I command you, so that  you will love one another”  (15:17). Love is the greatest fruit of the Christian faith.  He has made this point before, in John 13: 34, 35: “A new command I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Jesus is saying here that the world can only understand Christianity, and therefore Christ, by the love which Christians have for one another. What an awesome responsibility. Pray daily that you will have the desire and ability to love God’s people here at Eastside, for that is where we must begin. Love these people with a Christ-like love i.e. by the standard of 1 Corinthians  13:4-7: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  We are not simply people that go to the same church.  We are called to be a visible, working, loving body of Christ!

Now this important question arises: Why on earth should this world hate people that are filled with love and joy? The Scriptures we have read this morning in 15:18 – 16:4 follow as an anti-climax to what has gone before. From love we come to the exact opposite: “hate“ (Greek:miseo).  In this 15^th chapter Jesus tells us something about  the distinguishing mark of the church (“love”) and the distinguishing mark of the world (“hate”). Let’s try to understand this.

This is not saying that the church always loves, and it is not saying that the world always hates. Sadly, the visible church has sometimes failed in imitating the love of Jesus, particularly when she has been too absorbed by this world. And non-Christians have sometimes shown remarkable capacity for Christ-like love and compassion. We see that the church is capable of failing and the world is able to show common grace. What then must we make of Jesus’ observation here? We have to understand John’s use of the word ‘world’. He describes the world system which is opposed to the gospel system. That world system is driven by hate, whereas the gospel system (which is not equivalent to the visible church) is driven by love.  

Let us try to understand the nature of the hate of the world. In which way exactly does this world system hate Jesus and the gospel way?  Let’s try to understand the ways in which the word hate is used in the Bible and also in everyday speech:

1. When I say, “I hate spinach or broccoli”, then that use of the word hate has no strong moral bearings.  Jesus uses the word  in that sense in  Luke 14:26:  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate (miseō) his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.  Jesus does not teach here that you must literally hate your family. What He says is that your love for Him ought to be stronger than that to your family, otherwise it becomes idolatry. It’s a relative use (excuse the pun!) of that word.   I love my family relatively less than Jesus.  Marcelle and I chose to leave our families in South Africa 32 years ago because we wanted to love and obey God in following His call to Namibia and to this church. We love our family, but we love God more. I cannot even begin to tell you how often our love for you has been challenged by our desire to be close to our families.  Here’s another example: In John 12:25 Jesus says, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates (miseō)  his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  Does Jesus teach that we must literally hate our own lives? No! He is making a relative distinction between people who love this world, and people who love Him. 

2. The second sense in which hate is used in the Bible is in terms of a right hate for something:  Paul, in Romans 7:15 speaks about hating  the sinful things that  he  does. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate (miseō) I do.”  It is morally right to hate wickedness. There is a right way to hate!

3. The third way in which the word “hate” is used relates to unreasonableness and evil. We find a number of these in John’s gospel   (i) John 3:20: For everyone who does wicked things hates (miseō) the light, and does not come to the light lest his works will be exposed. Why should you hate the light which is good? It is evil to love darkness more than light.  (ii) John 7:7:  “The world cannot hate you[2], but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil”.  Why does the world hate Jesus?  How can you hate someone who comes to love you and heal you and save you? This is irrational and evil.   The irrationality of this evil sense of hate   is found in 15:25:  “But the word that is written in their Law[3] must be fulfilled: They hated me without cause (reason)”. Jesus here says that their hate is  irrational. It does not make sense.  Now this is the predominant way in which ‘hate’ is used here   in John’s gospel. How do we explain this unreasonable hate? Let’s see Jesus’ response:

1.      15:18  Christians must know that they must expect  to be hated as Christ was hated.

2.      15:19a  The world  has no love for  gospel logic. The world loves  its own anti gospel logic and it loves those that endorse the same way of thinking.

3.      15:19b Christians, by virtue  of having been chosen by Christ  do not belong to the world; they belong to Christ. They no longer identify  with the world, and therefore they are hated.  

4.       15:20  A reference back to  13:16  and  a further  amplification of  15:18.

5.       15:21- 24.The real reason for the world’s hate given. The world hates Jesus and His followers because it does not know God the Father who sent Jesus (21). In fact, now that Jesus has come and explained the gospel system and gospel logic (which they have rejected) the world has become even more culpable of its sin (22). And in so doing they do not only reject Jesus, but they reject God the Father who sent Jesus.  

6.      15:25  Here Jesus exposes the  irrationality of hate:  It is in fulfilment of the law. He quotes Psalms 35:19 and 69:4.There is no logical reason, except a sinful stubbornness against God. Truly, sin makes the world irrational.

7.      15:26-7 Ultimately, only the Helper (Paraclete) the Holy Spirit can cure the world’s stubborn resistance/ unbelief and irrationality (cf. 14:16,17). He enables the believer   to believe and bear witness to the truth as it is in Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit can  dissolve  that natural hate/ unbelief  of the human heart- the world system.

Why these are important facts for us to remember?  (16:1 – 4)

1.      16:1 Having understood the root of hate  in this world, particularly against gospel believers, we will not  fall away when persecution  comes, but understand whence it comes from.

2.      16:2,3 So that  we may know that this hate  can  take on serious proportions. The world system which hate Christ and gospel churches  believes  that it offers a service to God. The Pharisees  who embodied this system in Jesus’ day thought that they offered a service to God by having Christ killed. We must understand however, that  this is no service to God , for they do not  truly know the Father  or Jesus.

3.   16:4  To be forewarned is to be forearmed

APPLICATION & CONCLUSION 

Just as the experience  of  the  love of God and of  joy in becoming  a Christian is  profound, so also  the discovery of the irrationality  of the  hate  of the  world  can  sobering experience. In fact, it is one of the most mystifying and disturbing experiences in becoming a Christian  when we experience the hate of the world. Many of us are naïve when it comes to understanding the world’s capacity for irrationality and evil. Jesus teaches us not to be naïve and not to be surprised when these things happen to us.  I have seen it and experienced it.  You start living the Christian life with joyful optimism. You have every intention to help the lost and the hurting of this world. You want to do them good.  You want to share the gospel with your family  and friends and strangers. Initially there may be some interest and  response, but as the truth  and gospel implications  settle upon their  hearts, and as the light of  God’s word begins to expose them, they turn against you with  a surprising  hate.

As a pastor and preacher I see and experience this all the time. I have been surprised  how in the act  bringing God’s healing Word and  His  healing  touch to broken  people, in love with this world system,  suddenly withdraw in an angry manner,  when the light of God’s Word demanded change and repentance. They withdraw when the Word of God demands of them to extend forgiveness to their enemies. They withdraw when the Word of God demands that they should lay aside their pride and be humble and gentle. And all of a sudden their hearts, so invaded by this world system,  explode  with  hate, and  I can do nothing right after that! 

Be aware of this irrational reaction to your loving   attempts in being faithful stewards of the gospel. Understand where this hate comes from, and it will save you from unnecessary discouragement.  I remind you, that often, like the  opponents of Jesus,  that  such  people  will claim to be church members and religious people. Keep that in mind, and do not be intimidated.  Remember that the true measure of a Christian is not that they name the Name of God. A true Christian is known by their fruit (see John 15:1-9). The Pharisees were religious  but they were far from God. Ultimately they do not know  God  and  Jesus.  

Remember above all things that Jesus has given you His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth (15:26). He alone can convict   people of sin and unrighteousness, and so, while  you  speak to  the people of this world in love, at the same time  you must pray and trust the Holy Spirit  for  effecting the  change  of heart. Take  risks to love wayward, stubborn  people anyway, because, amongst these many lost ones, there are Christ’s sheep also  (see John  10: 1 – 21) You have been given  the Great Commission to find them.

We will have to deal with the irrational hate of this world  by understanding where it comes from. It may be a very painful experience, but we gladly bear it, for in so doing we are following in the footsteps of Jesus. Thank God for His word.

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[1] See John  5:18; 7:1;8:59;10:31;11:53;

[2] Jesus is here speaking to His physical brothers who as yet did not believe in Him

[3] Psalms 35:19  and  69:4

JOHN 11:45-57 "The Power of Believing and the Power of Unbelieving”

             

1.     This  account follows an astonishing miracle (11:45) 

      2.     This   account portrays  stunning unbelief  (11:46-48)

      3.     This account  contains  an accurate prophecy  from a most unlikely source (11:49-52)

      4.     This account teaches us that possessing  correct  information  and  outward displays of piety  or religiosity do not make a person  a true worshipper  (11:53)

We want to be the kind of people described in 11:45 : "Many of the Jews therefore who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him". 

1.     An Astonishing  Miracle (11:45)

The concluding verses of the 11^th Chapter of John’s gospel follow the amazing miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus.  He was the brother of Martha and Mary who died, when Jesus raised him simply by the power of His word (11:43). It was an event witnessed to by many (11:45). This is an astonishing miracle, considering that he had been dead for four days!  We read that many who had seen what Jesus did believed in Him. This is the most encouraging verse in our passage. Our eternal destiny hangs on whether we believe in Jesus or not! (cf. John 3:16-18)

2.     Astonishing Unbelief (11:46—48)

Secondly, we take note of the astonishing unbelief of the religious leaders and the Pharisees.  They freely admitted “that this man does many miracles." (11:47). Instead of taking a good look at Jesus and deeply  thinking about  the claims of Jesus, we read   that they gathered the council – the Sanhedrin council  (11:47)  with the purpose of putting Jesus to death (11:53).  Sadly, the religious leaders that ought to be shepherding their people into the arms of God here are seen as the biggest opponents of the good news from their God, in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. He was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29,36).  Perhaps the most surprising element of our text relates to the attitude of those, who we might have thought would be the first to recognise the finger of God,  displayed  in and  through the life  and work of Jesus.  But no! 

Look at their statement  in  11:47-48, “So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”  

What then were these religious leaders so afraid of? They were afraid that Jesus would attract a large following, who would make him their leader and king. Then, they thought, the Roman occupation would then hear this, and consider this a rebellion. They had after all installed their puppet king, Herod.  They were scared that if such a rebellion took place, the Romans would send their army and destroy the temple and Jerusalem, as the Babylonians did, approximately 600 years earlier. 

Two brief comments on Jesus'  take on  their phobia:

(i)               Jesus never allowed   himself to be made king, even though there was such an attempt following his feeding of the 5000 in John 6:1. It was thought by men like the  Roman governor  Pilate that Jesus’  mission was to become the king of the Jews (John 18:33). Nothing was further from the truth. Jesus emphatically did not come at this point to oppose Caesar. He plainly taught and affirmed Caesar’s  role, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21) 

(ii)             His kingdom was of a different nature and kind to the political kingdoms of this world. He said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36)

The problem with the religious rulers was that they would not see him for who He was. He was  the glorious King mentioned in Psalm 2, enthroned in the midst of  the raging of the nations.  All they were concerned about was that their way of life should not be disturbed. Does that not sound contemporary? We don’t like it when our comfort zones are challenged. We don’t like it when invisible viruses like Covid-19 disturb our way of life. Sadly, we often actually like our current lifestyles more than the lifestyle that Jesus expounded in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, Chapters 5-7). Jesus has come to challenge us to give up our small ambitions and our worldly kingdoms, and follow Him, and live according to the lifestyle, logic and ethos of His kingdom. In John 6:66 we saw what the outcome of Jesus’s call to discipleship produced …many gave up on Jesus then. Many people think that they lose their freedoms when they follow Christ. Not so. See what Jesus says in John 12:25,26, 

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also....".

I also remind you that their unwillingness to hear and follow Christ was a great mistake. The time would come in AD 70, not long after they had crucified Jesus,   that the Roman armies did take away their place and nation.

Let us think for a moment about the power of unbelief. People may see signs, wonder and miracles and yet remain hard and unbelieving.  If they will not believe the Word of God, their OT Scriptures  which point  to the coming of a Messiah, they will not  listen  to such a Messiah, even if He came  to authenticate Himself with astonishing miracles.  The gospel writer Luke spends considerable time to show us  Jesus’  unusual  authority in  His teaching  and in  His miraculous power. At the end of the 16^th chapter  he  records a  parable,  telling  the story of the rich man  and Lazarus,  commenting  in conclusion of  this parable, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31).

Miracles in themselves have no power to convict or convert anyone. No-one has ever become a Christian by seeing an extraordinary miracle. The Bible teaches us that it is by Grace alone, by God given faith alone,   through the inward working of the Holy Spirit alone,   that a person is saved alone.”[1] The Jews of Jesus’ day are a proof to us that we may see signs and wonders, and yet our hearts remain as hard towards God and His Word.  The plain truth is that man's unbelief is  far deeper  and profounder  than  we would care  to  believe.

Nothing can  take away  the  power of unbelief as we see here displayed  in our text.  No profounder miracle could  be  done  than what Jesus  had done in the raising of Lazarus and yet   these religious leaders continued to hate  Christ.  Nothing and no one on earth can deal with a hard heart like that. Only God can. And remember that if you are a believer in Jesus, that you have been enabled to do so only by the grace of God. You have no ground  to boast in your  own decision to follow Christ.  

3.     An astonishing prophecy from an unlikely source (11:49-52)

“But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”

Caiaphas was high priest from A.D. 26-36.[2]  How shall we understand this? How can this man, opposed to Jesus  the Messiah speak truth? I remind you that  it is not entirely strange that God should speak truth through an unconverted man.  

• He spoke through that false prophet Balaam (Numbers 22-24). 
• King Solomon spoke God’s truth even when at times he lived so very badly. 
• Pilate spoke the truth when he had these words written  and attached   in Hebrew,  Greek and in Latin to the Cross, ‘This is the King of the Jews’.  
• We should not be surprised that this  high priest could also speak the truth of  God  concerning the death of Jesus  for the nation  and the scattered children of God abroad (the gentiles). God can use a crooked stick to strike a straight blow. 

The old  commentator Matthew Henry says on this text, “There can hardly be a more clear discovery of the madness that is in man's heart, and of its desperate enmity against God, than what is here recorded. Words of prophecy in the mouth, are not clear evidence of a principle of grace in the heart.” [3] 

With hindsight we know that Jesus had to die for the Jews and the gentiles. God can make the evil designs of His enemies work together for the good of His people. In days of trouble, we that love God and His  Word  may rest patiently in the Lord. The very things that hurt us  now will  be for  our gain. Covid- 19 is a horrible thing, but for us who believe  this  will turn out for out good.

4.     Mere knowledge and outward displays of piety do not make a man / woman a true believer (11:53)

We saw that Caiaphas saw and told the truth about Jesus accurately. But none of this truth would help him. He would still encourage  the Jews  to crucify the Lord of glory. We need to be reminded  that knowing truth in itself has no saving  merits. It is not only hearing and knowing, but also believing (11:45) that saves.

We also want to observe what we read in  11:55: “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.” 

The Passover was one of the greatest feasts in the Jewish calendar. It reminded them of how the blood of the lamb sacrificed at that time had caused the wrath of God to pass over them in Egypt. Now here the Jews were now to purify themselves in remembrance of that event. The great irony here is that they were  going up to Jerusalem at great cost and inconvenience to have themselves purified, while in a few days  they  would sinfully   crucify Jesus,  the Lamb of God, who was  given by YAHWEH to take away their  sin. How could they ever be pure before God if they killed Him who was given to deal with the great issue of sin?

Brothers and sisters, settle this in your mind. Mere outward expression of religious activity   is utterly worthless in God's sight. The purity that God desires to see is purity of heart- love for God and love for our neighbour. That is the sum-total of the law.

 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt. 5:8).

So then, as we take  leave  of this chapter, let us make sure that we are found among those  described in 11:45, 

“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.” These are the one’s now invited to the Lord’s supper.

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[1] Romans 1: 16,17

[2] Josephus. Antiquities xviii. 2, § 2.

[3] Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the whole Bible