Knowing Jesus through the word of God

If we look at today’s Gospel passage, it begins with a significant and powerful statement from Jesus, “Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” Think for a moment about the implications of that:

• Unless we prayerfully read and study His word, how can we know and obey it?
• Conversely, if we do not obey his word, we will see death! Perhaps this is why in the 39 Articles of Religion that are foundational to Anglicanism, we are told in Article 6 — Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scriptures for salvation, that “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.”
• If we want to get to know Jesus, we can do so through reading the Bible and especially the Gospel accounts – although the whole of the Bible, whether the Old or the New Testament, points to Jesus and how we come to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Jews were incensed by Jesus’ statement and claimed that he was demon-possessed. But no demon could grant eternal life. Only God himself could accomplish that, and Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. ⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” Jesus always laid aside his majesty and gave glory to his Heavenly Father. We too should seek to lay aside our ego, vanity and pride and in all things seek to give the glory to the Heavenly Father.

The core issue here is that the Jews had lost sight of God and did not know the Heavenly Father from whom Jesus came, even though they claimed to know Him.

When Jesus said that he existed before Abraham was born, he undeniably proclaimed his divinity. Not only did Jesus say that he existed before Abraham; but he also applied God’s holy name (I AM—Exodus 3:14) to himself. No other religious figure in all of history has made such claims. Either Jesus was God, or he was a madman. His claim to deity demands a response. It cannot be ignored. The Jewish leaders tried to stone Jesus for blasphemy because he claimed equality with God. But Jesus is God.

The paradox here is that the religious leaders were ready to exercise the punishment for claiming to be God in accordance with the law (Leviticus 24:16). They well understood what Jesus was claiming; and because they didn’t believe him, they charged him with blasphemy. However, in reality, they were really the blasphemers, cursing and attacking the God whom they claimed to serve! As a Church, we work hard to be faithful in Biblical teaching and the application of God’s Holy Word. As a Church, we work hard to encourage everyone to engage with the Bible. That’s why we give out free copies of “Our Daily Bread”. That’s why we run Biblical courses, giving us the opportunity to grow in fellowship and go deeper with God. As we approach Easter Sunday, I pray that you are able to engage with the great services we have planned. I pray that you might have a fresh revelation of Christ and worship him joyfully in spirit and in truth. Amen