“The Purpose”
[John
20:30-31]
September 3, 2017, Second Reformed
Church
Jesus physically rose from the dead
on that first Easter. He appeared to
Mary and the rest of the women, then to the Eleven minus Thomas, then to the
two disciples on the road to Emmaus, then to Thomas, and finally to over five
hundred disciples at once.
We know Thomas as the skeptic even
in our day – “Doubting Thomas.” He is
not willing to believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus unless he can put his
fingers in the holes made by the nails and the hole made by the spear in Jesus’
side. “If I can’t see it and touch it, I
won’t believe.”
And Jesus graciously accommodates Thomas
and tells him to put his fingers in the wounds and doubt no longer. But it is unnecessary – Thomas worships Jesus
as he calls Him “Lord” and “God.” God
allows Thomas to understand and speak the truth that Jesus is the One Sovereign
God and Savior of His people.
Jesus responds, “Have you believed
because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
believed” (John 20:29, ESV).
Those who believe in Jesus as God
and Savior are blessed. We are blessed
as those who did not know Jesus in the flesh, but know Him by the Spirit,
because God – in His Mercy – has given us the faith and the grace to believe
that Jesus is the Promised God and Savior.
God the Holy Spirit has changed our hearts and minds – replaced our
stone heart with a heart of flesh and removed the veil from our understanding
that we would hear the words of the prophets and understand that they all
prophesied Jesus.
As John records these things, he
understands Jesus’ promise to bring in the other sheep who are not part of the
flock – us. He understands Jesus’
blessing upon all those who will believe based on the witness of the Eleven and
those after the Eleven – us. John
confidently writes about all we who will believe in Jesus as God and Savior
until the end of days when Jesus returns for us.
And then John puts a parenthesis –
he breaks from the historical account to tell his readers the purpose for
writing his gospel. John knew there were
other gospels already available to be read – Matthew, Mark, Luke. He wants his readers to understand the reason
for writing yet another history of Jesus.
And John tells us that Jesus did
many more signs than are recorded in his gospel.
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;”
We need to understand that the four
Gospels cover very little of Jesus’ life.
Two of them record His birth. One
records something about His teen years.
Then, they mention several incidences, but the vast majority of all four
of the Gospels is the record of Jesus’ last week on earth. All together, the history of Jesus’ life in
the Gospels may add up to about a month out of His thirty-three years.
What does that tell us? What is John telling us?
He is telling us that the history that is
recorded in the gospels is a selected history – and the events that are
recorded were recorded for a specific purpose.
The Gospel writers wrote to make very specific points.
He’s also telling us that the people that
knew Jesus during His life on earth witnessed many more signs than John records
in his gospel. Even if we only consider
the three years of Jesus’ public ministry, the people of John’s day knew
thirty-six months of the signs that Jesus’ performed; we who read the Gospel
have – perhaps – one month of signs recorded.
Why is John telling us this now – at this
point in his gospel?
Jesus has just told Thomas that those who
do not see Him in the flesh and believe are blessed. John is reflecting back on this letting us
know that although those who lived in the days of Jesus saw many more signs
than are recorded in the Gospels, we who believe based on the witness of those
who were there are blessed by God with the gift of faith and grace to believe.
And remember, John is writing his gospel thirty
years or so after the Resurrection – there is an entire new generation on earth
that never saw Jesus or His signs at all.
The people John is writing to includes us, but they were also there as
he wrote.
The last time we looked at the Gospel of
John, we mentioned the idea that some have that if Jesus were only here today,
people would believe in Him, or the world would be a better place, and so on.
John is telling us that there is no
difference – we shouldn’t long to see all the signs of the Bible and those that
are not recorded, because the signs aren’t the point:
If you see a stop sign on the road, what
message is being given – what is it telling you to do? Stop.
If you see a cluster of ten stop signs on
the same corner – what are the signs pointing to – what are they saying? Stop.
Jesus explains to the men on the road to
Emmaus that everything in the Scripture points to Him. Everything we have been given in the Word of
God points to Jesus – it identifies Him as God the Savior. Before Jesus came, signs were necessary to
keep believers focusing on the Savior Who was to come, but now Jesus is come –
there is no more need for signs. The
signs are given, and God has opened our understanding to them so we believe
savingly in Jesus.
The writers of the Gospels wrote to show
that Jesus is God the Savior. They
recorded certain signs to make this point – they didn’t record every sign that
was given – and they didn’t need to. And
now that Jesus is here, we don’t need any more signs.
As Paul explains, “So faith comes from
hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17, ESV).
Just as we don’t need another stop sign
once we have stopped, we don’t need another sign to identify God the Savior,
because He is come and we know Who He is.
Everything we need to know for faith and life is recorded in the Word of
God.
John continues by explaining that he includes
the signs he does for three reasons:
“but these are written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may
have life in his name.”
First, John records the signs Jesus did so
we would believe that Jesus is the Christ.
John records enough of the signs pointing
to Jesus being the Savior that by the working of God the Holy Spirit, we would
believe that Jesus is the Christ – the Savior.
Including, these prophecies that are fulfilled:
Jesus drives out the moneychangers and
animal vendors from the temple (John 2:14–16).
Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem to the
cheers of a crowd (John 12:12–15).
God sends Jesus from heaven (John 6:31–33).
The Jews do not believe in Him (John 12:37–40).
Judas betrays Jesus (John 13:18).
The world hates Jesus for no reason (John 15:25).
Jesus' executioners divide His clothing (John
19:24).
Jesus' executioners spear Him rather than
break his legs (John 19:33-37).
All of these are prophesied about the
Messiah – the Savior.
John wants us to read these things and
think:
God gave the signs of the Savior to the prophets
to preach and record.
Jesus fulfills all the signs of the
Savior.
Therefore,…Jesus is the Savior!
Second, John records the signs Jesus did
so we would believe that Jesus is God.
John wants his readers to understand that
Jesus is not just a real human being Who is also the Savior, but He is – at the
same time – in the same person – the One God.
We have seen before that Jesus has to be a
real human being in order to be our Substitute before God under the Law and to
pay the debt for our sins. However,
Jesus must also be the One True God in order to keep the Law perfectly and survive
the punishment for all of the sins of everyone who will ever believe in Him.
We see again and again in John’s gospel,
the emphasis on Jesus being the One True God:
“And [Jesus] said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I
say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and
descending on the Son of Man’” (John 1:51, ESV).
“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your
Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my
own accord, but he sent me’” (John 8:42, ESV).
“do you say of him whom the Father
consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I
am the Son of God’?” (John 10:36, ESV).
“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to
them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”’” (John
20:17, ESV).
And we looked at the idea that Jesus uses
the phrase “I am,” to state that He is God – the phrase coming from the most
holy Name of God given to Moses at the burning bush:
I am the bread of life (John 6:35).
I am the light of the world (John 8:12).
I am the door of the sheep (John 10:7).
I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).
I am the resurrection and the life (John
11:25).
I am the way, the truth, and the life
(John 14:6).
I am the true vine (John 15:1).
Those who heard Jesus speak would know
that Jesus is claiming to be God, Himself, in making these statements.
Those who wanted Jesus dead understand His
claim, and they bring the charge of blasphemy to Pilate:
“The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law,
and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son
of God’” (John 19:7, ESV).
There is no question that Jesus claims to
be God and that those who want Him dead understand that He claims to be
God. (Which is why Pilate is so
terrified after the Jews say this of Jesus.)
So, John puts it to his readers: here are the signs that Jesus is God – as He
claims. Here is the witness to what Jesus
believes and what those who hate Him say – and he calls his readers to decide.
As C. S. Lewis writes, “I am trying here
to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about
Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his
claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a
man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.
He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a
poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.
Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something
worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a
demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not
come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He
has not left that open to us. He did not intend to” (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6979-i-am-trying-here-to-prevent-anyone-saying-the-really).
What do the signs point to?
Third, John records the signs Jesus did so
we would have life – and life continuing – in Jesus’ Name.
What is “life in Jesus’ Name”?
This expression means “by the authority of
Jesus.” By the authority of Jesus –
because of the work Jesus did to secure the salvation of all those who will
ever believe – if we believe the Gospel – Who Jesus is and what He did – Jesus
has the authority to give life – life continuing – life everlasting to all
those who believe in their hearts and minds that facts of the Gospel and
respond to them by confessing those truths with their mouths and lives. If you believe the Gospel to be true – and
you profess it with your mouth and your actions show that you have been changed
through this belief – you are saved – you will live and have eternal life now
and forever.
As Paul explains, “because, if you confess
with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is
justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says,
‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing
his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:9-13, ESV).
John wrote his gospel, structured it, and
included in it the signs he did, because he wants his readers – we who did not
live during the earthly life of Jesus – to have these signs before us that will
evidence to us:
Jesus is the Christ – the Savior – the
fulfillment of everything the prophets said.
Jesus is God – the One True God Who saves
us by His power for His sake.
And if we believe these things – the
Gospel – Jesus saves us by His authority, and we are granted life now and forever
with Him.
Do you believe?
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank you for the Gospel
of John and John’s intention to record signs in the life of Your Son, Jesus,
that we would know that He is the Savior and the Incarnate God. Give us the faith and grace to believe and
cause the Holy Spirit to empower us to do all those things that are please to
You that we would have joy and life eternal.
For it is in Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment