In John 8, Jesus is talking to a large crowd of people including the religious Jews. Just imagine how the people reacted when the second Person of the Trinity literally came down from heaven, from a completely separate realm outside of this world, became fully human and lived among the people He created.
He stepped into their world, into their staunch religious traditions and spoke about a better way, about another life, eternal life, a new way to live and a new and living way to God.
John 8:21-30
21 Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.
24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” 25 Then they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I even been saying to you from the beginning? 26 I have many things to say and to judge regarding you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I say to the world.”
27 They did not realize that He was speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and I do nothing on My own, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 30 As He said these things, many came to believe in Him (John 8:21-30, NASB).
In John 8:21-30, Jesus was talking about:
Two destinations
Two worlds
One solution
Two destinations
In His conversation with the Jews Jesus said 4 things (v. 21): (1) I am going away, (2) you will look for Me (3) you will die in your sin, and (4) where I am going you cannot come.
Jesus was speaking to them in a way they couldn’t comprehend. He was on a mission for His Father. He came to die for their sin, to be resurrected and then return to heaven because He knew that without Him, they would die in their sin and spend eternity in hell. But as we know, they were seeking for someone or something that fit their version of a savior, a warrior, a superhero, someone who would vanquish evil and set all things right in this world.
“Jesus and the Jews were talking from two different realms, moving in two different directions,”
and going to two different destinations.
This is why He said on several occasions, “where I am going you cannot come.” Not because He didn’t want them to come but because they had made their own decision of how they wanted to live and how they would save themselves.
Jesus’ orientation was upward and theirs was downward. Jesus’ focus was on the things above, theirs on the earth and the things below.
Two completely different worlds
Even though Jesus entered into the very world He created and totally identified with us, He never lost sight of where He came from and why He was here. Jesus said, “I am from above but you are from below, you came from this world, I came from Heaven.”
The Greek word for world is “kosmos.” This word for world isn’t talking about the world in a geographical sense but about an organized system of thinking, an ideology, attitude, a philosophy of life. It is an invisible, intelligent, and strategic system promoted by the prince and power of the air that exchanges the truth for a lie.
“Calling evil good and good evil.”
It is a system that promotes the life from below – humanism, materialism, hedonism, pornography, pride, greed, selfishness, and all that is hostile to God, to Jesus, to His Word, and His people.
It is a system that on many fronts seems rational, even moral but nevertheless sends people to hell. Jesus said, “You have embraced a world that is passing away and can’t see beyond its perspective.”
“Nothing and no one is greater than Jesus. He has authority over all things.”
The life He imparted, the words He spoke, the hope He gave came from above and are incorruptible, unchangeable, and eternal. This life would transform our thinking, ideology, attitude, and philosophy of life.
“In fact, this life from above is what we were created for.”
This is the life He willingly gives, not begrudgingly but freely. Jesus came to deliver people from the power of this world system.
But when Jesus confronted Jews with the reality of their bankrupt, religious system, their sinfulness, their need for a real change, deep cleansing from within and their need for a living relationship to God, they rejected Him and stopped following him.
Jesus made the gospel message clear - unless you believe in Me, in Who I truly am, you will die in your sins. (Here “sins” is plural.) Unless you cry out to Me to save you - this world system will drag you down with it.
One solution
Jesus said:
When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him (John 8:28, NASB).
Various scholars believe this verse has two meanings: (1) He would be lifted up on the cross, crucified in our place paying the full payment for our sins. After 3 days He would be resurrected from the dead as the victorious One.
“Victorious over sin, over death, hell, and the world system. ”
The second meaning for lifted up refers to His ascension to heaven, where he sat down at the right hand of His Father. Jesus was saying there is a better way to God, a new and living way to God and that is through Him, only through me can you be delivered from the power and the pull of this world system.
Jesus graciously reminds us that we are definitely in this world, we are finite, and limited and can be easily affected by all that happening around us.
The key is to never lose sight of who you are, where your life comes from, the ultimate reason why you are here and where you are going.
“How quickly we forget we have an eternal purpose.”
Secondly, we are reminded that were not created to do life alone. We cannot make it without Him and others.
At times, God will test our faith, in order to show us what our faith is in, where we need to grow, where we need to change. It doesn’t have to be some big trial that reveals it, it could be when little things come, a misunderstanding, hurt, maybe its disappointment, maybe it’s a situation that causes a lot of stress and pressure, maybe you lose or break something of value to you.
Just like Jesus brought a complete paradigm shift into the thinking of the people, God has called us to bring that perspective, that wisdom from above into whatever generation we happen to be in.
You can try to live the life on your own, you can try to serve the Lord in your own strength and wisdom, but Jesus came to show a better way, a living way and it comes from above, it comes from Him.
