We are in John 8 and Christ is at His work. As stated in the scripture, after spending time at the Feast of Booths and at the temple where He cried out “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38), He then traveled to the Mount of Olives. I have always been curious as to just where all these places are, like the Mount of Olives and such. I have been told by those that have been to the Holy Land that it is a rather compact area where Christ did His work in Jerusalem.
https://emp.byui.edu/SATTERFIELDB/Rel211/jerusalem.htm
- The Temple
- Southern Wall and Royal Stoa
- The Mount of Olives
- The Kidron Valley
- City of David (Mt. Ophel)
- The Pool of Siloam
- The Tyropoean Valley
- Lower City (Poor section)
- Upper City (Wealthy section)
- David’s Tomb
- The Theater
- The Market Place
- Herod’s Palace
- Antonia Fortress (NT – Castle)
The Mount of Olives is located at number 11 on the map and the temple is at number 1, which is really hard to see and is directly below the Mount of Olives with a large wall around it. So, Jesus spent the night up on the hill and then walked down to the Temple, early in the morning and began to teach. (vv. 1-3) All the people came to Him and this was when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery, which we covered last week. I am not sure why that passage, verse 3 to 11 of John 8 is not found in the earliest manuscripts, but it is possible that it was part of the oral teaching of that time and it is in keeping with the teachings of Christ. If you are troubled by it, ask God for greater understanding of His Holy word. And understand, that if you were to remove this and a few other grammatical errors from the Bible, it would not change the content of the message one bit. Let God handle the details and you won’t go wrong.
Jesus is at the temple, teaching and said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (v. 12) This caused the Pharisees to dispute with our Lord. They said to Him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” (v. 13) Jesus answered them, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” (vv. 14-18)
These Pharisees were very righteous, in their own eyes, but had no love in their hearts for any but themselves. When this rabbi comes along and performs many signs and wonders, and then calls them to account for their wretched sinful ways, telling them straight out, they judge according to the flesh, which we have numerous examples of, they hated Him for showing them what was in their stone dead hearts. What about our hearts? We are very quick to judge, are we not? A simple trip to Walmart and how many times did you judge what happened before you? I am not saying we should not have a discerning mind, but where is the Love in your heart for your fellow man? I include myself in this and it troubles me. We are steeped in sin and this book from which I am teaching, calls us to account, does it not? Nobody likes their sins pointed out, but you have to recognize that you are a sinner before God before you can repent. This is what the Pharisees refused to do in their Lord’s very presence. Instead of repenting, they plotted to kill God. The hubris of man knows no bounds. We see it today, writ large across the news. The Pharisees trusted in themselves and their twisted understanding of the scripture.
They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” (v. 19) A more valid question they should have asked themselves is “Who is our Father?” They deceived themselves with a confident reply of Abraham. (Matthew 3:9) Which is where their pride lies, that which they belong to. In actuality it was satan, the father of lies.
Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” This seemed incredulous to these prideful men. How could this simple carpenter tell them anything about belief? Blinded by their pride is something that can be seen down through the ages. It seems to never go out of style.
All these things were spoken in the treasury, part of where these Pharisees held their true power over the people, but no one arrested Him, because his hour had not yet come.
The application of this lesson is to not bind yourself to satan, recognize your sinful state and know who your true Father is. For most of those in this once great nation, it would be satan. The good news is your God sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross and be raised again for those that would believe. Believe in Him that is the light of the world and apply yourself to that belief. Repent your sins to the Father, then Accept, Believe and Continue. How you continue is reading from this book He wrote for you. Consider it homework for the soul, keeping in mind that His Holy Word is not meant to tickle your mind in entertainment but to educate you and guide you to a greater understanding of God and what He wants from us. Which is what a penitent sinner should thirst for and not be cajoled into.
From MacArthur’s Devotionals: Righteousness begins with salvation and continues in sanctification. Only after you abandon all self- righteousness and hunger for salvation, will you be cleansed from sin and made righteous in Christ. Then you embark on a lifelong process of becoming as righteous as Christ—a process that will culminate when you are in His presence fully glorified (Rom. 8:29-30; 1 John 3:2). There’s always need for improvement in this life (Phil. 3:12-14), but satisfaction comes in communing with Christ and growing in His grace.
You can know if you’re hungering and thirsting for righteousness by asking yourself some simple questions. First, are you dissatisfied with your sin? Self- satisfaction is impossible if you are aware of your sin and grieve when you fall short of God’s holy standard.
Second, do external things satisfy your longings? A hungry man isn’t satisfied until he eats. A thirsty man isn’t satisfied until he drinks. When you hunger and thirst after righteousness, only God’s righteousness can satisfy you.
Third, do you have an appetite for God’s Word? Hungry people don’t need to be told to eat. It’s instinctive! Spiritual hunger will drive you to feed on the Word to learn what God says about increasing in righteousness.
Fourth, are you content amid difficulties? A hungry soul is content despite the pain it goes through because it sees every trial as a means by which God is teaching greater righteousness. If you react with anger or resentment when things go wrong, you’re seeking superficial happiness.
Finally, are your hunger and thirst unconditional? The rich young ruler in Matthew 19 knew there was a void in his life but was unwilling to give up his possessions. His hunger was conditional.
Christ will fully satisfy every longing of your heart, yet you will also constantly desire more of His righteousness. That’s the blessed paradox of hungering and thirsting after righteousness. “Copyright 2007, Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission.”
So where are you in this respect? Are you hungry for His word, do you seek His Peace and Joy, knowing that prayers and repentance will bring blessings upon you? Or do you find it a job to read from His Word and have chosen to rely on the mouthings of man to keep you in good stead? If you find you lean a bit too heavily to the man side of things, there is still time to repent and pray to the Father. He wishes none to be lost. (2 Peter 3:9) Get busy, there is no time to lose. Start with your Pastor, or Deacons of the church you go to. If you find you’ve chosen poorly and do not go to a church that expounds from the Bible, contact our pastor Aaron: pastor@firstbaptistgrovecity.org and he will be glad to talk to you. You can even contact John MacArthur from Grace Church: letters@gty.org. Do any or all of these things but don’t sit on your hands. Accept, Obey and Continue or get ahold of someone to help you out. And yes, you can contact me also: rb3@americanloon.com.