Aug 15
23
Old Testament Reading: Psalm 82
“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: ‘How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’ They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.’ Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!” (Psalm 82:1–8, ESV)
New Testament Reading: John 10:30-42
Jesus said to them… “‘I and the Father are one. ‘The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 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’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’ Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, ‘John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in him there.” (John 10:30–42, ESV)
Introduction
Jesus is important to us. We worship him. We pray in his name. We trust in him, and we proclaim him. We even take his name when we call ourselves Christians, which means “little Christ’s”. It is not to much to say that Jesus Christ is the central figure of our faith. It’s true that we live to give glory to God the Father, but we do it through the Son, and by the Spirit. Without Jesus we would be hopelessly lost. Jesus is everything to us. He is our greatest love, and our only hope for eternal life.
We talk about Jesus often, but do we know who he is? Do we understand him? Do we grasp the significance of his person to the point that we would be able to explain to others why it is that he is so important to us – so central to our faith?
You’ve noticed that John’s Gospel is very much concerned to answer the question, who is Jesus? And there is good reason for this. For the way that you answer this question reveals whether or not you are in fact a follower of Christ. The one who receives Jesus’ revelation covering himself is a follower of Christ; the one who rejects Jesus’ revelation covering himself is not a follower of Christ.
And so John’s Gospel is largely devoted to the task of answering the question, who is Jesus?
Notice that this question can actually be referring to two things. First of all, we could ask who is he? in respect to the significance of his person. What did he come to do? What did he accomplish? What role did he play in human history? What was his task? But we can ask the question in another way. The question, who is he? can also be seeking answers to questions pertaining to his nature, or “what-ness”. What is he? What was and is his nature like? Who is he in his essence?
We can actually speak this way concerning any person. The answer to the question, who is she? could be, she is a mother, or teacher, or wife. Or the answer could begin with the reply, she is a human. When we say, she is human, we are speaking of her essential nature. When we say, she is a mother, we are referring to her role, or position, in life.
I say this because it is helpful to keep this distinction in mind as we seek to properly understand John’s Gospel. Sometimes the text is concerned to reveal to us what Jesus was and is; and at other times the text is concerned to reveal to us who he was and is – the position he held, or the role he played within God’s eternal plan.
I’d like to ease into our text for today by considering what the Gospel of John as a whole has to say in response to the question, who is Jesus?
Jesus of Nazareth Was and Is Divine
First of all, we must confess that Jesus of Nazareth was and is divine. This, of course, has to do with his essential nature, or substance. You and I are human – that is all that can be said. But with Jesus of Nazareth the scriptures compel us to say that he was and is divine. He is God. He is made up of the stuff of deity, to speak in a rather rough and fleshy way.
Remember that his was name was Immanuel, which means, God with us, according to Matthew 1:23.
Listen to the way that Paul speaks concerning Jesus, saying, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” (Colossians 2:9, ESV)
Notice that John’s Gospel begins and ends with powerful statements concerning the deity of Christ.
The opening words say this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is in 1:14 that we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So the Word existed in the begging. The Word, we are told, was with God. More than that, the Word was God. The meaning is this – the word was and is divine; what God was, the Word was. And it was the Word – the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity – that took on human flesh and came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. This is how John’s Gospel begins.
Also, consider how it ends. At the conclusion of the Gospel we encounter this confession from the lips of doubting Thomas: “Thomas answered [Jesus], ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28, ESV)
And so from beginning to end, John’s Gospel reveals that Jesus of Nazareth was divine. When we answer the question who is Jesus one of things that we must say is, he was God come in the flesh.
This is precisely what our confession of faith articulates so beautifully in 8.2:
“The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father’s glory, of one substance and equal with him who made the world, who upholdeth and governeth all things he hath made did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man’s nature…”
To deny the full deity of Christ is to reject Jesus’ revelation concerning himself.
Jesus of Nazareth Was and Is Human
Secondly, when we speak of Jesus of Nazareth, we must confess that he was and is human. This too has to do with his essential nature. That he is divine is clear. But we must not forget that he was and is also fully man.
Paul puts it this way in Galatians 4:4: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4–5, ESV)
And again, in 1 Timothy 2:5 Paul says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5, ESV)
Here is how John puts it in 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV)
Listen to the language of our confession on this point. Picking up where we left off in 8.2:
“The Son of God…did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man’s nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin; being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her: and the power of the Most High overshadowing her; and so was made of a woman of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David according to the Scriptures; so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion; which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. (John 1:14; Galatians 4;4; Romans 8:3; Hebrews 2:14, 16, 17; Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 1:22, 23; Luke 1:27, 31, 35; Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 2:5)
The language is technical, I know. It’s technical because it is seeking to be precise. Jesus, in his essential nature, was and is fully divine, and he was and is fully human. These two natures are inseparably joined in one person – Jesus of Nazareth. But notice that the confession says that these two natures were joined in one person without conversion, composition, or confusion. This is important. This is a wonderful summery of the teaching of scripture. These words – without conversion, composition, or confusion – guard against the error of thinking that Jesus was somehow a mixture of God and man. It is tempting, when we consider the Biblical teaching that Jesus possessed both a divine and human nature, to imagine that the two natures were somehow thrown together in Jesus and stirred up, making him into some new thing. If this were the case – if the divine nature and the human nature were mixed up within Jesus, then we would have to consider him to be neither God nor man, but a third thing. He would be less than God and more than man. He would be something like the superheroes we read about in comic books and watch on the big screen. No, these two natures – the divine and human – were united in the person of Jesus without conversion (change), composition (mixture), or confusion (unsureness). The end result is that we must confess that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, in one person forever. Though difficult to comprehend, this is the clear teaching of scripture.
To deny the full humanity of Jesus is to reject the scripture’s revelation concerning him.
Jesus of Nazareth Was and Is The Only Mediator Between God And Man
Thirdly, when we think of Jesus of Nazareth, we are to think of the only mediator between God and man.
Noticed that I have now transitioned from talking about Jesus’ essence (his “what-ness”, if you will), to speaking of who he is in regard to his position, or role, or function. When it comes to his essence we must confess that he is the eternal Son of God come in human flesh – God incarnate. But when it comes to his role or function as it pertains to the plan of God for salvation we must say that he is the only mediator between God and man.
When I say that he is the only mediator I mean that he is the middleman; he is the go-between; he is the one through whom we must go to get to God, and to have eternal life.
Paul puts it this way in 1 Timothy 2:5-6: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5–6, ESV)
The same truth is communicated in John’s Gospel: “So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.’” (John 10:7, ESV) Again “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)
Jesus Christ, as the God-man, is the only mediator between God and man. He is the only way to the Father. He alone can reconcile us to God. It is through faith in him alone that we can enter into life eternal.
Notice a few things about Jesus as our mediator:
One, it is because of who Jesus is in his essence that he is able to fulfill the role or function of mediator between God and man. Another way to say it is that the accomplishment of the salvation of sinful men required the incarnation. On the one hand, only God himself could live a sinless life, bear the sins of the human beings, and have the power to rise from the dead, conquering sin and Satan and death forever. Only God – that is, something other than a human – could accomplish these things. No mere man could do it! But on the other hand, the Savior had to be a man. He had to be the second Adam. He had keep the law for us and in our place. He rose from the dead, not only as God, but as a man, making a way for you and I to have eternal life. Immanuel, God with us, had the right stuff to get this utterly unique job done. His unique essence made it possible for him to fulfill his unique role.
Think of it this way: One of the most fundamental prerequisites for fulling the role of Pastor is that a person be human. It takes a human to fulfill the role of Pastor. A dog cannot be a Pastor. It does not have the right stuff to get the job done. A dog cannot reason or speak or empathize. A human can. A Pastor must first be human. In the same way it was necessary that Jesus be both God and man in order for him to fulfill the role of savior, redeemer, mediator between God and man.
Two, notice this about Jesus as our mediator: though Jesus of Nazareth (the God-man) did not exist prior to his birth to the virgin Mary some 2,000 years ago, the decision to save a particular people in this way – through the mediation of the Christ – was made by the Triune God in eternity past, that is, before creation. Theologians call this decision made by the Triune God in eternity past the Intra-Trinitarian Covenant of Redemption. The word Intra-Trinitarian is used to communicate the idea that this decision was made within (intra) the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is called a covenant in order to communicate the truth that an agreement was made between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father determined to send the Son, the Son agreed to go in obedience to the Father, and the Son would send the Spirit to empower the work that he had accomplished. The word redemption is used to rightly communicate that this covenant had as it’s mission the redemption or salvation of a particular people. The point here is that the decision to save, or redeem, sinners in this way was made by the Triune God before the world was created. John’s Gospel is abundantly clear on this point. I will not read it again, but this truth is obviously present in John 17 in Jesus’ high priestly prayer.
Three, notice that when Jesus of Nazareth was born of a virgin some 2,000 years ago, and having lived and died and rose again, it was the culmination, the execution, the final accomplishment of that plan made by God in eternity past. The covenant of redemption was made within the Triune God before creation. After the fall this plan of salvation was announced in human history to Adam and Eve by way of promise (Genesis 3:15). The promise of God to redeem was reiterated and clarified and developed throughout Old Testament times. The promise was given to and through Abraham, Moses, and David. The prophets spoke often of this promise. This promise to save had the cross of Christ in view from the beginning. The plan was made in eternity past by the Triune God. The plan was executed in human history by the giving of a promise, the making of covenants, and ultimately through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, the only mediator between God and man.
Listen again to our confession on this point. LBC 8:1:
“It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them both, to be the mediator between God and man; the prophet, priest, and king; head and saviour of the church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world; unto whom he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed [his sheep, the elect] and to be by him in time [in human history] redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.” (Isaiah 42:1; 1 Peter 1:19, 20; Acts 3:22; Hebrews 5:5, 6; Psalms 2:6; Luke 1:33; Ephesians 1:22, 23; Hebrews 1:2; Acts 17:31; Isaiah 53:10; John 17:6; Romans 8:30)
So tell me Church (and be careful how you answer this): has Jesus of Nazareth always existed? In other words, was Jesus of Nazareth with God in the beginning, before the universe was created? The answer is no! Jesus the Christ was born of a virgin some 2,000 years ago.
Now answer me this: Has the Word of God – the Son of God – the second person of the Trinity always existed? In other words, was the Word with God in the beginning before the universe was created? The answer is certainly yes! John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1,14, ESV)
The eternal Son of God became man for the purpose of redeeming us – saving us – from sin and death as the only possible mediator between God and man. When we think of Jesus of Nazareth we must think of him as the only possible mediator between God and man. He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Jesus of Nazareth Was and Is One With The Father
And this brings us to our last point, and to the sermon text for today (don’t worry, this will be brief). When we think of Jesus of Nazareth we must think of one who was and is one with the Father.
In verse 30 Jesus says to the unbelieving Jews, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30, ESV) I mentioned last week that Christians often use this verse as proof that Jesus was divine – of one essence with the Father. I think this it is a mistake to interpret this particular verse in that way. That Jesus is divine is abundantly clear in other passage of scripture. But here the point seems to be that Jesus and the Father are united in purpose – that they have the same mind. The rest of the passage doesn’t make much sense if we see it the other way.
Notice in verse 31 that the Jews “picked up stones again to stone him.” The word “again” is significant because it reminds us that this wasn’t the first time they tried to kill him. They wanted to stone him to death in 8:59. We’re told that they sought to kill him in 5:18. In each instance they wanted to kill him because he claimed to be God.
Listen to their accusation here in 10:33: “The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’” (John 10:33, ESV)
Notice three things: One, they rightly understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. They heard him say, for example, in 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I Am.” They knew what he was claiming, and so they picked up stones to stone him. They rightly understood that he was claiming to be God – that he was claiming to be divine. Two, they only considered him to be a man. Verse 33: “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” They understood his claims, but they rejected them, thinking of Jesus as only a man. Three, notice that they, therefore, thought that Jesus was making himself God. In other words, this was something that Jesus fabricated. It was something that he made up. He was only a man, but he was making himself divine.
It is at this point that Jesus quoted from Psalm 82 in order to defend himself.
Look at verse 34:
“Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 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 10:34–36, ESV)
This passage can be very confusing to Christians. It becomes almost impossible to understand if we approach it with the idea that what Jesus meant in 10:30 when he said, “I and the Father are one”, was that he and the Father were one in essence. But when we rightly understand that Jesus was speaking here of he and the Father being one in purpose – on the same page, if you will – then this quotation of Psalm 82 makes perfect sense.
I read Psalm 82 at the beginning of the sermon. The Psalm is all about God holding judgment over unjust judges or kings. These human judges or kings are reprimanded by God: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” (Psalm 82:2, ESV) They are exhorted by God: “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.” (Psalm 82:3, ESV) And they are warned by God: “…like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” (Psalm 82:7, ESV) Psalm 82 is a vision of God rebuking unjust human rulers and kings.
The interesting thing is that these human rulers are called “gods”. God himself calls them “gods”. 82:6: God says to them, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you…” (Psalm 82:6, ESV) Why does God call them “gods”? Is he saying that these kings or judges were divine? Certainly not! He immediately warns that they will die like men! But they were call gods, or Sons of the Most High, for these reasons. One, they were given, or entrusted with, the word of God. And two, they were given, as kings and judges, the authority to judge as God judges. They were entrusted with the word of God and were appointed as kings and judges to represent God’s justice on earth. They were rebuked and threatened by God because they were arrogant – they disregarded God and his holy word – they forsook justice – they abused the weak and neglected the needy.
Here is the reasoning that Jesus uses: If it was right for God himself to call men “gods” in Psalm 82 due to the fact that they had received the word of God and were given a position of authority on earth that they might serve as God’s just representatives (think Romans 13), how much more appropriate is it for Jesus, who is the Word, who is God come in the flesh, who is the one true mediator between God and man, consecrated by God and sent into the world, to claim to be the Son of God.
The argument seems complex to us, but is sound. Jesus is reasoning with the unbelieving Jews, urging them to not jump to conclusions the moment they they here Jesus say, “I am the Son of God”, or “Before Abraham was I Am”, or “I and the Father are One”. He’s urging them to slow down and to consider these things carefully. If the scriptures (the scriptures which they loved) could use this language of mere men – sinful, fallen and unjust men – how much more appropriate is it for Jesus to call himself the Son of God given his true identity.
He again points to the works that he has been preforming as evidence concerning his claims. Verse 37: “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:37–38, ESV)
Conclusion
These are difficult teachings, I know. I’m not quite sure what else to do with a passage like this except teach through it. And I think it is of great importance that these things are taught. We say we love Jesus above all else, but do we know him? Do we know who he was and is?
He is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh. He is the mediator between God and man. He was more than man, but not less. He did not make himself God, but was in fact divine. He was not claiming to be a God separate from, and in competition with the Father – he and the Father are one. They are of one purpose, one mission, one mind. The Father sent the Son, the Son came in perfect obedience to the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin and to help those who are in Christ.
The end result of understanding these things is that we ought love Jesus all the more! We should be all the more eager to worship him, to pray to him, and to proclaim him, because truly “…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, ESV)
