New Testament Reading: John 11:1-44

“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.’

After saying these things, he said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.

Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’ When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?’

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’

So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”

Introduction 

Chapter 11 is a very significant chapter in John’s gospel. Notice that in chapter 12 we will enter into what is known as the passion week of Jesus’ life. Chapters 12 through 19 will tell us about things that happened in the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Think about that for a moment. Chapters 1 through 11 tell us about Jesus’ earthly ministry, which lasted about 3 years. And yet 8 chapters (12 through 19) are devoted to the one week leading up to Jesus’ death. The significance is this: the death of Jesus was very important to John. Jesus came to die. His mission from the Father was to lay down his life for the sheep that he might take it up again. Chapter 11 is significant in that it serves as the conclusion to the first half of John’s gospel, which focused upon the earthly ministry of Jesus in general. We will, once we move on from here, give attention to last week of Jesus’ life.

But this chapter is also significant in that it contains the last miracle of Jesus recorded in John’s Gospel (besides Jesus’ own resurrection). The miracles of Jesus play a very important role in John’s Gospel. The pattern is this: there will be some claim made concerning Jesus – some teaching concerning his person or his work – and then John will tell us about a miracle that Jesus preformed, which serves to illustrate, or demonstrate, that what has been said of Jesus is in fact true. The miracles of Jesus are called signs, in John’s Gospel. They are called signs because they point to the fact that what was said by Jesus, or about him, was in fact true. Jesus, for example, claimed to be the light of the world in chapter 8 – in chapter 9 we read about him healing a man who was blind from birth. The man lived his whole life in darkness but Jesus, who is the light of the world, gave him light. This is how miracles function in John’s Gospel – they signify things that are true of Jesus – they demonstrate truths about Jesus.  This miracle is no different.

I think you would probably agree that this miracle is really spectacular. It is the last of Jesus’ miracles as recorded by John, but is also the biggest, if you will. I suppose it could be said that a miracle is a miracle – it doesn’t matter if it involves turning water to wine, healing a man lame or blind from birth, or raising up a dead man – a miracle is a miracle. And there is a certain degree of truth to that. But I think you would agree that this is big. Consider that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were well known. Also, this miracle was preformed in a very public way so that it would have been very hard to deny.  Also consider that the man Lazarus was in the grave for four days. He was obviously dead, and everyone new it. And lastly, consider what it was that Jesus overcame. He overcame the power of death – our most formidable foe. This was the climax of Jesus’ miracles as presented to us in John’s Gospel.

But what was the significance of it? What did Jesus demonstrate when he called Lazarus out of that grave?

Let us consider three things:

In the Raising of Lazarus, Jesus Demonstrates that He is the Son of God

First of all, in the raising of Lazarus Jesus demonstrated that he was in fact the Son of God, as he had claimed.

We should not to quickly forget the preceding passage. The Jew’s had picked up stones to stone Jesus because he claimed to be equal with God. To them this was blasphemous! And it would have been blasphemy if indeed Jesus were only a man making himself out to be God. But Jesus continued to insist that he was in fact the eternal Son of God, come in human flesh.

After reasoning from Psalm 82 with the unbelieving Jews, he said in 10:37, “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)

Jesus understood that the things he was claiming concerning himself were incredible and hard to believe from a human perspective. And so he exhorted the Jews to look at the works that he had preformed. Look at the works, he said. So you don’t believe my words, that I am from the Father? At least look at the works! Look at the miracles that I have preformed! These are clearly from the Father! And once you see that the works that I preform are from the Father, then you must see that I am from the Father, and believe in my name.  That was his reasoning.

It is after these words that John tells of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. If we still had doubts concerning Jesus’ divine origins – if we were still struggling to accept his claims – then surly this would get our attention (or so you would think). The raising of Lazarus from the grave demonstrated that Jesus was in fact the eternal Son of God, come in human flesh, as he claimed.

In the Raising of Lazarus, Jesus Demonstrates that He is the Resurrection and the Life

Secondly, notice how in the act of raising Lazarus from the grave Jesus demonstrates that he is the resurrection and the life. This, I think, is at the heart of this passage. We are shown that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

You probably noticed how Martha and Mary take center stage in this story. They are the ones who send for Jesus when their bother falls ill. They are the ones whom the Jews from Jerusalem come to console (indicating that they were prominent and well respected women). And they are the ones who come out to meet with Jesus once he arrives in Bethany – first Martha, and then Mary. Both sisters are understandably filled with sorrow.

Look at how Jesus consoles them. Verse 23:  “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’” As a pastor this is exactly how I would comfort a Christian who is grieving the loss of a loved one in the Lord. I would say, You will see him again, or, you will see her again in the resurrection. They have not died – they have merely passed from this life to the next. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And your loved one will rise again. This is probably how the Jews who came from Jerusalem were consoling Mary and Martha. Most of the Jews believed in the resurrection at the end of the age, and so they were likely encouraging the sisters, saying, “your brother will rise again.”

Martha’s response:  “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” (John 11:24, ESV)

She knew these things. She was probably taught this from childhood. Jesus probably taught her these things too. But look at how Jesus responds to her. He says in verse 25, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

This is quite a claim. It is yet another “I am” saying of Jesus –  “I am the bread of life”; “I am the light of the world”; “I am the door”; “I am the good shepherd”. Here it is, “I am the resurrection and the life”. The resurrection and the life that the Jews were looking forward to – the resurrection and the life that the Jews were comforting the sisters with – the resurrection and the life that Martha was hoping in is found in Jesus! He is the resurrection and the life.

He goes on to say in verse 25, “…Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Notice three simple things:

One, it is those who believe in Jesus who benefit from the resurrection power and life that is in him. Jesus says, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” Belief, or faith, is the instrument, or conduit, which brings the benefit of Jesus’ resurrection power to us. We must believe in him – trust in him – follow him, if we are to live in the way that he has described.

Two, notice that those who believe in Jesus who die according to the flesh, in fact go on living. You say, how can that be? The answer is simple: though followers of Christ still face physical death, they have passed from death to life according to the spirit.  The body will die, but the soul of the Christian goes on living.  Paul puts it this way, saying, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8, ESV)

Three, notice that those who are living according to the flesh will never die according to the spirit. Jesus put the same truth another way in John 5, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24, ESV) The one who believes in Jesus has passed from death to life. He or she existed in a state of death – spiritual death, that is – but in the moment they believed they were made alive in the spirit. They moved from a state of death to life.

This is the power that Jesus has within him.

The question posed to Martha – and to you and I by way of extension – is, “do you believe this?” Her response is the model response. Verse 27:  “She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Why did John write this Gospel? He tells us in John 20:30-31: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 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.” And what did Martha confess? “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:27, ESV) She is a model for us. We ought to confess what she confessed.

How could it be that Jesus has this resurrection power? How could he have the ability to give life? He could give it because he was and is the Christ, the Son of God. He has the power to give life because of who he is.

The raising of Lazarus from the grave was a demonstration of the fact that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He claimed to have power over death. He claimed to have within him the ability to give eternal life. He claimed to be the one who would bring about the bodily resurrection at the end of the age. But those are just claims. Anyone can say these things. The miracle that Jesus preformed in raising Lazarus from the grave was a demonstration of the life giving resurrection power that he has within himself. He is the resurrection and the life, and he proved it in accomplishing this work.

In the Raising of Lazarus Jesus Demonstrates the Great Love that He has for His Friends

Thirdly, see that in the the raising of Lazarus Jesus demonstrates the great love that he has for his friends.

Notice that there is a tension that permeates this story from beginning to end – I’m sure you noticed it as it was read. The tension is created by these two realities:

On the one hand we are told time and again how much Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Did you notice the repetition? Verse 3: “So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’” Verse 5: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” And so we are told from the outset that Jesus loved these three.

But on the other hand we observe Jesus behaving in such a strange way. After Jesus received word of Lazarus’ illness, and after we are reminded of how much Jesus loves these three, we read in verse 6, “So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” This is an odd way for any person to behave who’s loved one is ill. It is especially strange for Jesus to respond in this way, given that he had the power to do something about Lazarus’ sickness.

The sisters noticed this. The first thing that Martha said to Jesus was, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21, ESV) Mary complains in the same way saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32, ESV) The Jew’s who were there consoling Mary and Martha also took notice, saying, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37, ESV)

The tension in the story is so thick that you can cut it with a knife. Jesus claims to love these three, and yet he deliberately left them alone in their moment of need. He withheld his presence. He did not come in answer to their heartfelt plea. There is a tension that exists between the claim that Jesus loves these three and what we know that Jesus allowed them to suffer.

That same tension exists in the life of God’s people still today, doesn’t it? We are told that Jesus loves us. We are his sheep; he is the good shepherd. We are told that the Father cares for us. We are his beloved children in Christ Jesus. And we know that God is able to do anything he pleases! Nothing is impossible for him! And so we pray to him. We cry out to him. We say, Lord, come and do this or that. Lord, would you heal? Lord, would you take away this suffering? Lord, would you heal this sorrow? Lord, would you save? And often there is no answer. It seems as if God is distant. It seems as if God is withdrawn. That he could act, we all know to be true! But what are we to think when he determines to withhold?

These scenarios create tension in our lives. We might start to wonder if God is able. We say to ourselves, perhaps he has not answered my prayer because he is unable to act? Or we reason, perhaps he is able, but he does not care. And so we are left with this tension in our lives.

This passage is immensely helpful in that it provides a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of these scenarios. When you and I experience trouble in life and wrestle with the reality of unanswered prayer, rarely, if ever, are we able to see the answer to the question, why? Why, Lord? Why have you allowed this in my life? Rarely are the answers revealed to us fully in this life. Sometimes we are given a glimpse of the answer to the question why? after the trial has passed. But often times we are left to wonder. But Christian, don’t you see that God’s word reveals why. God’s word lays bare the answer to the question, why? 

This is one of those places in scripture where we are given a glimpse into the inner workings of a trail. The book of Job also comes to mind. Job, a righteous man, suffered much. He pleaded with the Lord to take away the suffering, but there was no answer – not for a long time. The story of Joseph also comes to mind. Again, a righteous man who suffered long and hard, who’s prayers seemed to go unheard for a time. So too, Mary and Martha and Lazarus – friends of Jesus – people loved by Jesus – and yet Jesus stood back and allowed them to experience suffering and sorrow for a time.

Why does God do this? Certainly we will not understand it fully until we see him face to face in eternity, but the scriptures do point us in the right direction. All of these stories reveal that the sufferings we experience in this life are for the glory of God and our ultimate good.

Notice that Jesus is primarily driven by the impulse to obey the Father and to glorify his name.

Look at 11:4: “But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” (John 11:4, ESV) Also, listen to how Jesus spoke to Martha before raising Lazarus up:  “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’” (John 11:40, ESV)

The suffering that Mary, Martha and Lazarus endured was used to glorify God in such a tremendous way as they continued to trust in Jesus. Did they have questions for Jesus? Yes. Did they experience authentic sorrow in their hearts? Yes. But notice that they went on believing in Jesus, and in the process of time Jesus used it all for his glory by raising Lazarus from the dead.

The non-believer hears all of this and says, if this is what it means to follow Jesus, then I’m out! But the one called by God considers all of this and says, I’m in! For what can be better than to be used by God to bring glory to his name?

The Christian understands that all things happen in order to ultimately bring glory to God, but they also understand this: “…that for those who love God all things work together for good…” (Romans 8:28, ESV) When we read that all things work together for good we are to think, not only of those things that we would consider good but even those things which seem to us to be pure evil.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4, ESV)

“In this [your salvation] you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6–7, ESV)

After Jesus announced to his disciples that Lazarus had died he said, “…and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” (John 11:15, ESV)

I’m not saying that this information makes enduring suffering easy. But I am saying that this information is vital if you are to bear up under the pressures of life, maintaining a deep love for God and others. You must understand that God is real and powerful and sovereign, and that he sometimes allows suffering to come into our lives and to remain, but it is not without purpose. It is for a reason. It is for his glory and our ultimate good. And the last thing that you must be assured of is that, if you are in Christ Jesus – if he has called you friend – he does indeed love you. He loves you deeply, authentically, and from the heart. This is true even if the circumstances of your life seem to point in the other direction.

If anything is clear in this passage it is that Jesus loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus, through he clearly allowed them to suffer for a time. Verse 32:

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” (John 11:32–36, ESV)

Is it true that Jesus delayed in order to accomplish the will of God? Indeed it is true! But that does not mean that Jesus’ heart was cold and indifferent towards his friends! This emotion that we read of was genuine emotion. Jesus was “deeply moved”. He was “greatly troubled”. He was filled with a righteous anger concerning the suffering and death experienced by his friends. The scriptures tell us that “Jesus wept”. It has been pointed out by some that this is the shortest verse in the Bible. But how important it is! When we begin to consider the unavoidable truth that God almighty sometimes allows his people, the people whom he loves, to suffer tribulation for a time, it is easy to think that perhaps his heart is cold towards us. No. Look at Jesus. Jesus weeps with us. He is troubled by the troubles we encounter. He sympathizes with his people. Hebrews 4:15:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15–16, ESV)

Conclusion

When you are in the midst of a trial, big or small, remember that God is in sovereign – powerful – in control. Remember also that he sometimes allows trials and tribulations, but those are for a purpose. They are for his glory and our good. And if you are in Christ never forget that Jesus loves you. Hold the image of him troubled and moved and weeping close to you heart knowing that he, as the only mediator between God and man, has suffered with us and for his. He sympathizes with us in our weaknesses.

Cling to Jesus. He is the Son of God. He is the resurrection and life. He is our only hope for life now, and life eternal.

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)