Reading: John chapter 20 verses 30-31.
Ill:
• One of Penny’s favourite books is Hungarian writer Baroness Orczy’s novel;
• The Scarlet Pimpernel.
• It is a great adventure story about an English count;
• Who travels to Paris during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution.
• His mission is to rescue French aristocrats;
• Who have been sentenced to death at the hands of Madame Guillotine.
• The story has been called a precursor, a forerunner;
• To the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro, Superman and Batman.
• The Scarlet Pimpernel contains many adventures in which our hero;
• Manages to elude the city authorities and to snatch their victims from the jaws of death.
• To the French authorities he is a slippery and evasive man,
• Constantly fooling them with cunning disguises,
‘The Pimpernel’ actually taunts them with a piece of poetry, a short rhyme:
“They seek him here, they seek him there,
those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven? Is he in hell?
That damned elusive Pimpernel!”
• Like Baroness Orczy’s Scarlet Pimpernel:
• John informs his readers that Jesus is on a salvation quest.
• Not a quest to rescue French aristocrats;
• But a much more democratic quest - to save humanity.
• Our hero too has his enemies – not the revolutionary tribunal of 17C Paris;
• But the Jewish authorities in first century Jerusalem.
But like ‘the Pimpernel’ our hero is also thoroughly elusive:
• Not in terms of disguise, but elusive in terms of movement (constantly evading capture);
• And elusive in language (constantly mystifying his hearers)
Ill:
And if I can adapt Baroness Orczy’s short rhyme:
“They seek him here, they seek him there,
The people seek him everywhere.
Is he sent from heaven? Is he God or man?
Is he the fulfilment of God’s salvation plan?”
Well John in his gospel is going to answer all those questions and more:
• Is he sent from heaven – John says yes!
• Is he God or man – John says both!
• Is he the fulfilment of God’s salvation plan?
• John would say, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
3 THINGS TO NOTE:
(a). His method (verse 30-31).
“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
• Shakespeare (Hamlet) came up with the saying: “There is method in his madness”
• Or to quote it exactly: "Though this be madness, yet there is method In’t"
When John came to write his fourth gospel he chose a distinct method:
• He deliberately wrote in a style that was different from the other three gospel writers.
• i.e. Matthew, Mark and Luke.
• The Gospel of John differs significantly in theme, content, time duration,
• Order of events, and style, to the other three gospels.
Ill:
• You can arrange a photo album in various ways.
• i.e. Chronologically – starting with the earliest pictures finishing with the latest etc.
• Or you can arrange them by events:
• i.e. Here are pictures of our holidays, family, friends etc.
• Or you can arrange them by people:
• i.e. All the pictures of the children, …pictures of Parents, …pictures of relatives etc.
• With the four gospels Matthew, Marl and Luke;
• Generally aim to put events chronologically starting at Jesus’ birth (Mark – baptism);
• And then finishing with his death and resurrection.
• John does not, he brings together eight important events & sayings of Jesus;
• And builds his gospel around these events and sayings.
• John tells us his method of recording the life of Jesus:
• Was a deliberate decision to edit his gospel around eight miracles.
• Although John does not use that word, he prefers the word ‘sign’.
Ill:
• A sign always points to something beyond itself.
• On the motorway no-one comments what a great looking sign.
• The purpose of the sign is to point beyond itself;
• i.e. To tell you how many miles you are from your destination or in which direction to go.
The apostle John wants us to look behind these eight signs:
• And even though they are incredible miracles;
• He wants us to see beyond them;
• These miracles are ‘only the tip of the ice-burg’,
• John wants us to discover that Jesus is even more incredible!
• So the signs are pointing beyond the miracle.
• The apostle John wants us to understand and see who Jesus Christ was and is.
Question: What are these eight events & sayings?
Answer:
• Let’s have a quick look.
• The seven signs are:
• (1). Water into wine at Cana in Galilee (2:1-11).
• We see the power of Jesus over creation (nature miracle)
• (2). Healing an official’s son in Capernaum (4:46-54)
• Power of Jesus over distance (20 miles away)
• (3). Healing an invalid at the pool of Siloam (5:1-18).
• We see the power of Jesus over time (38 years waiting & wasting away).
• (4). Feeding the five thousand people near the Sea of Galilee (6:5-14)
• We see the power of Jesus over volume (1 or 5,000 not a problem).
• (5). Walking on the water of the sea of Galilee (6:16-21)
• We see the power of Jesus over natural laws.
• (6). Healing the blind man in Jerusalem (9:1-7).
• We see the power of Jesus over darkness both physical laws.
• (7). Raising Lazarus from the dead in Bethany (11:1-45).
• We see the power of Jesus over death.
• (8). Miraculous catch of fish (21:1-11)
• We see the power of Jesus over all the above.
Ill:
• The renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore (1821-1883);
• Once lost his passport while travelling in Europe.
• When he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards.
• Giving his name to the official, Dore hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass.
• The guard, however, said;
• That many people attempted to cross the border by claiming to be persons they were not.
• Dore insisted that he was the man he claimed to be.
• “All right,” said the official, “we’ll give you a test, & if you pass it we’ll allow you to go through.”
• Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper,
• He told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby.
• Dore did it so quickly and skilfully;
• That the guard was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be.
• In other words, his work confirmed his word!
• John in his gospel tells us again and again that Jesus’ works confirmed his word!
(2). His Motive (Verse 30):
“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples,
which are not recorded in this book”.
Ill:
• We know of Alice in the fairy tale ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
• In a conversation between her and the Cheshire Cat,
• Alice asked, “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”
• “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.
• “I don’t much care where,” said Alice.
• “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat.
John was a motivated man:
• He openly admits in this verse and others;
• That he had direction and purpose in his writings:
• His writing is like - building a bridge of truth concerning Jesus Christ;
• And he wanted his readers to cross over it and discover this for themselves.
John tells us up front that he has deliberately left out many things regarding Jesus.
• He says that “I have done that by accident”.
• “It was not a mistake. In fact I have done it on purpose”.
Ill:
Just think for a moment what he missed out in his gospel:
• There are no genealogy, no family tree; list of names;
• (We probably say good!)
• No account of Jesus’ birth;
• Whole world celebrates it but John did not think it was worth mentioning!
• No mention of his boyhood.
• Nothing about his temptations in the desert.
• We consider Jesus the greatest story teller to walk on planet earth;
• Yet there is not one single parable in the entire book of John.
• The Last Supper is omitted;
• As is the garden of Gethsemane.
• There is no mention of the great commission;
• (The final words of Jesus)
• No mention of the Ascension.
• (John records no beginning and no end – symbolic of the fact Jesus is God!)
These are surprising omissions:
• Especially when you note the prominence;
• Matthew, Mark and Luke give to some of those events.
ill:
• Sive flour (Lumps remain, flour falls through).
• It’s as if John puts all his knowledge of Jesus in a giant sive.
• Allowing everything to fall through the mesh that does not show Jesus to be God on earth.
• John was very selective in what he wrote.
Ill:
• Film maker Walt Disney;
• Was ruthless in cutting anything that got in the way of a story’s pacing.
• Ward Kimball, one of the animators for SNOW WHITE,
• Recalls working 240 days;
• On a 4.5 minute sequence in which the dwarfs;
• Made soup for Snow White and almost destroyed the kitchen in the process.
• Disney thought it was funny,
• But he decided the scene stopped the flow of the picture, so out it went.
• John the apostle also had that ruthless streak in his character;
• Selective in his writings, as he wanted to clearly show the key facts as he saw them.
John the apostle tells us his motive up front:
• "I have selected certain miracles", he says;
• "That you may believe".
Ill:
Each of the four gospels have a theme:
• Matthew wrote primarily to his fellow Jews saying;
• "This is the Messiah" - "The King of the Jews, so worship him".
• Mark wrote primarily to Roman reader:
• "This is the servant of God" - "Follow him".
• Luke wrote primarily for the Greek mind:
• "This is a man among men, perfect humanity" - "Emulate, copy him".
• John wrote a universal Gospel saying:
• "This is God" - "Believe in him".
Well that’s John’s motive for writing:
• And he is not ashamed to say so;
• And neither am I – the purpose of much of our Church activity to share this news.
• John uses the word ‘believe’ 98 times in this gospel.
• It is a key word in this book.
Question: What does it mean to believe ?
Answer:
Ill:
From his early boyhood, John Paton wanted to be a missionary.
• Before studying theology and medicine,
• Paton served for ten years as a Glasgow City Missionary.
• After graduation,
• He was ordained and set sail for the New Hebrides as a Presbyterian missionary.
• Three months after arriving on the island of Tanna,
• Paton’s young wife died, followed by their five-week-old son.
• For three more years, Paton laboured alone among the hostile islanders,
• Ignoring their threats, he carried on seeking to make Christ known to them.
• The threats turned worse and Paton was forced to flee the island;
• Escaping with his life.
• Later, he returned to the New Hebrides;
• And spent fifteen years on another island.
Paton was working one day in his home on the translation of John’s Gospel:
• Puzzling over John’s favourite expression, to “believe in” or to “trust in”.
• He struggles to know how best to translate it?
• Paton was unsure.
• Because the islanders were cannibals; nobody trusted anybody else.
• He knew that there was no word for “trust” in their language.
• And so day after day he wondered what word he could use.
One day his native servant came in;
• Paton asked him. “What am I doing?”
• The man replied; “Sitting at your desk,”
• Paton then raised both feet off the floor and sat back on his chair.
• “What am I doing now?”
• In reply, Paton’s servant used a verb which means “to lean your whole weight upon.”
• That was Patton’s Eureka moment.
• He knew that was the phrase he had been desperately searching for:
• And throughout Paton’s gospel of John – that is the phrase he used!
The word "Believe" in the Bible conveys two thoughts:
(1). TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRUTH AS TRUTH.
• When a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ
• They are acknowledging him to be who he says he is.
• And that he can do what he says, he can do.
(2). A COMMITMENT TO THAT TRUTH.
• Belief is active not passive.
• ill: Bus stop
• You can be at the stop.
• You can believe the timetable.
• You can believe the bus will stop where you are.
• But until you actually commit yourself to that bus.
• By placing your feet of the pavement and on to the bus
• You have not truly believed.
(3). John’s message.
• As well as recording eight signs that Jesus did;
• John also records for us eight statements that Jesus said.
• These statements only occur in John’s gospel;
• And are known as the ‘I AM’ sayings.
• In each saying, a metaphorical image completes the thought:
• E.g. A picture completes the thought.
(1). “I am the bread of life”.
• What food is to the body, Jesus is to the soul.
• No-one ever need be hungry for God anymore – because Jesus satisfies.
(2).”I am the light of the world”.
• Jesus helps us to see and understand God.
• No-one needs to search aimlessly to try to find God.
(3). “I am the door”.
• Jesus gives us access to God the father”.
• Ill: President Lincoln & his son Todd.
(4). “I am the good shepherd”.
• A bad shepherd leaves the sheep in danger.
• But Jesus (Good Shepherd) was willing to give his life for the sheep!
(5). “I am the resurrection and the life”.
• The Bible is clear that there is no annihilation (cease ton exist);
• There is no re-incarnation (coming back as another creature or person).
• The message of the Bible is resurrection;
• Jesus himself said; “One day he will judge both the living and the dead”.
(6). “I am the way, the truth and the life”.
• The way to know God.
• The truth about God.
• The life of God.
(7). “I am the true vine”.
• Jesus is our (the branches) life source;
• We cannot survive without him.
(8). “I am who I am” (8:24 & 28)
• Jesus’ identity is being questioned by his opponents;
• Jesus tells them to look at his miracles, they declare his deity.
• “I am who I am” is the name that God used to reveal himself to Moses (Exodus chapter 3);
• In using that name the religious leaders are fully aware of who Jesus was claiming to be!
Now these eight statements only occur in John’s gospel;
• They are incredible words; and what makes them even more amazing is;
• They came from the most unselfish and humble of all men.
• Yet the most unselfish and humble of all men.
• Is actually making the most incredible & outlandish statements ever uttered by a human being!
• These claims demand a response!
• They call for a choice to be made!
Quote: C.S. Lewis in his book ’Mere Christianity’ says:
“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 good moral teacher.
He would either be a lunatic-on a 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 patronising nonsense about His being a great moral teacher.
He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
• These claims demand a response!
• They call for a choice to be made!
• If he was a man he left some good advice and died a failure!
• Unable to save himself never mind anyone else!
• If he is God (as Christians believe); Then his death was purposeful and….
• He is able to save to the uttermost all those who trust in him!
Ill:
DVD Clip – He was Crucified
Quote: Hebrews 7:25
“Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
“That is why he is always able to save those who come to God through him. He can do this because he always lives and intercedes for them.”
Quote:
• Gregory of Nazianzus, A.D. 381:
• He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.
• Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.
• Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest.
• Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.
• Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.
• Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.
• Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.
• Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.
• Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.
