The Heart of Belief
Series: A Journey with Jesus (through the Gospel of John)
Brad Bailey – January 16, 2011
Intro
This weekend is a holiday weekend… as Monday is a day set aside to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King. Such a day offers us an opportunity to honor what he stood for. We remember that he was one despised by many… ultimately killed… and now honored. That‘s a radical change in receptivity. What could lead to such a change in response? We could just think we have become smarter? But there hasn‘t been any significant change to the intellectual IQ of Americans. It wasn‘t a matter of intelligence… but an attitude of heart that changed.
> It reminds us that what we accept to be true is not simply a matter of the head but the heart. Belief in the call of MLK has never been simply a matter of knowing what is true… but of a willingness to change… to DO what is right. When the heart is predisposed to wanting to see something a certain way… it usually will.
He knew what was at hand… because he had given his life to following Jesus.
Today as we continue in our Journey with Jesus through the Gospel of John… we are challenged to consider the heart of our own belief.. The Jesus public ministry is concluding… he will soon gather with his disciples as he prepares for the confrontation with the powers of this world. What was at hand in the hearts of the people?
John 12:37-50 (NIV) 37 Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" 39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 40 "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them." 41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. 42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."
Here at the conclusion of Jesus‟ public ministry John is compelled to ponder the darkness of unbelief which engulfs His people. He begins…
“Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” - John 12:37
What tragic words! John has witnessed Jesus facing the way that the religious leaders had rejected him because he threatened their authority… he had seen the anger of the very ones who should have accepted Him at every turn. All this has been a fulfillment of those words in the prologue,
“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” – John 1:11
Who is really on trial in these events?
Certainly Jesus…. he had always been scrutinized…. and the next time he would be seen in public he would have been arrested and on trial. As in every attempt to judge him in the past…. nothing would be found to judge him. In the end… he would be judged only on his claim itself (that of being the one sent by God.)
> But the words from God we hear today step back to see that the whole process reflects that the real trial at hand is that of the human heart.
It is those to whom this life comes that are on trial. The human heart is on the stand.
Here John stops to note the dynamics of disbelief and belief... of what God had declared about the response to His hand unfolding and what Jesus helped explain. As we dare to walk towards the suffering and sacrifice of Christ… as we engage his passion… we need to consider the heart of our belief.
John emphasizes the repeated opportunities his own countrymen have had to receive what God was doing in Jesus.
You may recall that through his testimony of Christ‘s life… he had been describing the various ―signs‖… of how Jesus was embodying in himself a new creation…. A new exodus and freedom from the deepest bondage…. a new light…. and yet their hearts were not receptive. As John tells of all that Jesus had said and done… and the events recorded in the Old Testament…. Moses in Egypt…. Where God revealed a string of signs… and Pharaoh‘s heart grew only harder. But such hardness was part of what God used to make the nature of his act to free theme even more notable.
Then Isaiah was raised up as a prophet when the people were at the height of rebellion from God… and was called to speak God‘s Word to them knowing it would only make their hearts become harder. This would force a judgment but also a new work of salvation that would emerge. (Isaiah 6)
What has unfolded in Jesus is the culmination of the human heart‘s response to God. The words of Isaiah capture it well.
“Who has believed our report?” - They have rejected His teaching from the Father.
“To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” - They have belittled and spurned His mighty works of provision and healing.
There is no neutral ground when God calls. Once Jesus appears and makes His claim men must decide. Rejection moves from misunderstanding, to ridicule, to anger, and finally to death. Their ears cannot hear and their hearts are hardened.
The central issue at hand … is to understand that belief is not simply a matter of the mind… but of the heart.
1. The heart of belief begins in my inward disposition towards God.
They saw… but they did not believe…. they did not receive…. they did not give their lives in trust.
> The simple but significant truth is that something other than facts is involved in the process of belief.
Hebrew use of the word we read as ‗heart‘ is integration of heart and mind… it is the inward disposition or posture that develops. The Scriptures tell us to „guard our hearts above all else…‟ because out of them flows life. The heart…defines both what we allow ourselves to accept and defines how we will respond.
The head alone is simply not what defines the reality of belief. Most of reality is beyond us to fully understand. Whether one believes (gives their life to Christ) or declares unbelief … it is not simply the mind reaching a conclusion based on certainty of fact. There is faith in believing and faith in not believing.
When we consider Pharaoh… Isaiah… Jesus… we can see that the issue is not doubt but defiance.
He goes on to use Isaiah‘s prophetic words to describe how God would then give them what they wanted… the hardening of hearts ….
May seem like God simply dictating who is going to believe and who is not. That is NOT what is being implied here. Note:
It is always in the context of the people choices…. their hearts hardened. Human responsibility is always at the forefront. The initial cause is always referred to in terms of their choice…. It is rejection because they DID have knowledge.
The language that describes God‘s sovereign working is always that which reflects something more mysterious than mechanical. While it speaks of God opening and closing…. always
God‘s sovereignty is more the consequence than the cause of their hearts. [NOTE 1]
Notably… John goes on to say that ‗Nevertheless..‘ some believed‘…. so not intended to simply imply that God is just turning off a switch to belief.
All of this reflects that The heart of belief involves our inward disposition
Over the past thirty years… something that has struck me… is the increasing nature towards claiming to know more about Jesus than those who reported within his lifetime.
00I could go on for quite a while about why such ideas are strange on a lot of levels. But what is notable is that the decades that followed saw a movement of lives who gave themselves Jesus…. and now those 2000 years removed believe they know more.
How? > Certainly two reasons include the arrogance of modern man (we love how fast we can change everything)…and secondly, that we have chosen sensationalism as more important than substance (if it‘s provocative, we‘ll take it). But it is also a reflection that what John is noting is alive… that hearts can become irrational in their disbelief. The heart of belief is not simply about what we see… but what we will choose…. It is not simply a matter of the mind…. but of the heart.
So we must ask… do we really understand that belief is not simply agreeing to facts… but ‗giving ourselves in trust to‘ God… and as such it involves my inner disposition.
How is my ‗belief‘… my ‗giving myself in trust‘… being effected by my own desires… such as control… short lived pleasure… and the like?
Goes on…
Verse 42 – 43 ―….many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.‖
The synagogue is what defined one‘s community. If those who rule over it decided he was too threatening and to be rejected… any other response would itself be a basis of rejection. One would have to face being rejected… and losing friends. This reflects another truth about our belief.
2. The heart of belief involves choosing the primary audience of my heart.
This has always been the case…. It may begin as adolescent peer pressure… then ‗but my boyfriend / girlfriend.‘….
Jesus understood this. He faced rejection… he felt abandoned.
> BUT his central trust was in God.
If we say we believe…. We mean we ‗give ourselves in trust to‘ God.
So if in reality we are really trusting others to be our source of value and confidence and love.. then it will show.
Jesus never taught us simply how to love God… he taught us how to love God above all.
(―Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.‖ - Matthew 10:28 (NIV) )
The knew that is essential to the ability to live… that we can‘t simply add another love to our lives… we need a defining love…. a defining voice.
In a NCAA cross-country championship held in Riverside, California several years ago…, 123 of the 128 runners missed a turn. One competitor, Mike Delcavo, stayed on the 10,000 meter course and began waving for fellow runners to follow him. Delcavo was able to convince only four other runners to go with him.
Asked what his competitors thought of his mid-race decision not to follow the crowd, Delcavo responded, "They thought it was funny that I went the right way." (Loren D. McBain)
> At some point we all have to choose whether to be popular… or to be right.
In a culture that has chosen what‟s popular over what‟s true…. to follow gallop polls more than conscience… we must resolve the primary audience of our hearts. If we continue in this journey… will have to decide if we are more like a thermometer.. that merely reflects what is…or a thermostat… which chooses what should be.
The heart of belief involves choosing the primary audience of my heart.
Goes on…
44 Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."
There is a lot we could consider in these words…. but the central point is that because Jesus represents the most complete representation of God… our response to him is the most defining.
You may think I am simply judging you but in fact… I am bearing the light of God…. and the words of God… so that is what you are really responding to.
3. The heart of belief involves facing the ultimate light of God.
He is the fullness of light… and not surprisingly…. The most exposing of darkness.
Have you ever had something you considered clean enough… until you saw it in a brighter light… and then all sorts of stains and crud could be seen?
NT Wright notes how stories and movies will naturally lead to the „final showdown between the arch-opponents.‟
John is seeing that moment unfolding.
As Wright notes (paraphrased this portion)…
There will be the moment when Jesus and Pilate look each other in the face; but Pilate isn't the real villain. Even Caesar in Rome isn't the real villain. The real villain is the darkness itself, the darkness that John has not yet named. The darkness will soon gather itself into a heap and take possession of one of Jesus' own friends. Once 'the satan' has entered Judas (13.27), we are not surprised when he goes out into the night (13.30).
The light has been with them, inviting them to make it their own and walk in it, so that they won't stumble. Jesus himself is the light of the world, the one who opens eyes both literal and metaphorical. And he is and does all this because the source of light shines through him.
He hasn't come to judge the world. He has come to save it (see 3.17). He has come because God loved the world so much that he didn't send a lowly subordinate; he didn't send a long-distance message; he didn't leave a note in the hope that someone would find it. He loved the world so much that he came in person, in the person of his own son, the Word made flesh, so that he could save the world in person. That was and is what Jesus is about.
Quoted this part…
“this meant that the light would shine more brightly than ever before, and that the shadows it cast would be darker than ever before. …when the light shines brightly, even though it has come with the aim of rescuing and healing, of loving people back to life, it means that when people choose darkness there can be no question that that is indeed what they have chosen.
The result is sadly clear. When Jesus speaks the words of love, the words of God, the words that would heal the world, people who reject those words will find themselves confronted in the end, not by Jesus himself, but by those very words, the words they have heard, the words they can't pretend they didn't hear. The words themselves will be judges, will rise up and condemn them.
- N.T. Wright (John for Everyone, Part 2, pp39-42)
One thing for certain… there is no figure for whom the false option of neutrality has more clearly been removed.
With these words, Jesus has spoken to the crowds in Jerusalem for the last time. The next time they see him it will be as a prisoner, standing before Pilate. He will be on trial, and his words will be sifted as evidence against him. But in truth, it will remain we who are on trial.
His life had always demanded a response… and in the events that unfold… we see the many lives challenged by where they stand in relationship to him.
One will betray him…not because he didn‘t know who he was … but because he wanted some money and power.
Another denied him….not because he didn‘t know who he was… but because he was afraid of being treated like him.
Pilate says he finds nothing wrong in him… but turns him over because he wants t o keep control.
Conclusion:
What lies in the heart of our belief? What may be effecting whether we are giving ourselves to him?
One thing Jesus declared certainty in… not the heart of men… but the power of the Father.
50 I know that his command leads to eternal life.
Resources: Drew some supporting ideas from David Petticrew, Richard Tow, and N.T. Wright,
Notes:
1. Richard Tow notes: ―He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts...‖ The light came and they chose to close their eyes. They said they were looking for the Messiah. But this Messiah would not cater to their lust and greed and selfishness. As they looked at the sinless Son of God, it was like looking into a mirror. They looked and saw their true condition and did not like what they saw.[8] So they closed their eyes to the truth. And refused to see. Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind. But these people chose blindness over sight. So their choice was confirmed with blindness.[9] Here is the awesome law of free will. What you and I choose, we get![10] If I choose to harden myself against God—I get spiritually calloused. If I choose blindness over sight, I am spiritually blinded and cannot see the truth. It did not have to be that way for these people. It was not a momentary choice but one confirmed over and over again in their hearts.
Here is this same principle applied to the last days, ―They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.‖ - 2 Thess 2:10-12 (NIV) Notice what comes first. First they refuse to love the truth. They would rather have a lie that justified their wickedness than to receive the truth that would demand a change in life-style. Then what follows? God sends them what they love. He sends it in huge portions—powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.
