Listen to the argument

Fierce argument. Entrenched positions. Determination. Unbending conviction.

The extract in bold above from the first-century biography of Jesus Christ written by John details the AD 30 argument. John was one of Jesus’ closest followers. Of Jesus’ twelve closest disciples, Peter, James and John were often called to be with Jesus when the other nine weren’t.

John lived into old age. There is good evidence to show that he probably wrote his biography of Jesus whilst in exile on the Greek Island of Patmos in the last decade of the first century AD. He probably recalled this argument between Jesus and several Jewish leaders very well - because he had no doubt been telling people about it ever since the day on which it occurred.

Take a look at the argument. Better, listen to it in your mind.

 

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Jesus says to them, “I shall go away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you are not able to come.” That’s strong stuff. If Jesus is saying that he’s going to heaven – and then that the Jews to whom he is speaking are not able to go there – it’s no wonder that they reacted.

Among themselves the Jews spoke, “Will he kill himself, since he speaks, ‘Where I go, you are not able to come’?” Is he intending to commit suicide? (It’s surely unthinkable that he might be going to heaven – to the Father.)

Jesus says, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Accordingly I said to you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am you will die in your sins.” That won’t do. He’s telling us that we don’t understand because we’re focused on “this world”. But we’re God’s people. “Die in our sins”? Not us. Our good outweighs our bad. But what’s this? This “I am”? This “believe that I am”?

They say, “You - who are you?" He’s said “I am”. He can’t end a sentence like that. (He’s actually using the name of Almighty God. It’s in our Jewish Scriptures – our archives. Almighty God told Moses around 1350 BC that his name is “I am who I am”.) He mustn’t do that.

Jesus says to them, “Exactly what I have been declaring to you in the beginning. I have much to declare about you and much to judge, moreover he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world those things which I have heard from him.” Who sent Jesus? Who tells him what to say? Who has told him to tell us that we will die in our sins unless we believe he is?

Jesus continues, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but declare exactly what the Father taught me. He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” This man continues to speak in riddles. He speaks of himself as “Son of Man”. He says he will be “lifted up” by us but the word he uses means “glorified”. He says we will “lift him up”. Never! Only on a cross - ha, ha.

 

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He says that when we’ve “glorified” him we’ll know “I am”.

How on earth will we know him? Besides, we’re not going to “glorify” him. Yes, we’ll “lift him up” alright. We know who he is. That’s why we hate him….

As he was declaring these things, many believed in him. The benefit of being a listener today is that we can make up our own minds…..