Lent 5 — Judica

Good Shepherd

2004 Pass Rd, Biloxi, MS 39531

Draft Gen 22:1–14; Heb 9:11–15; Jn 8:42–59; Ps 43; antiph: v. 5   –     3/22/26

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Please open your Bibles to John 8: God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). And what an image of sinners we find in John chapter 8. By now Jesus has been preaching and teaching and healing for at least a year, if not longer, and here in the temple He is not met with the praise that is due Him, nor the honor due any upright teacher, nor is His teaching believed but rejected when in the ears of His hearers He goes one step farther than they like, that being when He said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Then they disbelieve, turn on Him, and eventually try to kill Jesus. Remember, these are people whom St. John said were believers. They had seen His works, had heard His teaching, but when He implies that they are slaves to something, that is, when He touches their national pride even just by inference, then they break from Him because what He is teaching is no longer soothing and sweet to their identity as Jews. Thus they said, We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?

They are, of course, wrong. Israel was variously enslaved to the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Canaanite nations, the Assyrians, the Medes, the Persians, and now for all intents and purposes the Romans. But Jesus is not speaking of earthly slavery. He responds to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. What Jesus has done is expose their sin, pride mixed with self-delusion that they are not quite that bad of sinners. And now that He has held up the mirror of the Law before them, revealing the state of their souls, and that of their ancestors, they have become uncomfortable, they don’t like seeing the skeletons in their closet or the fact that they practice the same faithlessness their ancestors who were enslaved practiced. Immediately, all else that Jesus taught them dissolves to nothing in their hearts, just as it did with many of those among the five-thousand whom Jesus feed last week. They would rather cling to the lie of the past than repent of their pride. They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” They want to claim the title of Abraham’s offspring, and therefore “the chosen people” without following the example of Abraham.

Thus Jesus shows them what Abraham believed and did, If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Now the Jews increase their sin of pride and delusion, claiming not just Abraham, who was their father by blood, but even God as Father. They add sin onto sin, arrogance onto pride and delusion. But how does Jesus respond? If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

Who are the true sons of Abraham? Jesus has told them, but they did not hear. St. Paul likewise teaches, Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham (Gal 3:6–7). And if you are a son of Abraham by faith, Whose does that make you? Abraham was a child of God by faith. It is like St. Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 11, Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1). Jesus is then teaching the Jews that if they believed in Him, then they would truly be Abraham’s children, and if they imitated Abraham, who believed in Jesus, then they would truly be children of God. All this is also true of you.

But what is actually the case with these Jews, and so many modern Jews? They may share blood with Abraham, but they do not believe what Abraham himself said and believed, they do not do the good works Abraham did, therefore by their thoughts, words, and deeds they have rejected their family heritage and begun to embrace another heritage. Abraham and his children are slaves to no one, though they be bound in chains, because they are children of God by faith therefore earthly chains mean nothing to them. They will serve their earthly masters as though they served Jesus and thus their chains and their servitude become nothing. These Jews, however, since they have rejected Abraham like their fathers did before them, they are truly enslaved to the devil even if there are no bronze or iron chains literally on their wrists: they are chained by their earthly passions, by pride and arrogance, and now also by hatred, slander, and murder as they become more and more unfriendly to Jesus: Thus we read,

Jesus said, Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me…. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”

Here they show their further ignorance of Abraham and of God’s Word. They, like the sect of the Sadducees now are denying the resurrection in their wrath. So great is the hatred and sin of these former disciples becoming that they, like all the modern sects of Judaism, are even changing God’s Word so that it says the opposite of what God said. Yes, Abraham died, yes the prophets died, but what do the saints of that era believe? What God revealed to them: Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! (Job 19:24–27) And indeed God has written those words in His imperishable book, more than that, He has engraved the name of this saint and all the others in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27).

Thus Jesus continues, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Here they again show their unbelief for they deny what Abraham himself bears witness. And what is that? What our Old Testament reading showed us: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. (Heb 11:17–19) The Angel of the Lord, that is, Jesus, said to Abraham, I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. Abraham knew as Job knew as Adam and Eve knew that God would raise them from dead. Yet these former believers deny God’s power and God’s Word. One step yet remains for them to show fully that they have embraced their new heritage.

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. Jesus has been gentle with them up till now. But at last He speaks in full clarity. English cannot portray this sentence well, but this is what Jesus said, Amen, amen, I say to you, Before Abraham was, YHWH, that is, Before Abraham was, I am God. Jesus does not hide His true identity from them but openly declares Himself to be God and rather than believe, they act as their true father, the devil acted, and try to murder God. So far has their sin of pride which desired a false image of their forefathers grown, as St. James warns, Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (1:15)

What we see in the Gospel reading is what St. Paul teaches by other means in Romans 5 when he says, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 5:18–21). Thus Jesus said early in John chapter 8, So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. He desires not that sin increase, but that His grace may increase for these Jews. But the Jews would not hear this message. What then is the lesson for you? There are many you could take. What I would highly recommend, though, is the lesson on repentance, the lesson on humility, and the lesson on good works.

We see God’s urging toward repentance each time Jesus uses the mirror of the Law to show these Jews their sin. God does not desire them to increase their sin—though that is what they do—He desires them to repent that He may restore them. So it is also for you. When I as your pastor put the mirror of the Law before you, or when you read in God’s Word and the mirror confronts you, you will be tempted like these Jews, like Adam and Eve in the garden, to reject the discomfort of having your sins revealed in the light. But that is the will of the devil, who is not your heritage. You have been washed, you have been sanctified, so do not sin with pride but embrace humility. Confess your sins that instant and God frees you from their chains. Hear the Word of God with joy and do not neglect it like these Jews did. Yours is meant to be the heritage of Abraham, the life of faith in Christ. So do the works of a Christian. Examine yourself, identify your sins, repent of pride, arrogance, and self-delusion wherever you find them. Humble yourself before God and He will raise you up.

What is the example that Jesus gives to the Jews of Abraham’s good works? If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. Abraham heard the word of God, Jesus has told them the truth that He received from His Father, and Abraham believed that when God said “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead if Abraham did sacrifice Isaac on the altar. Abraham, then, both loved God more than his own family and believed that God desired and would cause all good to be done for Abraham and for Isaac. This work did not save Abraham, but rather showed the faith of Abraham in God who accounted to the man righteousness by faith. Your good works are to be the same. You perform all that you do as if you were doing it for the Lord, as if you were personally completing whatever task for Jesus Himself. Do all things in all faith, trusting that whatever you plan and whatever you save and whatever you do, God is the One who will bring about what is best for you. He will provide you your daily needs, and He will provide for your future. The future is in His hands, your hands posses the gifts of the day which He has given you, a day and a life without anxiety. Such are the works Abraham did; imitate him.

St. Paul declares in Romans 5, Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (9–11). These words St. Paul wrote are written to you who were once slaves to sin. You are now free from sin because Jesus became a slave in your place, and alive to God because Christ freely laid down His own life for you, and now you partake of the gifts of the new covenant which He has purchased for you by the shedding of His blood upon the cross which means that you too who believe all that God in Christ has said, even though your body decay in the grave, will rise again to new life on the last day. Amen.

Now the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen