Spurgeon on the Gospel of John . Daily Devotions (Issue 3)
These devotional readings are largely taken from expository thoughts shared by Spurgeon at the end of his sermons. Going through a Bible passage verse by verse, he would make brief comments with his usual candour and practicality, applying the text directly to his hearers.
They have been collated from the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, and lightly edited for clarity and cohesion.
Day 1 . Tuesday
John chapter 6
Verses 22–24. The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone; (howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:) when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
Everything looked very favourable, did it not? These people put themselves to considerable trouble in order to get where the Saviour was; they were not satisfied to be away from Him; they were “seeking for Jesus.”
Verses 25–26. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
He did not gratify their curiosity by telling them how or when He came there, for that was no concern of theirs. Neither is it the business of Christ’s preachers to spin ingenious theories about the Gospel, or to tell pretty tales to amuse their hearers. Their business is to deal faithfully with men’s hearts and consciences as their Master did when He said to these people, “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles.”
They did that at first, no doubt. Christ’s miracles dazzled them, so they sought Him in order to see more miracles wrought by Him. This was not the highest motive for seeking the Saviour, but they had found a still lower one; they were now following Him because they “did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” Yet the Master did not repel them, and thus He teaches us that it is better to follow Him from the lowest motive than not to follow Him at all.
Perhaps some of us have been too severe upon certain people. We have said that they come to our place of worship out of mere curiosity. What if they do? It is well that they come at all, so let us not cut even the spider’s web that links a man in any sense with Christ. That web may grow into a thread, that thread into a cord, that cord into a cable, and there may yet be an unbreakable union between that man and Christ. That which begins in an inferior way may lead to something higher and better. Still, it is wise to let people know that they are not deceiving Christ, even though they deceive themselves as to their motive in seeking Him. So He said to them—
Verse 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
They laboured hard in order to get the bread that perishes, so Christ bade them devote their energies to a better objective. This is a very extraordinary verse if we regard the letter of it, and not the spirit. Christ told these people not to labour for that which they could only get by labour, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth.” Yet few men get their daily bread or meat without labouring for it.
And then Christ told them to labour for that which nobody ever does get by labouring, “Labour for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.” This is an instance of how the mere letter of the Word kills. We must take the spirit of it, and then we understand that what the Saviour meant was this, “Do not be spending all your energies to get that which will melt away when you get it, but spend your time and strength in seeking after that which will last through all time, and be yours to all eternity.”
Verse 28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
They wanted to do the greatest of all works, for by “the works of God” they evidently meant the most important, the most sublime, the greatest of all works, “What shall we do in order to work such works as these?”
Verse 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
This is a wonderful statement, which is just as true now as when Christ uttered it in Capernaum. The greatest and best work that any of you can do is to believe on Jesus Christ, though, in another sense, this is not a work at all, but ceasing from your own works, and resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ. But if any man would do that which is most acceptable to the thrice holy God, let him believe on Jesus Christ whom God has sent.
Verse 30. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
This was a shameful question to put to Christ when they had so recently been miraculously fed by Him, and so had received the best sign of His divine power in the multiplication of the loaves and fishes.
Verses 31–34. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
This would have been a good prayer if they had understood the meaning of the Saviour’s words, but as it was, it was a blind prayer. They did not know what Jesus meant when He spoke of the bread of God, which cometh down from heaven. They were thinking about the bread that perisheth, the bread for the body, so they prayed blindly when they said, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.”
Do you not think that many a prayer which children are taught in their childhood, and which men and women continue to pray for years, may be as blind a prayer as this one was? They know not what they ask, and the question very naturally arises as to whether it is a prayer at all.
Verse 35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
“I will take away his need by removing his hunger, I will take away his pain by removing his thirst.”
Verse 36. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
See, then, how little there was of advantage in the mere sight of Christ. Many seem to think that it must have been much easier for people to believe in Christ if they had actually seen Him, but it was not so. Here were multitudes that saw Him, and saw His miracles, and even ate the bread which came from His wonder-working hand, yet they believed not. Faith does not come in that way, for it does not come by sight, but sight comes by faith. Seeing is not believing, but believing is often seeing; it opens the eyes so that they are able to see what before was hidden from them.
Verse 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
God’s own elect shall surely come to Christ; they shall all believe in Him, and be saved by Him.
Verse 37. And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
“Whoever he is that comes, I will never reject him. Whoever he may be that accepts Me, and believes in Me, he is Mine, and I will never cast him away from Me.”
Verses 38–44. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:
“I did not expect that you would receive Me, I did not imagine that you would believe Me. You have not yet been drawn to Me by the Father, so I knew that you would not come unto Me.”
But he who is drawn by the Father will come to Christ, and Christ tells us what will be his future lot—
Verses 44–46. And I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
He corrects the notion into which they might have fallen that they could ever see the Father as He Himself had seen Him. Into that vision none of us can ever enter, for there is a peculiar divine relationship between Jesus and the Father which we cannot know.
Verse 47. Verily, verily, I say unto you,—
Jesus uttered this great truth with very special emphasis, “Verily, verily, I say unto you,”—
Verse 47. He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
That text is worthy to be printed in letters of gold, but even then the letters would be far inferior to the message itself. If it be written on all your hearts by the Holy Spirit, you will not need any other sermon than this divine text, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
Verses 48–51. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Here we have the doctrine of the great atoning sacrifice by which sin is put away, and that is not merely Christ incarnate, but Christ yielding up His life, dying in the room and place and stead of guilty sinners. That is the food, whereof, if any man eat, he shall live forever.
Verse 52. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
These Jews were still stumbling at the letter of Christ’s words, still in their blind carnality misunderstanding Christ.
Verses 53–56. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Do not any of you interpret this teaching of Christ as the Jews did, after a carnal fashion, and fancy that we literally eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ when we come to the communion table. The Lord’s supper was not instituted at the time that our Saviour spoke these words, and He was speaking of quite another matter, the spiritual reception of Christ, the real and true feeding by faith with our spirit upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verses 57–59. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
Amen
Day 2 – Wednesday
John chapter 6 verses 41-71
Verse 41. The Jews then murmured at him,—
That is, at our blessed Lord. “The Jews then murmured at him,”
Verses 41–42. Because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
There are always some who complain that the Gospel is “too commonplace, too well-known.” They already know all that is to be known about it, just as these people knew the mother and father of our Lord Jesus. How could He, who was the son of the carpenter, have come down from heaven? But this ought to have commended Him to them that though He was divine, He became so truly human and so perfectly took upon Himself our nature as to be the son of Joseph—one whose father and mother they knew.
And ought we not to be glad of a Gospel plain enough for a child to grasp, simple enough for the most ignorant to be saved by it? Let us not seek after signs and mysteries, but graciously accept the Gospel which the Lord Himself gives us.
Verses 43–44. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
This was high ground for Christ to take. It was as much as to say, “You need not murmur. I did not expect that you would believe in Me. I know that human nature is such that, without a divine work upon the heart, man cannot come to Me, and will not believe in Me. I am not disappointed, or deceived, when you murmur among yourselves, ‘No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.’”
Verse 45. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Nobody else will come to Christ. There is no real Christian in the world but is of God’s making. A Christian is a sacred thing, the Holy Ghost has made him so. It takes as much of God’s omnipotence to make a believer as to make a world. And only He that created the heavens and the earth can create even as much as a grain of true faith in the heart of man.
Verse 46. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
The divine Son has seen the Father. You and I are to believe—we cannot see as yet.
Verse 47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
He has it even now in possession—a life that can never die out is in the breast of every man who believes in Christ. Oh, what a joy is this!
Verse 48. I am that bread of life.
Jesus is that bread which feeds the spiritual life and sustains the everlasting life.
Verses 49–50. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
The bread that feeds the undying life is Christ Jesus Himself, whom we do spiritually feed upon and who is the nourishment of our souls.
Verse 51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Christ—God incarnate—is the nourishment of faith, the spiritual food of the everlasting life. The new life which God puts into us is not natural, so as to be fed upon natural food, like bread and meat. But it is spiritual and it must live upon spiritual food. That food is nothing less than Christ Jesus Himself.
Verses 52–56. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
These Jews would not understand Christ when He spoke very plainly. He did not therefore retract a single word that He had said, but as the first light had dazzled them—and willingly were they dazzled by it—He turned the lantern full upon their faces and made them blind, for the excessive light of the explanation was too much for them. It was not Christ’s intent to save them—He was making the light itself to be blindness to them, because they had already refused Him, and now the time was come when the heart of these people must be made yet more gross, that they should not see with their eyes, or hear with their ears. May the Lord never give us up to such a fate as that!
It is a dreadful thing when the light of the Gospel becomes the instrument of blinding men, and it does so still. After a certain degree of wilful rejection of it, that which would have been a savour of life unto life can be turned into a savour of death unto death by men’s closing their hearts against it.
Yet I wonder and am astonished at our Lord and Master’s course of proceeding, that here, when the men do not and will not see, He does but speak the truth the more boldly. Let no man think that Jesus was here alluding to the eating of the bread and drinking of the wine in the Lord’s supper. That ordinance was not instituted at that time and there could be no allusion to what did not then exist. It is quite in another sense, in a high spiritual sense, that our mind feeds upon the flesh and blood of Christ. That is to say, the fact that God was made flesh—the fact that Christ died for sin—these are the food of our souls, and thereon our faith grows, and our spirit is strengthened.
Verses 57–58. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
This is spiritual feeding upon spiritual truth.
Verses 59–62. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
Let our Master teach us what He pleases, nothing ought to offend a disciple of Christ. It is ours to sit at His feet and receive all His words without cavilling. But if we do not believe what He tells us upon some elementary points, what should we do if He were to reveal something more to us—and lead us into the higher and deeper doctrines of His Word?
Verse 63. It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:
That is to say, it is the meaning of Christ’s words that gives life, not the words themselves. And if we stumble at the letter, and begin to ask, “How can we eat the flesh of Christ?” taking that expression literally, it will kill us. We need to get into the spirit of what He says, the true spiritual meaning of it, for that is where the life lies.
Verses 63–64. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not.
Could that be truly said of any here? “There are some of you that believe not.” If so, you know what becomes of unbelievers—you certainly cannot attain the blessings promised to faith. May God grant that, ere this day is quite over, there may not be left one among you that believes not!
Verses 64–66. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
So it seems that a man may be recognized as a disciple of Christ and yet he may go back and walk no more with Him. Oh, that we may be real disciples—disciples indeed! Oh, that we may be part and parcel of Christ, true branches of the true Vine, living members of the living body of Christ!
Verse 67. Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
The choice and pick of all His followers. “Then said Jesus unto the twelve,”
Verses 67–68. Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter—
Who was the ready tongue of the apostles. “Then Simon Peter—”
Verse 68. Answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
That was a very conclusive way of answering one question by another—“Will ye also go away?” “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” Brother, sister, if we wandered from Christ, where could we go? And how can we leave Him when He has the words of eternal life?
Verses 69–71. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
Amen.
Day 3 – Thursday
John chapter 7
Verses 1–5. After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judæa, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him.
It is a very painful truth, that those who were the near relations of the Saviour were not believers in His divine mission—at any rate, at first. He was truly a prophet who was without honour in His own country and among His own kindred. And on this occasion, they half taunted Him concerning His claims.
In effect, they said to Him, “If indeed You are a prophet, get out into the world and prove it. We hear that You profess to work miracles, then, why do You hide Yourself away in this country place down here in Galilee? Begone to Jerusalem and perform Your wonders before the crowds in the capital”—half hoping, perhaps, that His claims might prove to be true, yet not, at that time, at any rate, being themselves willing to become His disciples.
See how perverse is the human heart. These men might even live in close companionship with Christ and even be nearly related to Him after the flesh, and yet not be converted to Him. So the best of men need not wonder if they have unconverted relatives, and we may not feel certain that there is any fault to be found in their example if others are not converted by it, for, certainly, there was no fault in the example of Christ, yet “neither did his brethren believe in him.”
Mark, also, that no earthly relationship is of any avail in the kingdom of heaven—“for neither did his brethren believe in him.” So that, although I may be the child of godly parents and one born of a long line of saints, yet I am, because of that, no nearer to the kingdom unless I become myself a believer in Christ.
Remember what Peter said on the day of Pentecost. You have often heard that passage of Scripture half-quoted, let me quote the whole of it to you—“For the promise is unto you, and to your children.” If you stop there, you do not get the true sense of it. “The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Therefore, that text teaches that there is no distinction between the children of believers and any other children. We must be called by the grace of God like the far-off ones, or else we shall not inherit eternal life.
Verses 6–8. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.
Our Lord Jesus Christ did everything, as it were, by the clock. His life was an orderly one. It was all arranged in the eternal purpose of God. The very day in which He should go up to Jerusalem was marked down and He took care that He did not go before the right time. Now, half the power of a Christian life depends upon its being timely. The bringing forth of fruit in due season is one of the marks of the tree planted by the rivers of water. And one of the signs of the Son of man, who delighted in the law of the Lord, was that He said, “My time is not yet full come.” When it did come, then He went.
Verses 9–10. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
Not with the great caravan that travelled, sometimes, with tens of thousands of people together going up to the feast, but with His own disciples in a quieter way.
Verses 11–13. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
There was a general fear of violence that would come upon any who professed themselves to be His followers.
Verse 14. Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
He was no coward, so He boldly showed Himself in the midst of the throng in the temple.
Verse 15. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
Or “How knoweth he the Scriptures? How has He come to be an instructed man, having never learned of the Rabbis? He has never passed through our schools of learning, so what can He know?”
Verse 16. Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
“I am not the inventor of what I say. I am but a messenger, delivering the message of Him that sent Me.”
Verse 17. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Any man who is seeking after that which is right, and labouring to do that which is right, is a good judge of the truth. A practical life of godliness makes a man a far better critic as to what truth is than all the learning of the schools can do.
Verse 18. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
If you ever hear a man speaking about the priesthood, meaning himself and his brethren, and about the church, again meaning himself and his brethren—and about the sacraments, meaning certain performances by himself and his brethren—you may know at once that God did not send him. But he who speaks to the glory of God, and does not say, “Behold me,” but “Behold the Lamb of God,” he it is whom God has sent.
Verse 19. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
“Did not Moses say, ‘Thou shalt not kill’? Then, you do not keep his law, though you profess such reverence for him, for, if you did, you would not go about to kill Me.”
Verses 20–21. The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
“I did it on the Sabbath day and you are all stumbling at that.”
Verses 22–23. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
Surely, there was never a more triumphant answer than that!
Day 4 – Friday
John chapter 7 verses 24-53
Verses 24–25. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?
Perhaps some of the same people who had asked Christ, “Who goeth about to kill thee?” now inquired, “Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?”
Verses 26–27. But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.
They had a notion—perhaps derived from that passage in Isaiah, “who shall declare his generation?”—that the birth of Christ would be hidden in mystery. At any rate, there was some cloudy idea floating about that it would be concealed.
Verse 28. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am:
“And yet you do not know me.”
Verses 28–30. And I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me. Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.
Something seemed to hold them back. Enraged as they were against Him, a mysterious and mighty awe was upon them, so that they dared not touch Him.
Verses 31–33. And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then said Jesus unto them,
As they came to take Him—perhaps to the very officers sent by the Pharisees, Jesus said,—
Verse 33. Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.
“You may well let me alone now, for it will only be a little while, and then I shall be delivered into your hands, and you will no more be troubled with Me.”
Verses 34–35. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?
That was always their fear. “Is He going to the Greeks? Will He be a teacher to them? Will He try to introduce them into the mysteries of our faith?”
Verses 36–37. What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come? In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
I think I see Him standing up in the midst of the great throng. That congregation would soon be scattered, never to come together again, so He stood up in the most prominent place He could find, and notwithstanding all their anger, and their desire to kill Him, He cried—
Verses 37–38. Saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly—
Or “out of the very midst of him”
Verse 38. Shall flow rivers of living water.
What a glorious Gospel sermon that was! It comes to us down through the ages, and is as true now as when Jesus spoke it. Ho, thirsty ones, come ye to Him, and drink. And He will slake your thirst, and create in you a well of living water which shall bubble up forever and ever.
Verses 39–40. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
The prophet about whom Moses spoke.
Verse 41. Others said, This is the Christ.
The Messiah.
Verses 41–42. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
This was blessed testimony even out of the mouth of Christ’s enemies. They objected against Christ what was indeed the fact, for He did come of the seed of David, and from the town of Bethlehem. There He was born and though they called Him the Nazarene—and He refused not the title—though over His head Pilate wrote, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” yet is He the Son of David and His birthplace was at Bethlehem, though some of them knew it not.
Verses 43–44. So there was a division among the people because of him. And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
He was immortal till His work was done. The hour for His death had not yet struck and He must live on till the appointed time.
Verses 45–46. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
The charm of His eloquence, the dignity of His person, His awe-inspiring demeanour, and a singular something—they knew not what—that Divinity that hedges about such a King as He was—restrained their hands. They said, “Never man spake like this man.”
Verse 47. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?
“You sheriffs’ officers are generally hard-hearted enough—are you also deceived?”
Verse 48. Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
This was as much as to say, “If we have not believed on Him—we who are the great dons of the nation—the rulers and the Pharisees—why, then, there cannot be anything in His claims. Just as some people seem to think that unless there is a lord in a Society, unless there is an honourable somebody or other in the chair, there is nothing in it.
Verse 49. But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
They regarded the poor, common people as ignorant and accursed, whereas they, probably, knew as much about the law and the real spirit of it as these learned teachers did.
Verse 50. Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)
Being a member of the council,—
Verse 51. Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
He only asked a question, that was all, and timid Christian, if you are placed where you cannot say much for Christ—if you have too great a fear upon you to vindicate your Master at any considerable length—yet say what you can. And perhaps, the simple asking of a question may suffice to defend Him. Nicodemus did but rise and ask, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?”
Verse 52. They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
Which was a lie, for prophets had come out of Galilee. Still, they denied it and they were indignant at having such a question put to them by Nicodemus.
Verse 53. And every man went unto his own house.
It was like a bombshell exploding in the midst of them. And often, a few brave words dropped into the midst of an assembly of bad men will explode among them, and scatter them hither and thither. Nicodemus had accomplished what, perhaps, he thought he would never do. He was indeed like his name, on that occasion—one of the conquering people—for “every man went unto his own house.”
Nicodemus had scattered them all by his startling question. May each of us witness as bravely for Christ as we have opportunity!
Day 5 – Saturday
John chapter 8, verses 1-20
Chapter 7, Verse 53; and Chapter 8, Verse 1. And every man went unto his own house. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
That is, as every man went to his own house to rest, so Jesus found rest in secret prayer on the Mount of Olives. There is a very striking contrast here, it is a pity to have brought the dividing saw right through the middle of such charming consecutive sentences.
Verse 2. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
That is always the posture in the East, the teachers sit, and the hearers stand. We may have to try that plan one of these days, it might be better for me, and also for you. There might be less drowsiness, perhaps, if the congregation had to stand to listen to the preacher’s message.
Verses 3–4. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they said unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
They did this only to entangle the Saviour—not because they wanted to learn anything of Him, or to do this woman any good, or even to vindicate morality, but it was simply an effort to entrap Him.
Verses 5–6. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.
They could accuse Him either way. If He sanctioned their stoning the woman, they would charge Him with violating the Roman law, but if He said that she should not be stoned, then they would say that He differed from Moses, and set aside the law of God.
Verses 6–7. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
That sentence must have flashed like a drawn sword, keen as a razor, through the very midst of them. Here were men who had probably been living in abominable sin, yet they had brought this poor sinful woman to Jesus, and laid this accusation against her.
Verse 8. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
After He had fired that one red-hot shot, He waited until it had produced its due effect.
Verse 9. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
They left her alone with Jesus in the midst of the place that the guilty crowd had forsaken in silent shame.
Verses 10–11. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
He condemned the sin, His own pure and holy life was the best condemnation of that, but, as for the sinner, He had not come to condemn, but to forgive. His own declaration was, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Verses 12–13. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees—
These wasps were always stinging Him, when He drove them away once, they quickly returned to attack Him again, “The Pharisees—
Verses 13–15. Therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
He did not come for that purpose the first time, He will come, a second time, to judge all mankind.
Verse 16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
You see, brethren, how our Lord Jesus claimed to be God, for He put Himself here in such a connection with God as would be quite inconsistent for any mere man. This is what Paul meant when he said that Christ “thought it not robbery to be equal with God,” He thought it not a prize to be grasped, for it was already His.
Verses 17–18. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
He did that by the miracles which Christ worked, and they proved that He was indeed sent of God.
Verse 19. Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
They thought they knew His reputed father Joseph, they thought they also knew all about Christ, the carpenter’s Son, but there is more in Christ than carnal eyes can ever see. There is more in Christ than the most enlightened understanding, if it be but natural understanding, can ever perceive. These blind bats, the Pharisees, neither knew Christ nor the Father. If they had known Him, they would have known the Father, for Christ is “the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person.”
Verse 20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
Like our Lord, every child of God is immortal till his work is done. This ought to divest us of every kind of fear. The enemy cannot lay hands upon a Christian until his Lord wills it, and when his hour has come, then it behoves not the child of God to resist the Father’s will.
Amen.
Day 6 – Sunday
John chapter 8 verses 21-45
Verse 21. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
Oh, what a terrible sentence is that! I pray that the Lord may never say that to any of us, “Whither I go, you cannot come.” That would be the death knell of all our hopes, and would make our life one long banishment. Blessed be His name, we who have sought Him, and have found Him, know that we shall not die in our sins, and whither He has gone, we shall go also.
Verses 22–23. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above:
You are of a grovelling nature, your thoughts rise out of the abyss where every evil dwells.
Verses 23–24. Ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
If you have no faith in Christ as the Son of God, “ye shall die in your sins.” What an awful thing it will be to die in your sins! What cerements for your eternal burial! What a robe of fire in which to lie down for your long sleep, and then to find no sleep because of it! “Ye shall die in your sins.” I would like this short, stern sentence to ring in the ears of every unbeliever. This is not my word, but Christ’s own word—the word of the most loving and tender Saviour, “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
Verses 25–29. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me:
This made Christ’s life so calm, so deeply joyous amid all its sorrow. “He that sent me is with me.” Servant of God, can you say the same? If so, it is your joy, your confidence, your strength. God grant that we may each one of us realise that blessed presence of our Lord!
Verse 29. The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Christ could truly say that. Oh, that it might be true of us too!
Verses 30–31. As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
“If you became my disciples because of what I said, will you believe what I shall yet say? Are you prepared to take in still further revelations, and to receive whatever I shall teach you? If so, ‘then are ye my disciples indeed’”
Verse 32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Some who heard this message of our Lord caught at it, they were always on the watch for anything to cavil at and contradict, and therefore—
Verses 33–34. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Or “the slave of sin.” There is the test of your position, if you do the devil’s dirty work, you are his servant. If you delight in sin, then you can hear your fetters clank if the ears of your conscience are but open, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”
Verses 35–37. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed;
“I know what a boast you make of that.”
Verses 37–39. But ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father.
Jesus had admitted that, as a matter of temporal descent, but He denied it as a matter of real fact.
Verses 39–45. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
May He never have to say this to any of us!
Day 7 – Monday
John chapter 8 verses 31-59
Verse 31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
For there were many, in Christ’s day, coming to Him for a while and then going away from Him—professing to believe and then stumbling when Christ proclaimed some doctrine which struck them as being strange and hard to receive. Our Lord Jesus tells them that constancy is necessary to true discipleship. It is of no use to start running in the race unless we continue in the course till the prize is won. We are not true pilgrims to heaven merely because we cross the threshold of our door—we must keep on, and on, and on, till we reach the golden streets of the New Jerusalem.
Verse 32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
That is the result of being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. With Christ, who is the truth, to be our Teacher, and the Holy Spirit to bless His words, we come to know the truth—and the operation of the truth upon the heart is to deliver us from the bondage of sin and of error.
Verse 33. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
What a lie this was of theirs! They were at that very time in bondage to the Romans. They had been subdued and conquered and a little while after, they themselves confessed that they had no king but Caesar. Men are not very selective about telling falsehoods when they wish to resist Christ—they will do anything rather than believe on Him.
Verse 34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
The man who habitually lives in sin is not a free man, for he is still a slave to sin. If he finds pleasure and delight in disobeying God, he has no right to talk about being a free man. His chains are rattling on his wrists—what can he know about freedom?
Verse 35. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
A servant may be dismissed from the household, but a son may not. If we were only servants of God, we might fall from grace and perish. But if we are the sons of God, we never shall. If we ever did, in truth, call God “Father,” we shall always be able to use that blessed title, for the relationship of fatherhood is not a temporary one and cannot come to an end.
Verse 36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
If you have the freedom of sonship, you are free indeed. There are none so free in our Father’s house as His children are.
Verses 37–39. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
The real descendants of “the father of the faithful” are themselves faithful—that is, believers. The father of believers has believers for his children. “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.” Our Lord had admitted that these Jews were Abraham’s seed according to the flesh, but He proved that they were not Abraham’s seed in the high and spiritual sense, since they were not like him whom they claimed for a father.
Verses 40–41. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father.
He had not told them who that father was, but as it is a standing rule that men do the deeds of their father, the genuineness of the descent which they claimed could be tested by their likeness to their father.
Verses 41–42. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me:
Any man who is born of God must love Jesus Christ. The purity of His motives, the loveliness of His character, the charms of His person, would all be sure to win the heart of a man who was truly born of God.
Verses 42–43. For I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
“You are dull of comprehension, you are hardened in heart, you are proud in spirit, you are just the opposite of everything that is good, and therefore you cannot hear My word,” said Christ. “And this is proof positive that you do not love God and that you are not the children of God.”
Verse 44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.
Remember from whose lips these words fell, even from the lips of the gentle Jesus. Honest speech is the surest token of a loving heart, but nowadays, if a man preaches the truth plainly and faithfully, men say that he is hard and unkind. But if a man glosses over the truth and alters it according to his own idea of what will please men, then they say, “He is a kindly-disposed and large-hearted man.”
I would be disposed to doubt whether he has any heart at all, if he will sooner see sinners damned than offend them by proclaiming the truth. I thank God that some of us care little about offending those who offend God. If men will not yield themselves to the Lord, we want not their friendship, but we will strive to make them uneasy in their rebellion—and if they resolve to be lost, we will at least be clear of their blood.
Verse 44. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Falsehood is his natural element. When Satan deceives, he only acts according to his nature, which is blackened with falsehood through and through.
Verses 45–46. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin?
What a grand challenge! None of us can speak like that, except in a very modified sense—but Christ, standing before His enemies, who gnashed their teeth at Him and would have given their eyes to be able to fix some fault upon Him—boldly says to them, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?”
Verses 46–51. And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
This statement quite staggered them. Yet it is true. To believers,—
“It is not death to die;”
they simply pass out of this world into a larger and yet more glorious life. They descend not to death, but they rise to immortality.
Verses 52–53. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
“Who dost thou pretend to be? Someone greater than Abraham and the prophets?”
Verses 54–56. Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham—
“As you call him,”
Verses 56–57. Rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
They allowed a wide margin in speaking of our Saviour’s age, for He was only thirty-three years old. It may be true that the sorrows of His life had so marred His countenance that He looked more like a man of fifty than one of thirty-three. I cannot tell, nor do I know whether that is what they meant. But it is singular that they should have said to Him, “Thou art not yet fifty years old.”
Verse 58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
They had asked Him, “Whom makest thou thyself?” And now they have His answer. “Before Abraham was, I am,” said Christ. It is the very name by which God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush, “I AM.” Yet Jesus takes this title to Himself. “Before Abraham was”—not, “I was.” Notice that. But “I am,” as if His life was one continued present existence, as indeed it is, for with God there is no past or future, but all things are ever-present to His infinite mind. When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” He claimed the Godhead—He declared that He was certainly God, self-existent from all eternity.
Verse 59. Then took they up stones to cast at him:
They counted Him a blasphemer and so He was if He was not all He claimed to be. I have heard of some who reverence Christ, but do not believe Him to be God—but how can that be? He evidently made Himself out to be God and this was the great charge the Jews brought against Him. For this indeed they put Him to death, because He made Himself equal with God.
If He was not equal with God—if He were not really God—He led men to think that He was. And if this were false, it was a great sin not consistent with the holy character of Christ. If He was not God, He was the grossest impostor who ever visited this world. But He is God and nothing less. Yet because He claimed this, the Jews took up stones to cast at Him.
Verse 59. But Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Glory be to His holy name forever and ever!
Day 8 – Tuesday
John chapter 9
Verses 1–3. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
We are not to look upon such afflictions as any indication of special sin on the part either of the person or the parent. Of course, sin lies at the root of all our suffering as a great generic fact, but not so that we may attribute such an affliction to any one sin. The disciples, you see, dear friends, are thinking about difficult problems. Their Master is thinking about how, practically, to meet the difficulty, and to this day there are a large number of Christians, professors, and even ministers, who occupy their time about questions which really are to no profit. If they could be answered, nobody would be the holier or the better. What does it matter to us what is the origin of evil? Far more important to turn the evil out than it is to find out how it came in.
Very frequently, you know, after there is a terrible calamity or accident, we have an inquiry as to how it was done, and then we think the thing is all attended to. It would have been better, perhaps, to have an inquiry, before it was done, as to how it could be prevented. Our Lord has that wisdom—that practicalness. He begins to deal with the evil rather than to raise questions about it. Yes, and He sees in that evil a good coming out of it. He says that this man was blind, that the works of God might be made manifest in him.
Verses 4–7. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Our Lord used instrumentality. It did not appear, however, to be very likely to achieve His purpose. The clay seemed more likely to blind than to give sight, yet if the Lord chooses to use the poor and weak instruments that seem nothing better than dust and spittle, He has the glory of the grand result. If He takes the humble ministry of His servants and uses it in the pulpit, or in the Sunday school, or anywhere else, He has all the more glory, and is the less likely to be robbed of it because He uses such unlikely means.
Verses 8–9. The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he:
We are sure of it.
Verse 9. Others said, He is like him:
They were cautious bodies.
Verse 9. But he said, I am he.
He knew there was no mistaking his witness.
Verses 10–11. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
Very straightforward, very concise, very accurate, and when we make answer about our conversion, it is always well to take this for a copy—not too many flourishes, no colouring. He even leaves out about the spittle, but he gives it all as he can recollect it, so when you are talking about the Lord’s love to you, and His way of converting you, it is quite sufficiently remarkable, without any touch of rouge. Let it be given just as it is.
Verse 12. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
Enough for him to know what he did know—that his eyes were opened, and how it was done. So sometimes I have known persons come upon the new convert with a question which has rather baffled him, and he has been troubled because he could not answer it. Do not let it trouble you. You are not expected to know everything. The very best and most honest thing is to say, “I know not.”
Verses 13–14. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
So you may be sure that the Pharisees would be down upon Him for that, because, according to the Rabbis, the making of the clay to put upon this man’s eyes would be a kind of brick-making, and they would bring Him in guilty of brick-making directly. So did these men pervert things and make men guilty where no offence had been committed whatsoever.
Verse 15. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
He is shorter with them. Some tales grow in telling. His gets shorter. Besides, he has to deal with captious people, and then the least said the soonest mended, and this shrewd man thought so.
Verses 16–17. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
He could see that.
Verses 18–24. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
How piously these Pharisees can talk, and generally in the name of God all sorts of mischief begin. When men are persecuting the Son of God, yet still they take the name of God upon their lips. Did they not burn the martyrs to the glory of God? Oh! yes, and so did these men thus slander Christ by saying, “We know that this man is a sinner,” and yet they spoke about giving God praise.
Verse 25. He—
Our shrewd friend of the opened eyes.
Verses 25–27. Answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?
The man is sharp, acute, cutting.
Verses 28–29. Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
The word “fellow” is supplied by the translators. There is no such word there because they did not know a word bad enough with which to express their scorn.
Verses 30–33. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
He proves, he administrates. The thing is as clear as possible, and yet they refuse to see it.
Verse 34. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins,—
It is the old rule, “Abuse the plaintiff.” Nothing could be said. Now abuse the man. He has answered you, and his arguments are too hard for you. Now throw hard words at him. “Thou wast altogether born in sins.”
Verse 34. And dost thou teach us?
Wonderful, that “us.” “Dost thou teach us?” Folly, ignorance, and pride go together. This man, in the simplest and most unaffected manner, had told his tale and urged his argument, and now they abuse him and exalt themselves. “Dost thou teach us?” No, great Pharisees, he does not teach you, for you will not learn.
Verse 34. And they cast him out.
That is the last argument. Out with him. Now we have defeated him.
Verse 35. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him,—
What a blessed thing to be cast out, if Christ finds us! Many and many have been put out of the synagogue and treated with contempt, but then outside Jerusalem they found their Lord, for there He died without the camp, and His people need not be ashamed to go after Him bearing His reproach. “When he had found him.”
Verses 35–38. He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
He does not appear to have been a Unitarian, therefore, and if those persons had their eyes opened, they would do the same. “He said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
Verse 39. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Christ is the turner of the tables. Did not the virgin mother sing, “He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and he hath exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he has sent empty away”? So He ever does.
Verse 40-41. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind,—
Really could not see.
Verse 41. Ye should have no sin:
If you really did not know better, were totally and altogether without knowledge—then you would have no sin compared with what you now have.
Verse 41. But now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
You acknowledge that you have sinned with your eyes open, and therefore, your sin is all the greater.
Amen.
Day 9 – Wednesday
John chapter 10 verses 1-31
Verse 1. Verily, verily, I say unto you.
When our Divine Lord and Master was about to speak with deep solemnity, He usually commenced His discourse by repeating the word, “verily,” “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” The authority of Christ is the basis of our religion. He does not quote from others, but He says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” Jesus is incarnate wisdom, He is God Himself, and what He says is infallibly true, and is to be accepted without question.
Verse 1. He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Those who professed to be the shepherds of the sheep, but did not come according to previous revelation by the way of the Old Testament types and prophecies, were nothing better than thieves and robbers. They could have no design in palming themselves off upon the people except to steal from them and to do them harm.
Verses 2–3. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth:
John the Baptist was, so to speak, the porter who recognised the Christ, and opened the door to Him. John said concerning Jesus, when the Spirit abode upon Him, “I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.”
Verse 3. And the sheep hear his voice:
His chosen ones, those whom the Father had given Him, the peculiar people—“the sheep” at once recognised the presence of the Shepherd when they heard His voice.
Verses 3–4. And he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him:
“He goeth before them.” There is never an act prescribed by Christ for His followers but He first performs it Himself—“He goeth before them.” Other professed leaders drove the flock before them. The Jewish teachers laid heavy burdens upon men and grievous to be borne, which they themselves did not touch with one of their fingers.
It is the distinguishing mark of the good Shepherd that, “when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them.” You are not bidden to do as a servant what the Master would not do. Even if it is the menial occupation of washing the saints’ feet, He Himself has done it; you are to lay down your life for the brethren, for Jesus Himself has done that, “He goeth before them, and the sheep follow him.”
Verse 4. For they know his voice.
There is an instinct, a God-given instinct, in the elect of God, by which they know Christ’s voice. When once the Spirit of God has changed their natures, they have an open ear for the Words of Jesus, “the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.”
Verse 5. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Others will follow the stranger, but the sheep will not do so. We read of some that they were full of such deceivableness that they would, if it were possible, deceive the very elect, but there is an “if it were possible.” The Lord’s true sheep cannot, will not, long be deceived, “they know not the voice of strangers.”
Verse 6. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
We need not only to listen to Christ’s words, but we need an interpreter to explain them to us. Jesus is needed to make His people understand His own teaching. He—
“Is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.”
Verse 7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you,—
Still, you see, Jesus speaks with the same authority, He is an intense dogmatist, He leans not upon the arguments of human reason, nor upon the precedents of former teachers. Again He said just this, “Verily, verily, I say unto you,”—
Verse 7. I am the door of the sheep.
Is He both Shepherd and Door? Yes, and many other figures meet in Him, all creation cannot set Him forth completely. We may multiply all the types and symbols and analogies of nature, and yet not fully picture our Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Watts truly wrote—
“Nature, to make His beauties known,
Must mingle colours not her own.”
We must know the Creator as well as the created, if we would set forth Christ to the full.
Verse 8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
Some people did hear them, one pretended messiah and another led different companies of deluded followers after them, “but the sheep did not hear them.” The prophetess Anna, the holy waiting Simeon, the guileless Nathanael—these did not hear them, their ears had not yet caught the mystic tone which belongs only to the true Shepherd’s voice, “The sheep did not hear them.”
Verse 9. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Is Christ the Door of salvation to you? Some teach that baptism is the door, others talk of a thousand things as being doors of salvation, but it is Christ alone who is the Door, and you must enter into salvation by simple trustful faith in Him. What does a sheep do in order to enter the fold? Does it perform any tricks? No, it simply goes in by the doorway. Poor wandering sheep, do you the same, for Jesus says, “By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.”
Verse 10. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
You who have eternal life may have more of it. You may be spiritually stronger, more vigorous, more clear of eye, more happy of heart, more active in service. Life is a blessing, but abundant life is a greater blessing, we want not merely to breathe, just to live, as I saw one about an hour ago. He had life, but too little life even to speak, we want to have much life, that we may enjoy it, and may use it for the glory of God. Christ has come that we might have life more abundantly, may we all make use of His coming to that end!
Verses 11–13. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
How many there are of whom we have reason to fear that they must be hirelings, because when they see false doctrine and error abroad, they do not oppose it! They are willing to put up with anything for the sake of peace and quiet. They flee as soon as they see the wolf, but he most copies his Master who will not flee on any terms. Certainly he will not flee when wolves are about, for is he not set for the defence of the sheep, that he may chase the wolf away, even though he gets to himself many a scratch and many a wound?
Our Master never fled from the wolves. He might have done so, our good Shepherd might have gone back to heaven and escaped Gethsemane, the cruel scourges, and the wounds upon the tree, but that was not His course of action. The sheep were His own, and therefore it was a joy to Him to interpose Himself between them and the destroyer, and He did so.
Verses 14–16. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:
Not yet brought in, still wandering away on the barren hills.
Verse 16. Them also I must bring,—
“I must,” says Jesus, and as men say, “must is for the king.” There is a divine necessity laid upon Christ our Saviour, He must save the people, the sheep whom His Father gave Him, “them also I must bring.” Oh, wondrous love that holds even the Omnipotent Saviour in bonds, and puts Him under the sacred constraint of this mighty “must,” “them also I must bring.”
Verse 16. And they shall hear my voice;
How like a king Jesus talks! It is the Royal Shepherd who says, “They shall hear my voice.” But suppose they will not hear it? “They shall hear my voice.” But suppose they stop their ears against the Gospel. “They shall hear my voice,” and Christ’s “shall” is always backed by omnipotence.
Verses 16–18. And there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Herein lay much of the effect of the death of Christ, that it was voluntary, that He had power to lay down His life, the right to lay it down, and the right to take it again. When any ordinary man dies, he only pays “the debt of nature.” If he were even to die for his friend, he would simply pay a little earlier that debt which he must pay ultimately, but the Christ was immortal, and He needed not to die except that He had put Himself under covenant bonds to suffer for His sheep.
Verses 19–26. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
This was a brave utterance of our Lord. Those who are Christ’s chosen and redeemed people in due time come to believe in Him, but He does not say to the Jews, “You are not my sheep, because you do not believe.” He tells them the same truth in another way, “Your not believing is a proof that you are not my sheep.”
Verses 27–31. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
These are the ultimate arguments of unbelief—stones. There is no sense in stones, no reason in violence, yet ungodly men, when they have nothing else to use, throw stones at the Teacher of the truth. Is this generous? Is this wise? If you do not believe the testimony, at least let the Testifier alone. Yet it is not in the nature of men to do so. Their stones are ever ready when they are unable to answer the Christ. “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.” They had done it previously when He said unto them, “Before Abraham was, I am,” but as He escaped their malice then, so did He at this time.
Amen.
Day 10 – Thursday
John chapter 10 verses 39-42
(Taken from a sermon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on 10th October 1886.)
Verses 39–40. Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
Because our Saviour’s reasoning was unanswerable, “therefore the Jews sought again to take Him.” When men are convinced against their wills, when the heart struggles against the head, it usually happens that they turn persecutors. If they cannot answer holy arguments with fair reasoning, they can give hard answers with stones. He who hates truth soon hates its advocate.
When our Saviour found that there was nothing to be done with the bigoted Jews, but that all He said and did only provoked more furious opposition, He escaped out of their hand, and went away. He knew when to speak, and when to refrain. Divinely guided, He neither fled as a coward, nor rashly pushed on where nothing could be gained.
Determined opposition in one quarter is sometimes an intimation to the preacher that he had better labour elsewhere. When the channel is blocked up by rocks we had better steer in another direction. If we fail in the first place, we may in the second find that the Lord has much people in the city. The Saviour left the infuriated Jews of Jerusalem, and went to a place of retirement.
But though our Lord left the obstinate, He never ceased to do good. As many resorted to Him there, He went on with His teaching, and in that place many believed on Him. Possibly in a place which promises less you may gain more. Bethabara may yield converts when Jerusalem only yields persecutors. God has ways of changing the position of His servants for His own glory, and for the building up of His church. “The flight of Christ from men in one place may cause the flight of souls to Him in another.”
Verse 40. And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
It was a place where divine ordinances had been observed—“the place where John at first baptized.” Where the Lord is obeyed, we may hope to see Him revealed. We must be careful to keep the ordinances as they were delivered unto us. We may not tamper with royal statutes. “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it,” was the word of the blessed Virgin concerning her Son, and it was a good word, worthy to be spoken in the ear of the entire Christian church.
Outward ordinances cannot secure a blessing, but the spirit of obedience which leads to a careful observance of them according to the divine command is a blessed fruit of the Spirit. Where John baptized, and Jesus submitted thus to fulfil all righteousness, we find a spot which is suited for a divine revival.
Bethabara was also the place where faithful preaching concerning Jesus had been heard. John who baptized also preached the gospel of repentance. Where repentance has been thoroughly preached, I believe that many will come to believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus fitly followed John, and faith will follow readily where repentance has been thoroughly preached and explained. The plough must lead the way, and then it is good sowing. We must first send in the sharp needle, and then the silken thread will be drawn after it. There must be a measure of conviction of sin before there will be a joyful acceptance of the great sin offering.
Herod had cut off John’s head, but he had not silenced John’s voice. The good which men have done lives after them. A hallowed influence lingers about the scenes of faithful labours. From scenes like these the church will be recruited with new disciples.
Verse 41. And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
What fine preaching was that of John! He did no miracle, but all things that he spoke concerning Jesus were true. He spoke of One that was coming after him, who was preferred before him, the latchet of whose shoes he was not worthy to unloose. He spoke of Him in terms so plain that the gospel preacher of today, in the full light of the Spirit of God, cannot find better language—“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
No wonder that many believed on Jesus there, where the savour of such a ministry lingered in men’s minds! Brethren, wherever there has been earnest preaching we may expect that many will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ before long. Let no faithful preacher’s heart be faint within him; Christ is not preached in vain; you have not pointed to the Lamb of God for nothing. Even should you die without seeing it, there will come another after you who will reap a harvest from the seed which you have sown. Hidden truth will break out all of a sudden, and it shall be said, “Many believed on Him there.”
These people were able to weigh the claims of Jesus, and were led to decide for Him. Certainly an opportunity to think is a great privilege to any man or any woman. A time of calm thoughtfulness and peace of mind should suggest to us the propriety of setting our house in order towards God and considering the claims of the Lord Jesus. Think of the Son of God; see whether He is not worthy of your immediate confidence; judge whether it is not a day of grace to your soul wherein it would be wise to believe in Jesus.
Verse 42. And many believed on him there.
This fact was a great refreshment to our dear Saviour’s heart. There is an air of quietude about the passage. “And there He abode.” He seemed at home there; He could rest at Bethabara, because many believed on Him there. He must have been wounded when the inhabitants of His Father’s city again and again took up stones to stone Him, but He was pleased to see the plain country folk flock to hear Him. This was to be an oasis of comfort for our Lord before He traversed the burning desert of His passion and death.
The faith produced was decided. They did not say that they would try to believe, but they believed on Him there. They did not promise to think on it; they did not say that they felt impressions; they did not say that they hoped and trusted, and so on, but they believed on Him there.
That is the consummation for which I pray: that you should not talk about faith or feeling, nor resolve and promise, but that you should actually believe on Him straightway. Remember, if you have a certain faith, you have a certain salvation. Those who believe out and out shall have joy and peace through believing.
Their belief was prompt. These people did not stop to get home; they did not wait for another week, but there and then, by the river’s brink, they looked to Him who is the Lamb of God, and believed on His name.
Friend, will you believe in Jesus Christ? You have heard about Him long enough—will you now believe on Him? Do not try to do anything; believe on Jesus, for the gospel precept is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Oh, that you would cast your guilty soul on Jesus, and find Him mighty to redeem!
Day 11 – Friday
John chapter 11 verses 1-44
Verse 1. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
In God’s Book, towns are most remarkable for saints that dwell in them. “The town of Mary and her sister Martha.” A day will come when a city shall be more illustrious for a saint than for a Caesar—be more renowned for deeds of faith than for deeds of battle. It was “the town of Mary and her sister Martha.”
Verses 2–3. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
They did not say any more. They felt that it was quite enough to tell Him that Lazarus was sick, and they left it to the tender heart of Jesus to do whatever seemed good in His sight. Some prayers would be all the better if they were shorter—all the better if they did not so much declare our own will as declare our confidence in the good will of Christ. I like the omissions of Martha’s and Mary’s prayer.
Verse 4. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Our Saviour speaks in a different style from us. We would have said that the sickness was unto death, but ultimately, to the glory of God. But He who sees the end from the beginning speaks with a grandeur of style which could not be imitated by us. So the Lord speaks of things, not as they seem to be, nor even as they are in the present moment, but as they shall be in the long run. “Not unto death, but that the Son of God might be glorified.”
Verse 5. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
Yet Lazarus died. Jesus loved Lazarus, yet Lazarus was sick. Jesus was not of that cruel sort of people, of whom we have some in these days, who call themselves saints, and who attribute all sickness among God’s people to their sin or to their want of faith. Not He. Here was one that was sick, but Jesus loved him just as much for all that.
Verse 6. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
Notice the connection. “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus”—and yet when He had heard that Lazarus was sick, “He abode two days still in the same place where he was.” Sometimes true love may think fit to make us wait. It may be the truest love on God’s part to let us lie sick and not to come post-haste to us to make us well. Ay, the truest love may demand that the sickness should turn to death, for out of the death He may bring the greater glory. The Lord acts not upon the scale of man, for He sees not as man sees. He sees the end as well as the beginning.
Verse 7. Then after that he said to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again—
And that because He loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. If that love in its wisdom made Him tarry, yet that love in its sincerity at last moved Him to seek the house of grief.
Verse 9. Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day?
Is there not a time in which the sun will not go down—in which it is safe and right for men to work?
Verses 9–10. If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
There is a singular turn, is there not, in that expression? We expected it to be, “Because he seeth not the light of the world,” instead of which the Saviour says, “Because there is no light in him”—because in spiritual things our light not only comes from above, but it shines within—and without that inner light we are sure to stumble.
Verse 11. These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
It is the Saviour’s way to use terms concerning His miracles, which, so far from exaggerating them, even appear to depreciate them. He is about to raise a man from the dead, but He says, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” I am afraid that our tendency is always to describe our actions in the largest possible terms consistent with truth, perhaps sometimes forgetting those last words. But the Saviour describes truthfully what He does, but still in terms which, like His humanity, seem to veil the glory. Wonderfully condescending is it of Him to speak thus—
Verse 12. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
It is considered to be a sign of getting better when a patient can sleep.
Verses 13–16. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
A singular mixture of faith and unbelief. He so believes his Master that he is willing to die with Him. He so doubts Him that, although the Saviour had plainly told him that He was immortal till His work was done, yet he is afraid that His Master and all of them will be put to death. Oh, the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves, and the Lord accepts us notwithstanding our infirmities.
Verse 17. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
So that he was probably dead as soon as the messengers arrived to tell the Saviour that he was ill.
Verse 18. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off.
Just a nice little walk which our Saviour had often taken in the evening after the toils of the day in Jerusalem. He had loved to make Bethany His quiet resting place. “Fifteen furlongs off.”
Verses 19–20. And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
Because she had not heard that Jesus was come, or else, no doubt, she would have been there as soon as Martha.
Verse 21. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
They had often said to one another, “Oh, we wish the Lord would come.” They had sent for Him. They felt sure that He would come. But alas, their brother had died before the Master had arrived—and now this thought which was uppermost in their hearts is uppermost in their speech, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”
Verse 22. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
There is faith there, and there is unbelief, too. She believes that Christ can have what He wills of God, but she does not recognise His own personal Godhead—His own power to work resurrection.
Day 12 – Saturday
John chapter 11 verses 23-57
Verses 23–26. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She looked upon the resurrection and the life as things that were to be in some dim and misty future. “No,” says Christ, “I am the resurrection and the life. Not only do I get these things by prayer from God, but I am these things.” And then He goes on to explain it. He says, “I am the resurrection. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. I am the life. Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” He has taken her out of the thought of this poor common animal-life into the thought of the spiritual and higher life, which is, indeed, to the soul what the resurrection is to the body. It was well for the Saviour thus to teach her higher truth than as yet she knew.
Verse 27. She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
By which she as good as said, “I believe that and I believe everything else. I have an implicit faith in You. Whatever You say, whatever You have said or shall say, I am prepared to believe it all, for I believe in You. I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”
Verse 28. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly,
Because she knew that the Jews hated the Saviour. She could not tell what would come of it if they knew of His coming, so she whispers to her—
Verses 28–30. Saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.
Their cemeteries were outside the town and probably the Saviour was near the very grave where Lazarus slept.
Verses 31–32. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
Her thought was just the same as the thought of Martha, but she did not say so much as Martha. She never did. Martha had a dialogue with the Saviour, but Mary bowed at His feet.
Verses 33–37. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
Many have asked why Christ groaned. Why, brethren, it is the way in which He gives life—by His own death. We say sometimes of one who does a great action, “It took so much out of him.” So it did out of the Saviour. He must groan that Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus may rejoice. It is not without the stirring of His very life that He gives life to the dead.
Verses 38–41. It was a cave and the stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
That is grand praying, is it not? Sometimes we ought to say, “Just so.” “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.”
Verses 42–44. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Lazarus had been publicly raised from the dead. A great number of persons saw the miracle and there was never any question about its having been wrought.
Verses 45–46. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
We could hardly have conceived it possible that men would have been guilty of such conduct as this to post off to Christ’s enemies and lay it as an accusation against Him, that He had raised a man from the dead.
Verses 47–48. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
They pretended that if Jesus Christ gathered to Himself a great party, the Romans would take umbrage at it—pounce upon the whole nation and destroy it, for fear of its revolting from under their sway. A gross falsehood throughout.
Verses 49–50. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all. Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
That was his advice. You are, none of you, up to the mark. You do not handle this thing rightly. Let us kill this man. Let Him be put to death—not that He deserves it, but that it is expedient that it should be, lest our nation should be destroyed—and this is the way that governors and kings have been accustomed to think. Not, “Is it right?” But “Is it expedient?” And we may always pray to God that we may have a Government that will do that which is right, and not be guided by the evil direction of that which is expedient.
One has well said that if the death of a righteous man would save ten thousand, yet it would be an atrocious thing that he should be put to death unwillingly for the saving of any. The right is, after all, expedient. Yet Caiaphas did not know what he said. He was speaking a great truth.
Verse 51. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation.
He did not understand his own words. He was saying a great deal more than he meant to say—for it was expedient—blessedly expedient—that Jesus should die willingly and of His own accord, giving Himself up to death for the sake of His people.
Verses 52–53. And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
One bold wicked man can often sway the counsels of men who are equally bad, but more cowardly. It had not yet come to this—that they would hurt Him to the death, but now they take counsel to put Him to death.
Verse 54. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
We do not find that He wrought miracles there or preached, but in a holy and devout retirement, it may be, He prepared His mind for the last great week—the week of His passion and His death. It is generally best for us to imitate Him in this—and when we have some great work to do—something that will need all the grace that we can get, it is well to make a retreat. Get into retirement and school the heart, and seek to drink in fresh strength that we may be prepared for that which lies before us.
Verses 55–56. And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?
They had heard much of Him in the country. Country people coming to town want to hear the great minister—to see the Great Prophet. So that is their question, “Will He come to the feast?”
Verse 57. Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
They could not deny the miracle—they could arrest and punish the miracle-worker.
Day 13 – Sunday
John chapter 12 verses 1-19
Verses 1–2. Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper;
It was in the house of Simon the leper, a near acquaintance, perhaps a relative, of this beloved family, for we find that Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him. The two families had coalesced for this festival, and well they might, for in one case someone had been healed of leprosy, and in the other case Lazarus had been raised from the dead. It was a holy, happy feast.
Verses 2–3. And Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus,—
The other Evangelist said, “anointed his head.” And they are both right. She anointed His head and His feet.
Verse 3. And wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
Everybody perceived and enjoyed it and understood what costly ointment it must be which loads the air with so delicate a perfume.
Verse 4. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,—
I wonder whether he was son of that Simon the leper, and whether a spiritual leprosy did cling to him. That, we know, was the case.
Verses 5–6. Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Observe that the sharpest critics of the works of good men are very often no better than they should be. This Judas is indignant with what Mary does, and claims that he cares for the poor, but all the while he is a thief. Whenever a man is very quick condemning gracious men and women, you may be quite as quick in condemning him. He is a Judas usually.
Verses 7–8. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
Christ was Himself always caring for the poor, so He would not discourage any effort on their behalf, but just then, one of His most devoted disciples desired to render to Him special honour—and He would not let her be rebuked—but on the contrary, He pointed out the deep symbolical meaning of her loving action.
Verse 9. Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
Their curiosity was but natural, for few of them could have seen anyone who had been raised from the dead. It is well when a saved soul, who has been spiritually raised from the dead, becomes a centre of attraction together with the Lord who has worked such a miracle of mercy upon him.
Verses 10–11. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
They would have committed a double murder if it had been possible, and would have put to death both Jesus and Lazarus, who was a living witness to the wonder-working power of the Christ whom they would not receive as the promised Messiah. When men hate Christ, they also hate those whom He has blessed—and will go to any lengths in seeking to silence their testimony.
Verses 12–13. On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
It is significant that John is the only one of the four evangelists who mentions the palm fronds that were carried by the people in this triumphal procession in honour of Christ, and it was to John that the vision was given of the “great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,” who “stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
Verses 14–16. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
It is strange that Christ’s own disciples did not at once remember this plain prophecy when it was so literally fulfilled, yet, before we condemn them, let us recollect how “slow of heart” we also have been “to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”
Verse 17. The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.
They could not help testifying in His favour after they had seen Him work such a notable miracle as the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
Verses 18–19. For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.
When they saw our Lord riding in state through the streets, and the people waving palm branches and shouting in His honour, they said, “The world is gone after him.” That was only very partially true, and for a very short time—but the day will come when the whole world shall go after Him. Christ’s divine attractions shall be felt throughout the earth, and all the Pharisees then in the world will not be able to prevent the people from going after Him. And—
“Come what may
To stand in the way
That day the world shall see.”
Day 14 – Monday
John chapter 12 verses 20-50
Verses 20–21. And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
They were proselytes who had learned to worship Jehovah. Something more than mere curiosity must have moved them to want to see Jesus. Having heard of His raising the dead, they had a desire, and a very proper desire, to know more of Him, so they asked to be introduced to Him by one who, though not a Greek, had a Greek name, and who might have therefore served as a kind of bridge for these Greeks to reach the Saviour.
Verses 22–23. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Christ’s passion and death were getting very near when these Gentiles came to Him and He saw, in that company of Greeks, the vanguard of that great army that shall yet come to Him out of every nation under heaven. In the prospect of that great ingathering, He looked beyond the impending shame and suffering, and spoke even of the hour of His death as the time when He should be glorified.
Verse 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
This was Christ’s way to glory, and it must be our way to glory, too. The grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die, or else it cannot bring forth fruit. Just so must it be with you and with me—and in proportion as we learn to die to self we shall live to the glory of God.
Verse 25. He that loveth his life shall lose it;
If you keep yourself to yourself, you will lose yourself.
Verse 25. And he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Brethren and sisters in Christ, if we are really to glorify Christ on the earth, we must be willing to lose our reputation, our good name, our comfort, and indeed everything that we have for Christ’s sake. This is the only way truly to live. If, for your own sake, you begin to keep back anything from Christ, that is the way to die. You would then be like the grain of wheat that is laid by and preserved and which, therefore, can never grow or multiply.
Surrender yourself. Be willing to be nothing. Be willing to die if only the truth may live. Care nothing about honour and glory for yourself—care only about the honour and glory of your Master. Learn the meaning of the Master’s paradox—as you bury yourself, you will multiply yourself. As you are put out of sight, like a grain of wheat that is sown in the ground, you have your only opportunity of growth and increase. Heavily-laden ears of corn shall spring up from the grain which has been buried in the earth.
Verses 26–28. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.
In the twenty-seventh verse, our Saviour asked Himself the question, “What shall I say?” here He gives His own answer, “Father, glorify thy name.” When you know not what to pray for, you can always safely pray, “Father, glorify thy name.” As you stand where the crossroads meet and you ask, “Which way shall I choose?” pray, “Father, glorify thy name.”
This incident seems like a rehearsal of Christ’s passion. Here we see that natural fear of death which came across the Saviour’s mind because He was so really and truly man. If His pains had not been real pains, but had been pleasant and congenial to Him, there would have been no self-sacrifice in His suffering. But the fact that they cast upon His spirit the dark shadow of death only proves to us what sharp pains they were—but instead of asking for a way of escape from them, He surrendered Himself to them, gave Himself up as a willing victim with this prayer upon His lips, “Father, glorify thy name.”
And now see what happened.
Verses 28–29. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
This was one of the three occasions on which testimony was openly borne to Christ by His Father—first at His baptism, then at His transfiguration, and now here at the rehearsal of His great sacrifice. Verily, He is the Son of God, and He is ever well-pleasing to God. And God has glorified His name and will continue to glorify it through Jesus Christ His Son.
We learn from this narrative that the voice of God is not understood by everybody. Some of those that stood by said that it thundered and others said that an angel spake to Him. It is necessary that you should be a child of God if you are to know your Father’s voice. Though God is speaking, at this moment, in the clearest tones, none will recognise His voice, or understand His words, but those who are taught by His Holy Spirit.
Verses 30–31. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
See how the eye of faith reads things differently from the eye of sense. You and I would have said, “Now is Christ coming to His lowest point. Now is His name to be cast out from among men and His cause to be crushed as the result of His death.” But Christ reads the signs of the times very differently. “Now,” said He, “in the hour of My shame, and suffering, and death, is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” It was only by Christ being apparently conquered that Satan could be really vanquished, and there is often no way of victory for a saint except through defeat. When self is slain, then do we truly live.
Verses 32–33. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.
The Pharisees said, “The world is gone after him,” but Jesus says, “No, not while I am riding in state through the streets of Jerusalem. But when I am lifted up and hung upon the cross, then shall it indeed be true, ‘I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.’” The crucified Christ of Calvary is the mighty magnet that is to attract multitudes of trembling, doubting, ruined sinners, who by grace shall be drawn unto Him and find eternal life in Him.
Verses 34–35. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
What a sad condition to be in—to not know where you are going! Are there not some of you, whom I am now addressing, who do not know where you are going? Yet if you would but take the trouble to look, you might easily know that, as long as you continue in the paths of sin, you are going down to the chambers of death. Oh, that God’s Holy Spirit would give you sufficient light to enable you to see where you are going! You surely do not want to take “a leap in the dark.” Oh, that you may have the grace to turn from the downward way and to seek the heavenward road!
Verses 36–41. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: that the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
You know that wonderful sixth chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy, and you know how wonderfully he has spoken there of the glory of Christ. But what a terrible thing it is that even Christ should be driven to blind men’s eyes, to take the light away from them because they proved themselves unworthy of it! May that never be the case with any of us, but while we may see, let us see—and may God give us more light!
Verses 42–43. Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
What a shameful thing that was! Yet you will still find that there are many persons who, even though they believe the truth, dare not own it, but must hide in obscurity until the times grow easier. However, Christ’s death fetched out many who had been His disciples in secret. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus could not stay in the background any longer, and doubtless, the thoughts of many other hearts were then revealed.
Verses 44-49. Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Christ did not pride himself upon being a great original thinker. He took his word from his Father’s mouth. And the preacher of the gospel is to be no inventor of new thoughts. The “thoughtful” man of whom we hear so much is just a man who is rebellious against God. The Lord’s true servant is to repeat God’s thoughts, not his own, to borrow from the Scriptures, to borrow from the teaching of the Holy Ghost, even as the Lord Jesus Christ did.
Verse 50. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
If the great Head of the church was thus only a messenger, the deliverer of a message from the Father, should not we, who at our best are such poor ministers of Christ, take heed to it that we also can say, “Even as the Father said unto me, so I speak”? God grant it!
Amen.
Audio digitally generated, using the voice of Matthew Wainwright. All rights reserved.