Like Father, Like Son
John 8:37-47
Introduction:
A few months ago, I met with two of my cousins, one is pastor, the other is a
retired policeman who was visiting from California. As we conversed, I found
out one of my cousin’s children had done a genealogical search on the “Nash”
family tree. I had heard some stories… most still unconfirmed. However, I was
surprised to learn that we are distant relatives of a couple of noteworthy
people… the 20th century poet Ogden Nash, and also someone who served
as a General in the Continental Army, who was appointed by George Washington, and
died in the Battle of Germantown on October 7, 1777, General Francis Nash,
after who Nashville is named. I still can’t sing, oh well!
Parents certainly have a tremendous
impact on their children. I remember a father holding his young son on his lap
at prayer meeting maybe 2 or 3 (?), and as we prayed around and came to him, as
the father finished praying, the young boy announced in agreement, “Amen!” It
was evident that he was no stranger to seeing his father in prayer. We almost
can’t help reflecting something of what we see in our parents, they are our
first and most influential teachers after all. One evening a young boy was
allowed to sit in his father’s place at the dinner table because Dad was
traveling. His slightly older sister
resented the arrangement and sneered, “So you’re the father tonite? All right,
what’s two times seven?” Without a moment’s hesitation the boy replied calmly,
“I’m busy, ask your mother!” “Like
Father, Like Son.” I am grateful for the positive influence of godly parents
evident in the lives of the youth in our church.
Children
will sometimes resist the example of their parents: remember the famous line
from Mark Twain, “When I was 15 my father was so ignorant I could barely stand
to have him around. When I was 22, I was amazed at how much the old man had
learned in only seven years!” We can learn some things, sometimes good things,
from our parents. I remember having an icebreaker on this subject once on
Thursday night and the only lesson I could come up with from my father was a
line he repeated often: “If your gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough!” I heard
that pretty often when I was a kid!
Our context in John 8 brings us to a
conversation between Jesus and some Jewish leaders about fathers, and more
specifically about our spiritual identity. John has made a point of emphasizing
Jesus’ unique identity as the Son of God. Those who follow Him, by the
new birth, are God’s children. Those who reject Him, by their unbelief, are
revealed to be children of the devil.
*Big Idea: Our family tree may be interesting, but of
eternal importance is our identity as a child of God. Our life should be marked
by a growing submission to our Father’s word. We’ll consider 3 subpoints: 1)
Our Spiritual Identity is more important than our physical lineage; 2) Actions
speak louder than words, our lifestyle reveals who is our Father; And 3)
Genuine faith will be marked by an openness to God’s truth, even a hunger for
His Word.
I. Far more important than our
physical lineage is our spiritual identity as God’s child (37-38).
If you have been born again through faith in Christ the truth of the New
Creation has been set in your heart. We are not perfect, but gradually, you are
being transformed, the old nature is increasingly being put away, as more and
more we “put on” Christ. Paul says in 2
Cor 3:18 “…we are being transformed into
the same image…” It’s a process that
happens as God renews our mind through the Word (Rom 12:1,2).
In
8:37a Jesus says, “I know that you are
Abraham’s descendants…” Jesus concedes their physical lineage: they
are indeed blood descendants of Abraham (v.37a). Our family history is important, that
background, and the traditions associated with it are part of who we are. I
think a lot of families today have someone who has taken an interest in
the “family tree.” In Mary Ann’s family
that was her brother. Even though he spoke
no Russian he took a trip to Belarus and met some relatives, and learned more
about their father’s side of the family.
Family histories are important. It is good to know where we came from
and to try to understand our heritage. The Jews were a chosen people,
elected by the gracious purposes of God. What a marvelous heritage they had…
6 " For you are a holy people to the LORD your God;
the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure
above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
7 "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you
because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least
of all peoples; 8 "but
because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore
to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed
you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deut 7:6-8).
Lest
they become prideful a couple of chapters later He says…
5 "It is not because of your righteousness or the
uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of
the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from
before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your
fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6
"Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good
land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked
people. 7 " Remember! Do
not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From
the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place,
you have been rebellious against the LORD” (Deut 9:5-7).
They
were chosen by grace, the sovereign
election of God, His unmerited favor. They were rebellious children, but
they were chosen, entrusted with the oracles of God, and through them the
Messiah, who would be a blessing to all nations, would come. Paul speaks to
that unique heritage, for example in Romans 9:1-5…
“I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience
also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my
heart. 3 For I could wish
that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen
according to the flesh, 4 who
are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the
giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from
whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally
blessed God. Amen.”
They were entrusted with the oracles of God,
through them His revelation would be given to the world, and ultimately, by
God’s plan, through them the Messiah and Savior would come. Despite those past blessings,
they didn’t recognized Him when He came. Their
Rejection of Christ reveals their spiritual paternity (37b-38).
“…yet
you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen
with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."
Again he says that they seek to kill Him –
Jesus has repeatedly spoken in this Gospel about the murderous intentions of
the Jews—He knows their hearts—and ultimately that attitude would play itself
out in the crucifixion. It is crystal clear in Peter’s sermon on Pentecost that
he is holding his countrymen responsible for rejecting Jesus, and ultimately
crucifying him, when he says “You nailed him to the cross by the hands of
godless men…” That language there is emphatic, the Romans were the instrument,
the hammer in their hands, but they were responsible for rejecting Him and
delivering Him up to be crucified. Jesus is God incarnate, he knows their
hearts. Note the reason in v.37b - They hate
Jesus, and seek to kill Him, “because” His Word has no part in them. His
Word is truth. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ. If we love God, we love His Word and as we
receive it, we believe and obey. The song says, “Trust and obey, there is no
other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”
Then in v.38 Jesus essentially says “Like
father, like son…” He speaks what He has
seen with His Father, and they do what they have seen from theirs. As surely as
Jesus speaks the Truth from His Father, they are speaking from theirs. Of
course they don’t yet understand who it is that Jesus is pointing to as their spiritual father. It’s not principally biology but rather
spirituality that Jesus is talking about, because *far more important that our
family tree is our spiritual identity as a child of God. Our life should be
marked by a growing submission to our Father’s word.
II. Actions Speak Louder than Words! If we are
truly God’s child we should be being changed, more and more like Jesus (39-41a).
39 They answered him, "Abraham is our
father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you
would be doing what Abraham did, 40
but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from
God. This is not what Abraham did. 41
You are doing what your father did."
They claim in v.39 “Abraham is our Father!” Jesus’ hearers claimed to be Abraham’s
children spiritually as well as physically (Jesus conceded their physical
descent in v.37). Abraham was called by
God and he responded to God’s work in his life with growing faith. There were some ups and downs to be sure, but
when the moment of greatest testing came in Genesis 22 he was ready to
sacrifice the son whom he loved, the son of promise, Isaac, in obedience to
God. So, Abraham became an example of faith, absolute trust in God alone.
Spoken of by the prophets and referred to in the NT, “Abraham believed God
and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.” If they were indeed “spiritual children” of
Abraham, as he took God at His word, so would they believe.
Read 8:39b-40, Jesus said to them,
"If you were Abraham's children, you
would do the works of Abraham. 40
"But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I
heard from God. Abraham did not do this.” Many people will claim to be a child of
God. Sometimes it seems like asking
someone if they are a Republican or a Democrat—Of course I’m a “Christian”, I’m
not a Muslim or something! Or, “I
believe in God, I’m not a heathen!” Or
even, “I don’t feel like that’s what Jesus would say…” Or, “My Jesus wouldn’t
do something like that!” Well it’s not our ideas or our feelings or our wishes
that determine what is true about God. His Word is Truth. What does He
reveal about himself in the Word? That
is truth! They were not responding to
the truth as Abraham did, they didn’t believe Jesus because they didn’t believe
the Father.
Jesus does His Father’s will, and He
says in 8:41a, “You do the deeds of your
father!” And, according to what Jesus has been saying, their father is not
Abraham! The apple doesn’t fall far from
the tree. That is sometimes true of
human descent; it is especially true of our spiritual paternity. You will know
them by their fruit! *More important that our family tree is our
spiritual identity as a child of God. Our life should be marked by a growing
submission to our Father’s word.
III. Genuine
Faith, faith that marks us as a child of God, will show itself by openness to
God’s truth (41b-47).
They said to
him, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father - even
God."
“We’re not illegitimate children
[like you!]!” (41b). Now, the “like you” is not in the text, but that seems to
be what they are implying. Rather than dealing with what Jesus is saying and
responding to the truth, it seems like they try to personally attack him based
on the “rumor” that may have still circulated that Jesus was conceived out of
wedlock. Rather than looking at themselves
they were trying to change the subject and point at the question of Jesus’
birth—how dare he talk about them! People
will often resort to “smoke screens” like this when they get uncomfortable with
hearing the truth. Anything to divert the attention from themselves and their
own need. “There are too many hypocrits in the church!” “I don’t have the right clothes to
wear!” “All they do is talk about money
in that place!” You know what I mean, you’ve all heard it. Some of us even said
it before God changed our hearts! (At least I did!). Look at Jesus’ reply…
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your
Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my
own accord, but he sent me.
That
is quite direct, right? If they were really God’s children they would love
Jesus, since he came from the Father. He
repeats again that He was “sent” by God.
The dividing point between truth and a lie, is how people deal with
Jesus. Though many will say they accept Jesus, often they deny his
deity, or don’t recognize the sufficiency of his sacrifice. They “remake” Him
into what they think he should be rather than hearing and believing who he
claimed to be. Jesus knows their hearts, and tells them the truth about the
depth of their need…
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is
because you cannot bear to hear my word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do
your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to
do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks
out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
N.B. v.43 “Why don’t you understand my speech? Because
you are not able to listen to my word…” This is essentially what Paul
reflects in I Cor 2:14, the natural, unregenerate man is “unable to
understand the things of the Spirit.” That is the obstacle we face in our
attempts at witnessing! They won’t understand because they can’t
understand—that is until and unless the Father draws them. We need a miracle,
divine intervention! The good news is
that all that the Father has given will come! The devil is the father of
lies and a murderer (v.44) and the people reject Jesus because He tells
the truth (v.45)!
44c When he lies, he speaks out of his own
character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do
not believe me. 46 Which one
of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the
words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of
God."
Jesus says he is only speaking the truth, He asks, “Which of you
convicts me of sin?” Here “convict”
is used to refer to the objective exposing of sin, not the inward sense of
remorse for having sinned. Jesus never sinned, so He can say He has never acted
in disobedience to the Word of God. He is asking who can show evidence that I
have sinned? If they can’t (and they cannot!) why then don’t they listen to
Him? V. 47 is a summary: “He who is of God hears God’s words, therefore you
do not hear, because you are not of God.” In chapter 10 He’ll say, “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…” To do that, to
hear with faith, and to follow, we need a new birth, a new Father. Only God can
give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand.
What is God
saying to me in this passage?
Far more important that our family tree
is our spiritual identity as a child of God. Our life should be marked by a growing
submission to our Father’s word.
What would
God have me to do in response to this passage?
1) It may be that you have a very interesting
family tree. But can I ask, “Who is your Father?” Whose DNA is so
imprinted on your heart, that it is progressively changing you? Are you visiting today and feel intrigued by
the idea that Jesus is the Son of God, that He came to die for your sins? That may be evidence that the Father is
drawing you, enabling you to hear His voice and to believe. It’s as simple as first, admitting
that you are a sinner, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God, there is none righteous, not even one. Believe that Jesus
died for your sins on the cross and that he was raised again the third day, and
finally, confess Him as the Savior and Lord of your life. In the
language of John, as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to
become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.
2)
Believer, I hope this word from Jesus encourages you as you seek to be a
witness for Him. Yes, we see the resistance to Jesus. It reminds us that we are
not going to save anyone, only God can draw the person supernaturally to
himself, as he opens their heart to the truth and leads them to repentance and
faith. Amazingly, he has chosen to use us in that process, and calls us to
share the Good News with passion and urgency. As a church we are entering a
period of transition. Some things won’t change as the holidays draw near, as
always we’ll have opportunities to invite family, friends, and neighbors to our
church, to hear the Good News of the Gospel. Think about the people near you,
and pray for them, and then pray for an opportunity to invite them! Jesus is still building His church, and the
gates of hell will not prevail! We are more than conquerors through Him who
loves us. AMEN.
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