John 8:21-30
Then He said again to them, "I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come."
So the Jews were saying, "Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?"
And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in you sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?"
Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning? I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world."
They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.
So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.
STEP ONE: OBSERVATION
This the step in which we ask and answer the question: "What do I see?"
Who?
- Jesus
- the Jews
- He who sent
- Father
- Son of Man
- I AM (ἐγὼ εἰμι)
- Many
- die
- sin
- kill
- believe
- true
- initiative
- again
- the beginning
- future (go away, die, in sin, lift up, will know)
- Past (have been saying)
Where?
- I am going
- below
- above
- this world
- Jesus: "...you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
- Jesus: "He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."
STEP TWO: INTERPRETATION
We ask and answer the question: "What does it mean?"
What does it mean that we will die in our 'sin' if we seek Him? Seeking after something first implies that you either do not know what you seek to know or that you do not have that which you seek to have. Therefore, the process of 'seeking' will fall short in attaining the object sought. Hence, 'seeking' after Jesus will result in death in your sin.
What does it mean that we will not die if we 'believe' Him? 'Believing' Him will result in not dying. This is juxtaposed to 'seeking' with a determinate result. 'Believing' takes hold of the object without the consistent ongoing inquisition.
What does it mean that we are to 'know' Him? We must 'know' Him. Knowing about Him is not knowing Him. Knowing what He has done is not knowing Him. He is. We must be aware of our emphasis on knowing about Him and His works as compared to knowing Him and with His works as secondary. Am I content to know Him?
What does it mean to please the Father? If Jesus is the pattern for my life then, I must be aware, from Scripture, what pleases the Father.
STEP THREE: APPLICATION
We ask and answer the question(s): "How does it work?" "So what?"
How are we to seek? HIM. However, do not let 'seeking' be my definitive act.
How are we to believe? HIM. I must believe HE IS, ἐγὼ εἰμι.
How are we to 'know?' HIM. I must know HE IS, ἐγὼ εἰμι. My knowing of HIM is greatly aided by the crucifixion, the demonstration of HIS love, covering of sin, and my penalty carrier.
What pleases the Father? I will earnestly seek from this time, to plunge into the Scripture to discover what 'pleases' the Father. Then, I will arrange those into morning by morning articulations and meditations that will result in me knowing HIM, believing HIM and seeking HIM.
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