John 5:38-47 The greatest of revelations come to the purest of hearts
John 5:38-47 The greatest of revelations come to the purest of hearts
38 You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
41 I do not receive glory from men; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?
45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?
Background
The Jews searched the scriptures and understood the minute details of the Law. However, they could not see Christ in the Law nor could they recognize Him when He came. The tragedies that plagued the Jews were the result of a hardened heart devoid of the love of God. Today’s passage teaches us the importance of a pure heart and a right spirit, without which we cannot hear God nor encounter Him intimately. The greatest of revelations comes not to the keenest or sharpest of minds but to the pure in heart.
Observation
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.
Jesus spoke bluntly concerning the tragic condition of the Jews. They studied the scriptures rigorously so that they may obtain eternal life. The Jews believed that the laws if followed to the tee would lead them to obtain Abraham’s promise. The verb search in its Greek form: eraunao implies keen scrutiny, tracking down every word of the law. However, despite all their painstaking study of the scriptures, they did not find the key that could lead them to their goal. Although the Old Testament contained prophecies of the Messiah, they refused to receive Jesus and missed out on the promise of Abraham.
I do not receive glory from men.
Jesus exposed the root of unbelief among the Jews, which is their desire for the praises of men rather than that of God. Here, glory depicts approval and praise. Thus, Jesus has a different spirit for He sought approval not from men, but from God. The Jews, on the contrary sought to appeased themselves for they did not possess the love of God. They followed laws and rituals for the sole purpose of obtaining the promise for their selfish gain. The Jews oppressed the weak and the helpless and covered their sins with a facet of religiosity. Because their hearts were evil, they could not receive the eternal gifts of Jesus Christ. The Jew’s unbelief causes them to follow false messiahs and prophets the end of which is destruction.
For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.
Jesus will not accuse the Jews, they will in fact be accused by one whom they highly revered – Moses. They have bound themselves to the Law of Moses as it contained the promises of a prosperous life (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). At the same time, they were also bound by the curses and consequences of disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The Jews lived out the law as religious observances without true repentance and reverence towards God and their religious acts were devoid of love and truth. Hence, their hearts were far away from the Spirit that inspired the Law of Moses. That being so, their hearts were not able to resonate with the values of Moses’ nor with Jesus’.
Truth
We must first harbor the right spirit before we can acquire the right revelation.
It is through the Spirit of God that men receive the revelation of divine truth. Therefore, it is important that our hearts be filled by His Spirit. The apostle Paul said,
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13
The Holy Spirit, through the words of the scripture freely impresses upon us the wisdom of God. Hence, reading the Word through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit brings revelation. Unless the Holy Spirit dwells us in, and unless we take a personal interest in God and seek His righteousness, there will be no revelations. Some churchgoers express little interest in reading the bible because they find it dry and irrelevant. Although some parts of the bible are more difficult to comprehend, many of them did not have the right heart to begin with. Their motives in reading the bible is not to know God or His ways but to entice God into blessing them through their “works”. The Jews had searched and studied the scriptures, but still they could not hear God nor recognize Christ when He came in the flesh. The disciples though “unschooled” in the Law, by virtue of their purity and simplicity readily recognized and received Jesus as the Messiah.
We must first discern the spirit of the teacher, before we can discern his teachings.
We must first understand the motives of the teacher before we can make sense of his teachings. Is he drawing the people towards God in repentance or is he leading the people towards fulfilling their fleshly desires? Therefore, before we delve into his teachings and doctrines, we must first ascertain the posture of his heart. We see some pastors teach God’s promises predominantly as a means to please the believer rather than to sanctify him towards Christ-likeness. They selectively teach the appetizing parts of the Bible while omitting the offensive parts that concern truths for godly living. They justify their positions insisting that godliness comes automatically to those possess the knowledge of God’s forgiveness and grace. In fact, the reverse is true – blessings come to those who are repentant, who walk in the path of righteousness. The psalmist said, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” Psalm 1:1. The Jews rejected Jesus even though they read from the same Law as Jesus did, because their spirit ran contra to Jesus’s.
It is far better to please God and gain His approval than men’s.
It is basic human instinct to create alliances by making concessions and compromises. By gaining men’s approval you may win them to your side and help fulfill your personal ego. However, we cannot always have it both ways. When the ways of God and men’s ways are in contention, we must choose God. We may suffer some losses in the short term, but we will certainly gain in the long run. If we seek glory from men, we will most certainly lose the favor of God. Jesus made the decision to seek God’s glory by doing His will despite intense suffering on the cross. Subsequently, God raised Jesus from death and appointed Him to the highest station in the universe. In the case of the Jews, their many tragedies were the result of a hardened heart devoid of love and truth.
Application
- Do you find the words of the bible dry and irrelevant? Try changing your attitude towards God, and you will find the bible coming alive. If we can be truly interested in God and His business, you will find your heart opening up to Him. A closed heart is the result of selfishness and unbelief.
- Do you find yourself gravitating towards teachings that focus primarily on fulfilling your personal desires? We must first ascertain the motive and thrust of every teacher before you commit yourself to them. When we focus on acquiring truths for living, we are in fact moving towards the direction of abundant and glorified living. We do not have to seek blessings in order to get them for God blesses those who fear Him and do His will.
- Do you find yourself disposed to pleasing others in hopes of securing their favor and alliance? Righteous people are drawn not by acts of appeasement, but by the truth. Alliances secured by concessions and compromises are flaky and unstable. While alliances and friendships that are united by the truth remain strong even in dire circumstances.
Dear Lord, create in me a clean heart so that I may understand your truth and your ways. I will do all to seek your glory and favor. Grant me the grace to stand on your truth without compromise. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.