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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad
you're joining us today.
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We're taking a journey
through the book of John
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and looking at
some of the great themes
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that run
throughout this amazing book.
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This week we're
looking at lesson number 7,
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"Blessed Are Those Who Believe."
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we ask that You'll bless
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our time together
today as we look once again
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at the great themes
in the book of John.
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We ask that you'll
guide and direct our study
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and help us to
learn more about Jesus
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and His love for us as we study.
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We thank You, in Jesus' name,
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[both] amen.
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We're grateful to have
guiding us through this study
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Dr. Tom Shepherd. He's
the senior research professor
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of New Testament
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at the Theological
Seminary, Andrews University.
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Tom, thanks for
joining us again.
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>>Dr. Thomas
Shepherd: Good to be here.
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>>Eric: So this week we're going
to spend a little bit of time
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in a few different chapters.
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Lesson number 7 is
"Blessed Are Those Who Believe."
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I want to jump
to John, chapter 8,
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and the latter
part of John, chapter 8,
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there's some interesting
things that are going on here.
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Walk us through what's happening
in the latter part of John 8.
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>>Tom: So, at the--
towards the end of John 8,
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Jesus is having a discussion
with the Jewish people,
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and it doesn't seem to
be going too well, actually.
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If we read--if we
start in verse 48, it says,
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"The Jews answered Him,
'Are we not right in saying
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that You are a
Samaritan and have a demon?'"
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Well, you know,
[laughing] it's--
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you're probably
not going to listen
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to this guy too much
if that's what you think.
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And Jesus answered in verse
49, "I do not have a demon,
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"but I honor my
Father, and you dishonor me.
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"Yet I do not seek my own glory;
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"there is One who seeks
it, and He is the judge.
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"Truly, truly, I say to
you, if anyone keeps my word,
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he will never see death."
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All right, so, all the
time we see what's going on
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is that Jesus is
relating Himself to His Father.
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You know, again and
again, He refers to the Father,
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"the One who sent
me," and He says that,
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"if you keep my
words, you'll never die."
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Now, that doesn't mean--
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what He's talking about
when He says "you'll never die"
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is you'll never
have eternal death;
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you'll have eternal
life, as it says in John 3:16.
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The book of Revelation
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tells us that
there's two deaths.
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There's this first
death, and then there's that
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what's called the second death.
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The second death
is the one that you--
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well, we'd like
to avoid all death,
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but the second one is the one
that you really want to avoid.
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So what Jesus is describing
here is the second death.
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Now, let's read a little
bit and see what happens.
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Read verses 52 through 53.
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>>Eric: "Then
the Jews said to Him,
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"'Now we know
that You have a demon!
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"'Abraham is
dead, and the prophets;
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"'and You say, "If
anyone keeps my word
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"'he shall never taste death."
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"'Are You greater
than our father Abraham,
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"'who is dead? And
the prophets are dead.
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Who do You make
Yourself out to be?'"
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>>Tom: Yeah, so you can see that
this is a real confrontation.
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These people are
arguing with Him,
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and so it's kind
of this tit-for-tat,
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back-and-forth
kind of a statement.
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And they say, "Now
we know that You have--
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now we know You've got a demon."
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Well, this doesn't look good.
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[chucking] They're not gonna--
they're not going to believe
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in Him if they
think He has a demon.
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And they said, "Abraham
died, as did the prophets,
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"yet You say, "'If
anyone keeps my word
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he will never taste death.'"
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Now, verse 53 is a question:
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"Are You greater than our
father Abraham, who died?"
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In Greek, there
are two different ways
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to ask a question,
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and it depends
on the usage of a--
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the negative word, "ou" or "me."
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This is when you
ask a negative question.
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So, if you use the word "ou"--
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both of them
mean "no" or "not"--
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if you use "ou," you
expect a positive answer.
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If you use "mi," you
expect a negative answer.
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So, they use the word "mi" here,
and so, we could translate it,
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"You're not greater
than our father, Abraham,
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who died, are You?"
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Well...actually He is. [laughs]
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When we remember the
woman at the well, you know,
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and she talks about,
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"You aren't greater than
our father Jacob, are You?"
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Well, actually, He is [laughs]
greater than that, all right?
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So, again, we
don't expect good things
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to come out of this discussion,
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but Jesus is going to
continue to give them testimony.
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So let's read the
rest of the chapter,
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verses 54 through 59.
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>>Eric: "Jesus
[said], 'If I honor myself,
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"'my honor is nothing. It
is my Father who honors me,
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"'of whom you
say... He is your God.
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"'Yet you have not
known Him, but I know Him.
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"'And if I say,
'I do not know Him,'
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"'I shall be a liar like you;
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"'but I do know
Him and keep His word.
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"'Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day,
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"and he saw it and was glad.'
Then the Jews said to Him,
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"'You are not yet fifty years
old, and have you seen Abraham?'
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"Jesus said to them,
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"'Most assuredly, I say to you,
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"before Abraham was, I Am.'
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"Then they took up
stones to throw at Him;
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"but Jesus hid Himself
and went out of the temple,
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going through the midst
of them, and so passed by."
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>>Tom: Well, we knew that this
wasn't looking good. [laughs]
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Our fears are confirmed
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as they pick up
stones to kill Him.
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They want to kill Him.
Now, what's going on here?
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Well, Jesus again
links Himself to His Father,
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and you don't have to
read this very many times,
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verses 54 and 55 and 56,
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to see that Jesus is
claiming that God is His Father.
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He says, "It is my
Father who glorifies me,
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of whom you say He is our God."
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Well, there He is.
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He says, "I'm the
Son of God," you know?
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I mean, these--that's
basically what He's saying.
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And then He refers to Abraham,
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'cause Abraham came
into this conversation,
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and of course,
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Abraham was the
father of the Jews,
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and they still look
back to him as the, you know,
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great father, and if you
get Abraham on your side,
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you're doing good.
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And Jesus says,
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"Your father Abraham rejoiced
that he would see my day.
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He saw it and was glad."
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Now, somebody said,
"How is that possible?"
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Well, Jesus is suggesting
that Abraham had some vision
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where he saw the future,
and he saw Jesus and His day.
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And of course, now
this just gets the people
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that are arguing with
Him, just gets them going:
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"You're not yet fifty years
old, and have You seen Abraham?"
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Now, that's not
exactly what He said.
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He said, "Your
father Abraham rejoiced
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"that he would see my day.
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He saw it and was glad."
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And so, they said,
"And have you seen Abraham?"
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Well, actually, He
said that "Abraham saw me."
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But He's going to
respond, verse 58,
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"Truly, truly, I say to
you, before Abraham was, I am."
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Now, the Greek word here
is-- Greek words are "ego eimi."
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We know in the Old
Testament that God says to Moses
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in Exodus, chapter
3, when Moses says,
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"Well, who shall I
say sent me if they ask?"
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And He says, "Tell
them, 'I Am sent me.'"
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And the word for "I Am"
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is linked up
with the verb "to be,"
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which is "haya" in Hebrew.
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And the Greek
translation of that,
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called the
Septuagint in the Old Testament,
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is a little
different than this "ego eimi"
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that we have here at
the end of chapter 8.
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I don't know that
that's a real problem.
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It's "on" is the
Greek translation.
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It's the present
participle of the verb "to be."
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But still, it
seems quite clear here
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that what Jesus is doing is
claiming that kind of title,
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that "I Am Who I Am."
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He's claiming to be
Yahweh, and that's, I think,
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the way they took it
because they take up stones
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to throw at Him because
of His claim to divinity.
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Now, it's just after
this story, in chapter 9,
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that He heals
the man born blind.
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And as He passes by and He says,
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"As long as I am in the world,
I am the light of the world."
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And He takes the mud.
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He spits mixed mud
and puts it on his eyes.
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That's creative.
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That's just like the
"I Am" would do, you see.
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So, you keep reading the
story and you get, you know,
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the flavor of this story.
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So, this is Jesus
testifying about how God--
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how God works in His
life and is His Father.
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He says--our lesson is titled
"Blessed Are Those Who Believe."
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Obviously, the
people here don't believe.
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So, now we want
to turn to somebody
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who does believe
in John, chapter 12,
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and we're going to read
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the first seven
verses of John, chapter 12:
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"Six days before the Passover,
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Jesus therefore
came to Bethany"--
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this is just before He's going
to be put to death, actually--
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"where Lazarus was, whom
Jesus had raised from the dead.
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"So they gave a
dinner for Him there.
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"Martha served, and
Lazarus was one of those
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"reclining with Him at table.
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"Mary therefore took a
pound of expensive ointment
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"made from pure nard,
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"and anointed the feet of Jesus
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"and wiped His
feet with her hair.
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"The house was filled with
the fragrance of the perfume.
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"But Judas
Iscariot, one of His disciples
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"(he who was about
to betray Him), said,
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"'Why was this ointment not
sold for three hundred denarii
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"and given to the poor?'
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"He said this, not
because he cared about the poor,
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"but because he was a thief,
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"and having
charge of the moneybag
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"he used to help
himself to what was put into it.
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"Jesus said, 'Leave her alone,
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"'so that she may keep
it for the day of my burial.
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"'For the poor you
always have with you,
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but you do not always have me.'"
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All right, so,
why did Mary do this?
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We're not told.
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However, it's obvious that
she really cares about Jesus
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and believes in Him, and to give
such an expensive gift means
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that you highly prize the
person you give the gift for.
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I like the phrase in verse 3:
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"The house was filled with
the fragrance of the perfume."
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[chuckles] Let me ask
you a question, listeners:
00:11:04.83\00:11:09.46
Is your life filled with
fragrance of the perfume?
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Do the actions that
you do in your life,
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do they bring that kind of
scents that people smell it
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and say, [inhales deeply]
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"Oh, that smells just
like beautiful perfume"?
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That's really
what we should have.
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Our life actions should be
that which bless other people
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and lift them up, and
that's what Mary was like
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in comparison to
Judas, who, you know,
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is going to betray
Him, who is a thief.
00:11:34.39\00:11:36.36
And Jesus comes to
the defense of Mary,
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just as He does
in the other Gospels.
00:11:39.63\00:11:43.50
>>Eric: And so,
there's a big contrast
00:11:43.53\00:11:45.00
between the way
that she comes to Jesus
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and the way that Judas does.
00:11:47.97\00:11:49.77
>>Tom: Yeah. >>Eric:
Very, very fascinating.
00:11:49.80\00:11:51.44
>>Tom: One, a believer,
the other, not a believer.
00:11:51.47\00:11:54.64
>>Eric: And ultimately,
that's going to separate
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all of humanity at
the very end of times.
00:11:56.28\00:11:58.21
These are lessons for us.
00:11:58.25\00:12:00.65
We have a companion
book to this quarter's
00:12:00.68\00:12:02.62
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:12:02.65\00:12:03.95
Share with us a
little bit about that book.
00:12:03.99\00:12:05.29
>>Tom: The companion book
is a book that is produced,
00:12:05.32\00:12:08.39
published by Pacific Press,
00:12:08.42\00:12:10.26
and it gives you
extra information
00:12:10.29\00:12:12.36
about the stories
that we're studying,
00:12:12.39\00:12:15.36
the themes that we're
studying in the Gospel of John,
00:12:15.40\00:12:17.10
fills you in
with more information
00:12:17.13\00:12:19.43
and goes beyond the lesson,
00:12:19.47\00:12:21.37
goes beyond the
teacher's quarterly,
00:12:21.40\00:12:23.17
and it can be very
valuable to teachers.
00:12:23.20\00:12:25.04
It can be very valuable
to members of the class.
00:12:25.07\00:12:27.91
Just get a copy,
try it out some semester
00:12:27.94\00:12:30.35
and give it a try
and see what you think.
00:12:30.38\00:12:32.91
But it can be very helpful.
>>Eric: Very helpful indeed.
00:12:32.95\00:12:36.12
If you'd like to pick one
up, just go to itiswritten.shop.
00:12:36.15\00:12:39.75
Again, that is itiswritten.shop.
00:12:39.79\00:12:42.09
Look for the
companion book to this quarter's
00:12:42.12\00:12:43.96
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:12:43.99\00:12:45.29
It is, of course, on the
"Themes in the Gospel of John."
00:12:45.33\00:12:48.70
Pick that up, read through it,
00:12:48.73\00:12:50.17
study it along with
your "Sabbath School" lesson,
00:12:50.20\00:12:53.03
along with perhaps
the teacher's guide,
00:12:53.07\00:12:55.17
if you wanna
pick one of those up,
00:12:55.20\00:12:56.71
and most especially
along with your Bible,
00:12:56.74\00:12:58.61
and you're going to get so much
out of this quarter's lesson.
00:12:58.64\00:13:02.04
We're going to come back in
just a moment as we continue
00:13:02.08\00:13:04.38
looking at "Blessed
Are Those Who Believe."
00:13:04.41\00:13:06.55
This is lesson number 7
in our 13-lesson journey
00:13:06.58\00:13:10.79
through the book of John.
00:13:10.82\00:13:12.29
We'll be right back
here on "Sabbath School,"
00:13:12.32\00:13:14.29
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:13:14.32\00:13:15.96
¤¤¤
00:13:15.99\00:13:18.99
>>John
Bradshaw: It's everywhere,
00:13:20.50\00:13:22.26
adorning
churches, adorning people.
00:13:22.30\00:13:25.23
There's a season every
year commemorating the cross.
00:13:25.27\00:13:29.10
But beyond eggs and
rabbits, there's a power,
00:13:29.14\00:13:32.34
the power of a sacrifice,
the power of the love of God.
00:13:32.37\00:13:36.71
Be sure you see "At the Cross"
and learn about the single event
00:13:36.75\00:13:41.55
that changed the
course of history,
00:13:41.58\00:13:44.05
the event that can
change your life forever.
00:13:44.09\00:13:47.79
Predicted by prophets and
foretold by Jesus Himself,
00:13:47.82\00:13:51.09
what happened at the
cross was a demonstration
00:13:51.13\00:13:54.00
of God's love like no other.
00:13:54.00\00:13:56.63
Humanity's fall into
sin in the Garden of Eden
00:13:56.67\00:13:59.30
brought upon Adam and Eve
00:13:59.33\00:14:01.00
and their descendants
inescapable consequences,
00:14:01.04\00:14:04.31
but into that
turmoil stepped Jesus,
00:14:04.34\00:14:06.64
promising the
planet a way of escape.
00:14:06.68\00:14:10.11
Don't miss "At the Cross,"
00:14:10.15\00:14:12.95
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:12.98\00:14:16.32
¤¤¤
00:14:20.99\00:14:25.29
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:25.33\00:14:27.13
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:27.13\00:14:29.06
We're looking at lesson number 7
00:14:29.10\00:14:30.93
as we study
through the great themes
00:14:30.97\00:14:32.27
in the book of John,
"Blessed Are Those Who Believe."
00:14:32.30\00:14:35.57
Tom, let's jump over to
book of John, chapter 20.
00:14:35.60\00:14:39.77
In John, chapter 20,
00:14:39.81\00:14:41.11
there's another story
of belief and unbelief.
00:14:41.14\00:14:44.11
Walk us through the story.
00:14:44.15\00:14:45.45
>>Tom: Okay, so
this is a great story.
00:14:45.48\00:14:48.25
We'll begin in John,
chapter 20, verse 19.
00:14:48.28\00:14:51.59
Now, this is the story
of the resurrection of Jesus
00:14:51.62\00:14:56.26
and His disciples meeting
Him after His resurrection.
00:14:56.29\00:15:00.10
You can imagine how
shocking it would be
00:15:00.13\00:15:04.43
to meet somebody
risen from the dead.
00:15:04.47\00:15:08.20
That would--well,
some people would say,
00:15:08.24\00:15:10.61
"Knock your
boots off." You know,
00:15:10.64\00:15:11.94
that's really an
amazing experience.
00:15:11.97\00:15:14.11
So, we look at John, chapter 20.
00:15:14.14\00:15:16.78
We start in verse 19:
"On the evening of that day,
00:15:16.81\00:15:19.91
the first day of the
week"-- all right, so this is
00:15:19.95\00:15:21.45
the Sunday of
Jesus' resurrection--
00:15:21.48\00:15:23.75
"the doors being locked
where the disciples were
00:15:23.79\00:15:26.55
"for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them
00:15:26.59\00:15:29.66
and said to them,
'Peace be with you.'"
00:15:29.69\00:15:32.59
I want to pause
here for just a moment,
00:15:32.63\00:15:35.33
because some of our
Sunday-keeping friends will say,
00:15:35.36\00:15:38.13
"Well, there you have it.
They were meeting together.
00:15:38.17\00:15:41.77
"It was a church service on
Sunday, and that's, you know,
00:15:41.80\00:15:46.61
"the day of the Resurrection.
00:15:46.64\00:15:47.94
"That's why we keep
the Resurrection day
00:15:47.98\00:15:50.51
as our day of worship."
00:15:50.55\00:15:52.01
Well, take a look at
the text again, verse 19:
00:15:52.05\00:15:54.95
"On the evening of that
day, the first day of the week,
00:15:54.98\00:15:57.62
"the doors being locked
where the disciples were
00:15:57.65\00:15:59.89
for fear of the Jews."
00:15:59.92\00:16:01.79
Now, usually, when
you have a church service,
00:16:01.82\00:16:03.96
you don't lock
the doors, [chuckles]
00:16:03.99\00:16:06.86
unless you're in some place
00:16:06.90\00:16:08.96
where it's very
dangerous to be a Christian.
00:16:09.00\00:16:12.10
Maybe you would these days
and do something like that.
00:16:12.13\00:16:15.37
But here, they're locking
the doors for fear of the Jews.
00:16:15.40\00:16:19.94
The disciples are not rejoicing
00:16:19.97\00:16:22.28
that Jesus is
risen from the dead.
00:16:22.31\00:16:24.48
They're scared for their lives
00:16:24.51\00:16:25.81
that they're
going to be arrested,
00:16:25.85\00:16:27.92
and so, they're not worshiping.
00:16:27.95\00:16:30.55
They're cowering in fear.
00:16:30.59\00:16:32.85
Jesus comes and
says, "Peace be with you."
00:16:32.89\00:16:35.89
Verse 20: "When
He had said this,
00:16:35.92\00:16:37.83
He showed them His hands
and His side," all right?
00:16:37.86\00:16:43.77
Now, His hands were--would show
where the nail prints had been.
00:16:43.80\00:16:47.27
Remember we said
before, the nails would go in--
00:16:47.30\00:16:50.41
at the base of
the palm was where
00:16:50.44\00:16:53.24
they typically would
nail a person for crucifixion
00:16:53.27\00:16:56.75
because the palm could
not hold the weight of the--
00:16:56.78\00:16:59.58
of the body, but down
here, you could put a nail.
00:16:59.61\00:17:04.75
So He showed them His palms,
00:17:04.79\00:17:07.39
and He also showed them His side
00:17:07.42\00:17:09.39
because He'd been
stabbed in the side,
00:17:09.42\00:17:11.06
maybe on this side over here,
00:17:11.09\00:17:13.06
going and hitting
the heart. All right,
00:17:13.09\00:17:15.90
so, he says--He showed
them His hands and His side--
00:17:15.93\00:17:19.97
"Then the disciples were
glad when they saw the Lord."
00:17:20.00\00:17:21.94
So now they recognize
Him, you know. It's obvious.
00:17:21.97\00:17:25.24
"Jesus said to
them..., 'Peace be with you.
00:17:25.27\00:17:28.44
As the Father has sent me,
even so I am sending you.'"
00:17:28.48\00:17:30.95
There's the
great mission, right?
00:17:30.98\00:17:33.58
"And when He had said this,
00:17:33.62\00:17:34.95
"He breathed on
them and said to them,
00:17:34.98\00:17:36.45
"'Receive the Holy Spirit.
00:17:36.48\00:17:38.39
"'If you forgive the sins
of any, they are forgiven them;
00:17:38.42\00:17:41.62
if you withhold forgiveness
from any, it is withheld.'"
00:17:41.66\00:17:44.56
Now, some people
get the idea here that,
00:17:44.59\00:17:46.43
oh, so the disciples have--
so we Christians, or, you know,
00:17:46.46\00:17:51.53
maybe the leaders, have
the authority to forgive sins.
00:17:51.57\00:17:55.34
No, when we forgive sins,
00:17:55.37\00:17:58.11
we're merely affirming
what God has done in heaven.
00:17:58.14\00:18:02.24
When we say, no,
that they're not forgiven,
00:18:02.28\00:18:05.48
we're merely echoing
00:18:05.51\00:18:06.82
what God has
already expressed in heaven.
00:18:06.85\00:18:10.29
Now, one of the
disciples wasn't there.
00:18:10.32\00:18:14.42
His name is my namesake, Thomas,
00:18:14.46\00:18:16.86
and we want to read his story.
00:18:16.89\00:18:19.13
So let's read verses
24 through--24 and 25.
00:18:19.16\00:18:23.93
>>Eric: "Now
Thomas, called the Twin,
00:18:23.97\00:18:25.87
"one of the twelve, was
not with them when Jesus came.
00:18:25.90\00:18:28.77
"The other disciple
therefore said to him,
00:18:28.80\00:18:31.44
"'We have seen the
Lord.' So he said to them,
00:18:31.47\00:18:33.94
"'Unless I see in His
hands the print of the nails,
00:18:33.98\00:18:37.58
"'and put my finger
into the print of the nails,
00:18:37.61\00:18:40.25
and put my hand into His
side, I will not believe.'"
00:18:40.28\00:18:44.45
>>Tom: Yeah, my Bible says,
"I will never believe," m'kay?
00:18:44.49\00:18:48.26
So, here's this one
disciple who wasn't--
00:18:48.29\00:18:50.63
Now, the question you might
ask is, why wasn't he there?
00:18:50.66\00:18:57.10
Why did he absent himself?
00:18:57.13\00:18:59.40
Well, maybe he was discouraged.
00:18:59.43\00:19:00.74
They were all
discouraged when Jesus died.
00:19:00.77\00:19:04.77
And some people are
just not people-people.
00:19:04.81\00:19:09.64
They'd rather be alone.
00:19:09.68\00:19:11.95
Maybe he was sulking,
maybe he was angry with Him,
00:19:11.98\00:19:14.62
but we don't know
for sure what it was,
00:19:14.65\00:19:16.28
why he wasn't
there, but he wasn't there.
00:19:16.32\00:19:18.65
And so, the other disciples--
00:19:18.69\00:19:21.29
now, remember,
these are the guys
00:19:21.32\00:19:22.96
he's been traveling with
for 3 and 1/2 years with Jesus,
00:19:22.99\00:19:26.96
and they said, "We
have seen the Lord."
00:19:27.00\00:19:31.23
Now, what would be
the typical, you know,
00:19:31.27\00:19:34.77
believer's reaction
to such a statement?
00:19:34.80\00:19:38.74
What would you say?
00:19:38.77\00:19:41.28
>>Eric: I'd question it.
00:19:41.31\00:19:42.61
>>Tom: Yeah, I mean,
you know, when you say,
00:19:42.64\00:19:45.08
"We've seen the Lord."
00:19:45.11\00:19:47.15
Well, I mean, if you're--
00:19:47.18\00:19:48.48
if you're really
missing Jesus, you would--
00:19:48.52\00:19:51.95
you might question
it, but you might say,
00:19:51.99\00:19:54.46
"Well, that's wonderful.
00:19:54.49\00:19:55.79
That's wonderful,
you've seen the Lord."
00:19:55.82\00:19:58.13
But his response
is like what you said.
00:19:58.16\00:20:01.60
He questions it. He says,
"Unless I see in His hands
00:20:01.63\00:20:05.93
"the mark of the nails,
00:20:05.97\00:20:08.10
and place my finger in
the mark of the nails"--
00:20:08.14\00:20:11.27
I've got to touch it--"and
place my hand into His side,
00:20:11.31\00:20:15.98
I will never believe."
00:20:16.01\00:20:18.45
Boy, this guy is
really something.
00:20:18.48\00:20:21.68
Now, let's find what
happens out, verses 26 to 29.
00:20:21.72\00:20:27.36
>>Eric: "And after eight days
His disciples were again inside,
00:20:27.39\00:20:30.53
"and Thomas with them.
00:20:30.56\00:20:31.96
"Jesus came, the
doors being shut,
00:20:31.99\00:20:34.03
"and stood in the midst,
and said, 'Peace to you!'
00:20:34.10\00:20:37.03
"Then He said to
Thomas, 'Reach your finger here,
00:20:37.07\00:20:39.37
"'and look at my hands;
and reach your hand here,
00:20:39.40\00:20:42.30
"'and put it into my side.
00:20:42.34\00:20:43.97
"Do not be
unbelieving, but believing.'
00:20:44.01\00:20:46.84
"And Thomas
answered and said to Him,
00:20:46.88\00:20:48.74
"'My Lord and my God!'
00:20:48.78\00:20:50.81
"Jesus said to him, 'Thomas,
because you have seen me,
00:20:50.85\00:20:54.25
"'you have believed.
00:20:54.28\00:20:55.68
"'Blessed are
those who have not seen
00:20:55.72\00:20:57.79
and yet have believed.'"
00:20:57.82\00:21:00.12
>>Tom: Yes, and it's
interesting, you know,
00:21:00.16\00:21:04.56
what Jesus says to him.
00:21:04.59\00:21:06.43
It says here, "Put your finger
in--put your finger here."
00:21:06.46\00:21:09.93
Actually, the
Greek text, he says,
00:21:09.96\00:21:13.97
"Bring your finger
here and behold my hands.
00:21:14.00\00:21:19.97
"And bring your hand
and cast it into my side.
00:21:20.01\00:21:24.48
And do not be disbelieving,
but believing." [chuckles]
00:21:24.51\00:21:29.95
He's like,
"Bring your finger here.
00:21:29.98\00:21:31.95
"You said you wouldn't believe
00:21:31.99\00:21:33.29
"unless you
brought it and you touched.
00:21:33.32\00:21:35.62
"Put your finger in it.
00:21:35.66\00:21:37.26
"Bring the finger
over here and put it in."
00:21:37.29\00:21:38.96
I like that:
"Bring your finger."
00:21:38.99\00:21:41.76
Bring--and you come
along with it, you know.
00:21:41.80\00:21:44.47
"Put your finger here."
00:21:44.50\00:21:47.64
In the Gospel of--
in the book of 1 John,
00:21:47.67\00:21:51.54
we have interesting words
that kind of parallel this.
00:21:51.57\00:21:56.85
In 1 John, chapter 1,
00:21:56.88\00:22:00.35
the way that 1 John
begins is very interesting.
00:22:00.38\00:22:04.29
It says, "That which
was from the beginning,
00:22:04.32\00:22:08.16
"which we have heard,
00:22:08.19\00:22:10.93
"which we have
seen with our eyes,
00:22:10.96\00:22:13.90
"which we looked upon and
have touched with our hands,
00:22:13.93\00:22:18.53
"concerning the word of life--
the life was made manifest,
00:22:18.57\00:22:22.04
"and we have seen it,
00:22:22.07\00:22:23.91
"and testify to
[you] and proclaim to you
00:22:23.94\00:22:25.94
"the eternal life,
which was with the Father
00:22:25.97\00:22:28.44
"and was made [manifested]...--
00:22:28.48\00:22:29.54
"that which we
have seen and heard
00:22:29.58\00:22:32.38
"we proclaim also to you,
00:22:32.41\00:22:34.05
"so that you too may
have fellowship with us;
00:22:34.08\00:22:36.89
"and indeed our
fellowship is with the Father
00:22:36.92\00:22:38.79
"and with His Son Jesus Christ.
00:22:38.82\00:22:40.72
"And we are writing these things
00:22:40.76\00:22:42.42
so that [your]
joy may be complete."
00:22:42.46\00:22:45.06
It's the same kind
of concept, you see,
00:22:46.06\00:22:49.06
that you could have
this, "we saw it, we heard it,
00:22:49.10\00:22:53.94
we touched it," you
know. It's so personal.
00:22:53.97\00:22:58.94
It's so experiential, you
know, that they went through.
00:22:58.97\00:23:03.11
And that's what
Jesus says to Thomas.
00:23:03.14\00:23:06.01
So, did Thomas
actually put his finger there?
00:23:06.05\00:23:11.82
The text doesn't say.
00:23:11.85\00:23:13.82
He just says, "My
Lord and my God," you know?
00:23:13.86\00:23:17.99
So, then we have
these words of Jesus,
00:23:18.03\00:23:21.63
which says, "Have you believed
because you have seen me?
00:23:21.66\00:23:27.94
Blessed are those who have
not seen and yet have believed."
00:23:27.97\00:23:34.61
Now, why did Jesus
say that, you know?
00:23:34.64\00:23:38.95
Well, He said it
because, you know,
00:23:38.98\00:23:40.45
if everybody was like Thomas,
00:23:40.48\00:23:43.95
there would be
no believers today.
00:23:43.99\00:23:46.45
We have to trust the
witness and the testimony
00:23:46.49\00:23:51.79
and the evidence
of the eyewitnesses,
00:23:51.83\00:23:54.93
the early witnesses.
00:23:54.96\00:23:56.77
Otherwise we wouldn't believe.
00:23:56.80\00:23:58.93
But the eyewitness
testimony is reliable.
00:23:58.97\00:24:04.27
It is respectable.
00:24:04.31\00:24:07.94
It is valuable, something
that we can look at and say,
00:24:07.98\00:24:12.61
"Yes, we can, you know,
we can take what they said."
00:24:12.65\00:24:16.12
He said, "Blessed are
those who have not seen
00:24:16.15\00:24:18.95
and yet have believed."
00:24:18.99\00:24:20.29
Now, this really leads
us to his next statement,
00:24:20.32\00:24:24.63
the last two verses of chapter
20. Why don't you read those?
00:24:24.66\00:24:28.76
>>Eric: "And truly
Jesus did many other signs
00:24:28.80\00:24:31.43
"in the presence
of His disciples,
00:24:31.47\00:24:32.93
"which are not
written in this book;
00:24:32.97\00:24:34.77
"but these are
written that you may believe
00:24:34.80\00:24:37.37
"that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God,
00:24:37.41\00:24:40.41
"and that
believing you may have life
00:24:40.44\00:24:42.61
[through] His name."
00:24:42.64\00:24:43.95
>>Tom: Okay, so the whole,
00:24:43.98\00:24:45.98
you know, the big theme of life,
00:24:46.01\00:24:48.68
eternal life, of
having eternal life
00:24:48.72\00:24:50.69
in the Gospel of John,
00:24:50.72\00:24:52.42
and he puts that
together with this big theme
00:24:52.45\00:24:55.96
in the Gospel of John
of believing on Jesus.
00:24:55.99\00:24:59.19
He's just used
the example of Thomas,
00:24:59.23\00:25:01.33
who refused to believe,
unless he could touch it and,
00:25:01.36\00:25:05.70
you know, see it for
himself, "Doubting Thomas,"
00:25:05.73\00:25:09.47
and Jesus gives him
the proof that he needs.
00:25:09.50\00:25:13.64
He says, "Bring
your finger here.
00:25:13.68\00:25:15.31
"Put it here. "Put
your hand in my side.
00:25:15.34\00:25:17.95
Come on." [chuckles]
00:25:17.98\00:25:19.61
"And stop--do not
disbelieve, but believe."
00:25:19.65\00:25:22.95
So, He says, "Blessed are those
00:25:22.98\00:25:25.59
who have not seen
and yet believed."
00:25:25.62\00:25:28.29
And so the whole book
of John is the answer,
00:25:28.32\00:25:32.16
you can say, to Thomas's
doubt, to Thomas's question.
00:25:32.19\00:25:36.90
And our narrator has
given us these stories.
00:25:36.93\00:25:40.07
Like we said, there's
these five different ways
00:25:40.10\00:25:42.60
that he goes about this.
00:25:42.64\00:25:43.94
You know, he uses symbolism,
and he uses metaphors--
00:25:43.97\00:25:48.21
well, symbolism and irony,
and he has misunderstanding,
00:25:48.24\00:25:54.22
and the narrator recites,
00:25:54.25\00:25:56.28
and then these
personal interviews.
00:25:56.32\00:25:57.79
Here's the personal
interview with Thomas.
00:25:57.82\00:25:59.95
And these all draw us to
the viewpoint of the narrator,
00:26:00.06\00:26:04.36
and that's
exactly what he wants.
00:26:04.39\00:26:06.19
"Jesus did many
other signs," and these--
00:26:06.23\00:26:09.50
"which are not
written in this book:
00:26:09.53\00:26:10.93
"but these are written,
00:26:10.97\00:26:12.60
"so that you may believe
that Jesus is the Christ,
00:26:12.63\00:26:15.10
"the Son of God;
00:26:15.14\00:26:16.44
and that by believing you
may have life in His name."
00:26:16.47\00:26:18.94
I hope that every
listener will take seriously
00:26:18.97\00:26:22.44
what Jesus has said here
and will take the testimony
00:26:22.48\00:26:25.35
of the early
witnesses, the eyewitnesses,
00:26:25.38\00:26:27.82
the people who saw
Him, who walked with Him,
00:26:27.85\00:26:29.95
who talked with Him,
00:26:29.98\00:26:31.29
who felt and knew
these experiences,
00:26:31.32\00:26:33.92
saw Him risen from the dead,
00:26:33.96\00:26:35.86
and will believe on Him
as their Savior and Lord.
00:26:35.89\00:26:39.83
>>Eric: We trust that that is
what's happening in your life.
00:26:39.86\00:26:42.93
And we trust that that is what's
happening in the lives of people
00:26:42.96\00:26:45.43
that you
interact with day by day.
00:26:45.47\00:26:47.94
Because ultimately,
00:26:47.97\00:26:49.27
the Bible is a good book,
unless it changes your life.
00:26:49.30\00:26:53.61
If it changes your life,
00:26:53.64\00:26:54.94
you've truly found the meaning
of what the Bible is all about,
00:26:54.98\00:26:57.95
not just a
collection of stories,
00:26:57.98\00:27:00.08
but a picture of who Jesus is
00:27:00.12\00:27:02.08
and the plan that He
wants to have for your life
00:27:02.12\00:27:04.52
and for the lives of
others around the globe.
00:27:04.55\00:27:06.89
He's coming back
soon, and when He does,
00:27:06.92\00:27:08.89
He's going to be separating
00:27:08.92\00:27:10.29
the believing
from the unbelieving.
00:27:10.33\00:27:12.63
And today we've taken a look at
"Blessed Are Those Who Believe."
00:27:12.66\00:27:15.93
The rewards for
belief are incredible,
00:27:15.96\00:27:19.07
something that we want to enjoy
00:27:19.10\00:27:21.07
so that we can see
Jesus face to face.
00:27:21.10\00:27:24.11
We're glad you've
joined us this week,
00:27:24.14\00:27:25.44
and we invite you to
join us again next week
00:27:25.47\00:27:28.04
as we continue our journey
through the book of John.
00:27:28.08\00:27:32.31
We're going to be looking
at the next lesson of 13,
00:27:32.35\00:27:35.45
lesson 8 of 13. We'll
be back again next week
00:27:35.48\00:27:38.29
here on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:38.32\00:27:40.96
¤¤¤
00:27:40.99\00:27:46.33
¤¤¤
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