From the Pulpit

Commentary

Background of John 7:53–8:11

The Controversy
1. This story of the woman caught in adultery is absent in some of the oldest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.
2. In other ancient manuscripts, it appears elsewhere, such as in Luke or later in John (chapter 21).
3. Some churches feel concerned that addressing these “academic” issues with biblical manuscripts are a waste of time. People should focus on applying the Scripture to their lives! But in the era of social media, stumbling onto misinformation about passages like this is a key possibility, and it touches on major questions about the Bible: is the Bible untrustworthy? Is this something that disproves the faith?
4. It’s important to understand why this Scripture is here so that we can have full faith in the Scriptures before us.
Understanding Textual Variances
1. The original handwritten New Testament documents no longer exist; they were penned on perishable materials about 2,000 years ago and did not survive due to climate, frequent handling, and suppression by non-Christian authorities.
2. The Bible is among the most copied works in history, with thousands of ancient manuscripts available.
3. Scholars compare manuscripts to reconstruct the most likely original text.
4. Textual variants arose during manual copying before printing.
5. Over 99% of variants are minor, like typos or substituting “he” for “Jesus.”
6. Fewer than 1% are significant textual variants; the beginning of John 8 is one of these.
Historical and Scholarly Resolution
1. The issue with this stretch of text isn’t new; it is ancient; Christian leaders discussed it as early as the fourth century, when reliable records increased after Christianity’s legalization in the Roman Empire.
2. Early church leaders and most orthodox, traditional biblical scholars today affirm the passage’s place in Scripture, commonly in its current location in John 8.
3. Two criteria especially guided the inclusion of this passage:
  1. Apostolicity: This appears to be written by someone who knew Jesus and carried the first-generation authority of an apostle.
  2. Inspiration: Christians throughout the generations have acknowledged the Holy Spirit’s original inspiration and continuing power present in the passage.
Dominant Theories on Omission and Inclusion
1. Theory 1 (Written by John, later omitted): John wrote the story, but some scribes in certain regions excluded it as too scandalous due to its portrayal of forgiveness for an adulterous woman; it was retained elsewhere, producing variations.
2. Theory 2 (Apostolic tradition, later added): A true apostolic-era account not in John’s original draft was added later by an authorized figure. Individuals like Simeon or Jude, the second and third bishops of Jerusalem, who lived long and knew Jesus, could have placed it where it fit best.
Main Takeaway on the Textual Variances
1. There is no translator conspiracy; questions about the text need not cause suspicion or fear.
2. Faithful compilers did extensive research to ensure Scripture is trustworthy and inspired.
3. Faith should remain steady; scholars have rigorously examined these issues for centuries.

⁵³Then they all went home,

¹but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

“…Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.”
1. “[U]nto the fruitful mount, unto the mount of ointment, unto the mount of chrism. For where, indeed, but on mount Olivet did it become the Christ to teach? For the name of Christ is from chrism; χρισμα in the Greek, is called in Latin unctio, an anointing. And He has anointed us for this reason, because He has made us wrestlers against the devil.” -Augustine, Tractate 33, 3.
“…he sat down to teach them.”
1. “His sitting down is the humility of the Incarnation, through which he shows mercy and teaches.” -Glossa Ordinaria, John 8.
“They made her stand before the group…”
1. “When the Evangelist says that the scribes brought to him a woman, he means that it was done by an agreement among them, in order to lay traps for Christ.” -Calvin, Calvin’s Commentary on John, 8.3.
2. The woman evokes both pity and guilt: she is mistreated and humiliated, drawing our compassion.
3. It’s more than understandable to identify with her. Just like her, we wandered away from the one who loved us. We fell short of our obligations and need mercy.
4. It’s also worth noting that she definitively sinned. She was caught in the act of adultery. There was a family that was devastated by what she did. Sympathizing is good, but remembering that her sin was serious (just like ours is) is important too.

⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

“They were using this question as a trap…”
1. They asked, “In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
2. The trap set conflicting legal demands at odds with each other:
  1. The Mosaic law clearly orders that someone that is caught in adultery be stoned (Lev. 20:10, Deut. 22:22-24). If Jesus ignores this, he is a hypocrite the ignores the law he claims to teach.
  2. Roman law demands that the death penalty only be issued by a Roman judge, and Roman law usually handled the matter with divorce, exile or property loss. Enacting Mosaic law meant ignoring Roman law.
3. The trap also threatened his popularity and legacy, forcing a choice between being just (and harsh) or merciful (and someone who ignored the Scriptures). Either way, the people could turn on him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

“But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground…”
1. Scripture doesn’t reveal what he wrote; the act itself is what matters.
  1. Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground instead of answering immediately, resisting their pressure and heightening tension.
  2. He stooped again to write after he spoke, refusing to intimidate them into doing what he wanted, leaving the decision to their consciences.
2. This response affirms the law yet introduces a higher standard: justice must be administered by the just.
3. This particular act has been interpreted in a variety of ways since the dawn of Christianity. For more information on interpretive history, check out this article where I give a broad view of how interpreters have pondered why it tells us Jesus wrote without telling us what he wrote.
“At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time…”
1. One by one, they left, starting with the older first—perhaps recognizing their own sin more quickly through age and experience.
2. Their departure was a silent confession, leaving Jesus alone with the woman.’
3. “I suppose that woman was the more terrified when she had heard it said by the Lord, He that is without sin of you, let him first cast a stone at her. But they, turning their thought to themselves, and by that very withdrawal having confessed concerning themselves, had left the woman with her great sin to Him who was without sin. And because she had heard this, He that is without sin let him first cast a stone at her, she expected to be punished by Him in whom sin could not be found.” -Augustine, Tractate 33, 6.
“Go now and leave your life of sin.”
1. Jesus forgives her for her sin, literally forgiving something worthy of death according to the Scriptures. He also warns her that she needs to change. This isn’t cheap grace. There is abundant grace, but it asks everything.
2. Christ’s character is like that wonderful meeting of truth and love in Ps 85:10: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” (KJV)
3. Jesus did not judge her that day, but not because he’s unwilling to judge. Scripture teaches he will return to judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). He is merciful and patient, awaiting repentance, yet a day of final judgment will come.
4. Ultimately, each of us will stand before Jesus alone to hear the final verdict. Jesus is merciful, but he’s just. He asks all of us to go and leave our life of sin.

Full Transcript

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So we’re in John chapter 8 now. We just wrapped up John chapter 7. We have that one little passage, John chapter 7 verse 53, and well this particular passage there’s some controversy around it. And I was wondering months in advance, should I talk about this? Is this something that should be in Sunday morning worship? Because basically the thing of it is, here is a passage that’s got a bit of a history. It doesn’t appear in some of the oldest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament that we have, and in other ancient manuscripts it’s in a different place. Sometimes it’s in the book of Luke, sometimes it’s later on in John. What’s the deal? And this really is a matter of biblical scholarship, so I wondered for a while, do I even really need to bring it up on a Sunday morning? Or is this something we just get to the story as it is, and we don’t worry about that kind of thing?

I had actually resolved to just ignore it and move on until one of you, just a few weeks ago, asked me a question about textual variation in the New Testament. Now let me just tell you this: I have been in ministry for 10 years now, and in that 10 years, that is the first time someone has asked me a question like that, which to me is a very clear nudge from God. “Hey, you should talk about that. People need to know.” And I think it is important to talk about things like this together, because if we don’t talk about it in church, it doesn’t mean the knowledge isn’t out there. It just means the context that you might hear about it in might be a little more jarring than expected. I’ve met people that find out about textual variation and it shakes their faith because they say, “Well, I trust the Bible. There’s variation in it. What’s that about? Sounds like it’s not very trustworthy after all.”

Or sometimes people think that there’s some kind of conspiracy on the part of Bible translators to take out certain pieces that they don’t like or put in certain pieces that they do like. Now let me tell you, there are reputable Bible translators and translators that aren’t so reputable. I mean, this is a bit of a tricky area. There are some people that are good translators that sincerely want to get the word of God into your hands. But if we don’t know what they’re doing, we can’t really say for sure. So it does look like it could be a problem. But again, if we just follow the rules here, then we need to make sure that the translation is correct.

So then you know that John chapter 8, the earliest manuscripts don’t have that story. It was added later by the church. They didn’t tell you about that. I wonder why they want you to believe it, but don’t explain it to you. So you can see there’s good reasons to talk about this together.

So let’s talk about it. This story right here, this is a textual variance. And to explain that, you got to remember, we do not have the original gospel written by John with his own hands. We don’t have it. We don’t have any of the original New Testament documents. We don’t have any of Paul’s letters. We don’t have any of Peter’s writings. We just don’t have them—and not for any big wild crazy reason, it’s just they were written on paper. And things that are written on paper 2,000 years ago tend not to last 2,000 years. Trust me. I have a toddler in my house. There are some papers that don’t make it to the end of the week if I put them in the wrong place. Papers, and especially if you’re in a region that’s sometimes humid, if you’re dealing with documentation that is being handled often, or if you’re a part of a religious group that the authorities in the region are actively trying to suppress, your documents have a much lower chance of surviving all that long. So we don’t have them.

But the Bible is one of the most copied documents in all of history. And that’s true not only in the modern era but in the ancient era. We have thousands of manuscripts of the New Testament. What we do is we take those manuscripts that we have, and we compare them to one another to try to see what the original probably said. You have to keep in mind, they didn’t have printers back then. You couldn’t just print out a copy of the New Testament for someone. Let’s say I wanted to get a copy in the ancient world of the New Testament. Imagine copying the whole New Testament by hand. How often do you think, even if you’re being very, very careful—and we should assume that they were, right? This was Scripture. They took their job seriously. But how often during that process might you accidentally write something that’s a little different than what the original said? Nothing wild, but I don’t know. Have you ever made a typo? That’s what we’re talking about. That would count. Have you ever, maybe the original said Jesus did this and you just wrote he did this? That’s a textual variant. Any time someone did something a little different when they were copying it, that is a textual variant.

Now over 99% of textual variants we have from those ancient New Testament manuscripts aren’t really that big a deal. They’re not significant. For example, stuff like typos. Stuff like they said “he” instead of “Jesus.” The kind of thing that you can tell, we kind of get the story, someone made a mistake. Got it. Now less than 1% though are significant textual variance, and this is one of those. This story, like I said earlier, it doesn’t appear in the oldest Greek manuscripts that we have of the New Testament. And for that matter, in some of the other ones it appears in other places. Sometimes it appears in John chapter 21. Sometimes it appears in the book of Luke later on, sometimes it’s just in other places. Now where we have it in our Bibles today, this is the most common place for it to appear and by a pretty wide margin. But we do have these outliers, right? So what’s the deal? Was this a part of what John originally wrote or was it added later? Should we even consider this as part of the Bible?

And this is not a new question, by the way. Sometimes people think that we are so smart and so advanced today, we have found new things that no one knew about before. Not so. This is a question people have been asking since the fourth century. And you may wonder, well if they were talking about it in the fourth century, why not the first, second and third? The fourth century is when Christianity got legalized in the Roman Empire. It’s hard to get reliable records from before that point, because at any point, you might get killed and your papers burned. The fourth century is about the earliest you can reliably get really high quality Christian records. And sure enough, we can see a lot of people that were in the process of compiling scripture asking, “Where does this belong? Why do some of you have this in your Bibles and some of you don’t? And why is it in different places in some places? What’s the deal?”

And they ultimately decided that this did belong right where it’s at as a part of Scripture. And to this day, I would say the ultra majority, practically all of the Bible scholars that are orthodox, that are traditional, that are biblical agree with that. And here’s some of the reasons why they feel it’s that way. And the logic hasn’t changed wildly. Two of the things they really concern themselves with when it was the question, “Does this belong?” is first off, is it apostolic? And that just means did the person who wrote this actually know Jesus? Did this happen? Because there are a lot of people that wrote good Christian things. That doesn’t mean they’re scripture. Was this someone who was actually a part of that first generation of Christians that could write with the authority necessary to be in Scripture? And then, is it inspired by the Holy Spirit? And ultimately they determined that it was.

And here were some of the explanations they gave for why this belongs. I’ll give you two. These are different, but they both are, I think, sound explanations. So one popular theory is that this was written by John the apostle. This was written by his hand. The reason that certain very old documents don’t have it, especially Greek ones, is because in that region where it was being translated or copied, it was so scandalous that they didn’t want it written down! We get it. Jesus forgives sins. You don’t need to tell adulterous wives that they can get forgiven like that. We don’t need to write that one down. Let’s just leave that out and people will get the picture. That is one theory, that in certain regions, certain disloyal scribes and certain concerned powerful people got this one to not get copied in some of the documents we have. But ultimately it was copied in other regions, which is why eventually people noticed and ended up with a different version.

And added during the process of editing to the Gospel of John as they went through and were getting things ready. That’s why some of the earliest drafts of John may not have contained it, but that it was added later. There are people who would have had the authority necessary to do that without it being wildly controversial. For example, Simeon was the second bishop of Jerusalem. And Jude was the third bishop of Jerusalem. Both of them from the apostolic era, some of the longest living people from that era, who would have known Jesus and had that authority to say, “Hey, there’s a story that fits here.”

If you just want to know the story and you don’t need the story behind the story, you could have left this out. If that’s you, make this your takeaway: The Bible was written by people that were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible was compiled by people who were incredibly faithful and asked the hard questions and did a lot of research to make sure that what they got into your hands is indeed good, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Scripture that can help you grow. If you ever hear about something getting snuck in and you don’t know how it got there, you don’t need to be afraid of asking questions, and you don’t need to be suspicious. People have asked all of these questions before. There is no grand conspiracy. There is no hope that people stay ignorant. To the contrary, there are many books written by people that if you wanted to know more, they would be delighted if you picked up and read. You don’t need to be afraid. Have faith. You never know when you run into these little instances what you might learn along the way.

But let me get to the story proper, right? And this is a story that is well loved. This is one that people really tend to know by heart. I think part of that being because it showcases Jesus’s mercy and his justice so well. Jesus is just and Jesus is merciful, and that’s kind of tough for us to wrap our minds around. We like things to fit entirely in one box or in another. We like things to be good or bad. We like things to be yes or a no. It’s really hard to hold two things that have some tension together. But Jesus was merciful and he was just, and this story is all about the Pharisees trying to get Jesus to pick: which are you really? Are you just or are you merciful? You can’t be both. And Jesus shows just how he is both.

And just as another minor note, I think it’s even interesting that the person that this is all about—the woman in question—even she evokes kind of this mix of is she in need of mercy or justice? Because ultimately we see someone who is very clearly being mistreated, that is in a situation that would be deeply humiliating, very publicly, that was nearly stoned. Our heart goes out to her and a lot of people read this as her being a stand-in for themselves, and I think that’s a good reading. We should do that because here’s the thing: that’s exactly what we are. We are indeed people who have not lived up to the covenant that we should have with God. We are people who have fallen short. We are every bit the same as this woman and every bit as in need of mercy. But I think it’s also important to remember this: she’s not innocent. They got her dead to rights. As much as she is worthy of mercy in these circumstances, remember, she tore her family apart. There is a spouse that she didn’t care about. There are kids that she wasn’t thinking about, and they have to deal with her mess. She may be worthy of mercy, but she’s also not innocent, much like us. We are guilty. Even if we hope that God will be merciful, we’re not perfect. We are worthy of punishment in many ways.

Let me dive in. So verse 53 of chapter 7, then they all went home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn, he appeared again in the temple courts where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and they said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this as a trap in order to have a basis for accusing him.

Festival of Tabernacles is over. Jesus doesn’t go home; he instead goes just a little ways. He goes to the Mount of Olives. And the next day he comes back to Jerusalem, to the temple courts, where some of the people—not everyone left after the end of the festival—some people had been listening to what he was teaching. They liked it and they showed up again, because they were hoping he’d come and teach more. And sure enough, that’s exactly what Jesus did. He came back and he kept teaching those that wanted to be taught. And as he was teaching, he gets interrupted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. And they have this woman with them. They are dragging her with them. You got to imagine, this is the last place she wants to be. She doesn’t want to be there. She is being dragged in front of a crowd, being accused of adultery. There are some people that imagine that because it says she was caught in adultery, they propose, “Well how recently? Maybe she’s even disheveled looking. Maybe she’s even visually in a place that is humiliating.” The Bible doesn’t tell us whether that’s true or false. It’s possible, you’re welcome to think in terms of that if it helps you to kind of visualize it. But whether it’s true or false, who can say? All we really know is what the text gives us.

With the law of Moses, he could say, “You’re right. She should be stoned.” If he says that, he is guilty of breaking Roman law. Remember, Israel is under Roman occupation, and according to Roman law, no one can administer the death penalty except for Roman judges. That’s a big deal because it means that if Jesus were to say, “She’s guilty,” he would be guilty of violating Roman law and they could get him. But on the other hand, he has repeatedly publicly said that he is not violating the Law of the Land. So if they can get him to say that the law shouldn’t be kept, well, everyone can see this guy that says he’s so great, that says he keeps the law—you know what? He doesn’t actually do it. Not when it’s tough and not when it’s inconvenient. He only does it when he wants to. And now you can all see that he is a hypocrite. They’ve got him between two codes of law. Which one will he actually have loyalty for?

And this is more than just a legal problem. This is also about his legacy. Jesus is someone that so many people in the crowds have been able to relate to, someone that gets them. This is their guy! They trust him! This is a guy that is just and fair, every bit as just as you could hope. He keeps the law better than the Pharisees, but he also cares about them. He’s merciful, unlike them. He is right there with the people. Depending on how he answers this, now he has to choose: Are you just or are you merciful, Jesus? Are you going to show this crowd that you keep the law? Are you going to have this woman stoned? If so, they are going to remember forever that you had someone executed. You’re not so different from us. You’re just as harsh. You are just as rigorous. We don’t even do this, and we will do it because you told us to. You will be just, but you will be terrifying. Or, you can just shrug it off. You can say that we don’t need to do it. And everyone will see you are every bit the hypocrite that every other leader is, because being a leader is hard and sometimes you have to make tough decisions. And sometimes Jesus, when things get hard, makes bad decisions. Sometimes he’s not any better than the rest of us. He is merciful, sure. He’s got a big heart, but he’s not someone you can really trust to do what’s right when the time comes.

This is a legal problem and a problem for his legacy. And in true Jesus fashion, when he is given two choices and told, “You gotta pick one,” he picks a third option and takes that instead. It says, “Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.” Can you imagine that? You are there. You are with a crowd. You have got people coming in, the Pharisees and the people that keep the law. They are demanding Jesus give an answer. You’ve got this woman who looks scared to death. Maybe she’s going to die today. She’s being held there. You’ve got a crowd sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for Jesus to answer. He is interrupted in the middle of his teachings and he sits there, he looks up at them, and he just starts writing on the ground.

And people have wondered since the very beginning, what did he write? And I have heard every theory under the sun. And I am here to tell you the actual correct answer: We don’t know! The Bible doesn’t say that! It’s not in there! We can’t tell what he wrote. A lot of fanciful theories, but none of them are actually grounded in the Bible. The Bible only says that he was writing, not what he wrote. And that tells us something, right? It’s not what he wrote that mattered; it was the fact that he was writing. That’s the takeaway. What is Jesus showing by writing in the dirt at a moment like this? Certainly not a lot of respect for the Pharisees. “Jesus, we’re going to interrupt your teaching. You have to make a decision. Tell us what you want done.” He just goes off, kind of does his own thing, doesn’t look up. He does not answer to the Pharisees. They are not his boss!

And they get irritated by that, right? They don’t know what to do with him. They don’t let it go. Verse 7, “When they kept questioning…” They badger him. They came in here to make a power play, and now they’re the ones that look silly because they got to wait on him. “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'”

Justice should be administered, you’re right. But wouldn’t it be unjust to have someone that is not just administering justice? That would be ridiculous. We need to make sure that whoever executes this punishment is someone that doesn’t themselves need punished. So whoever it is that you’re absolutely confident that after this is done, we’re not going to have another thing where you yourself get in trouble, if that’s you, go for it. Administer justice.

And look, even after that, again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. Such an interesting detail because it kind of shows us Jesus is not eyeing down the crowd, right? This is not intimidation. He’s not up there saying, “He who is without sin throw the first stone.” That’s not what he’s doing. This is not a show of intimidation. He is going back to what he was doing. How the crowd responds is based entirely on them. What are they going to do?

One by one, they walk away. And it tells us that it is the older ones first. It’s just an interesting detail because not always, but often, older people have more experience in life and work. Sometimes the younger generation has new ideas and approaches—they know what’s supposed to be there, and they are often dissatisfied with the way things currently are. But sometimes in that pursuit of the ideal, they have not taken enough time to know the way the world is and why it got that way, and the details in all of it. There’s wisdom in knowing that, and that is why some of the older people, I would guess, are the first to recognize, “I’m sinful.” And they walk away. And one by one, people see their example and they also walk away. Their footsteps are their confession. Even the Pharisees walk away until it is just Jesus and this woman.

You got to wonder what she’s thinking, especially if she has heard what’s going on in Jerusalem lately, what happened just a few days before at the festival. In John chapter 7 verse 18, Jesus said, “Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who speaks for the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth. There is nothing false about him. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet, not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” He said in no uncertain terms before a crowd that could accuse him if he was wrong, “I am beyond reproach. You don’t keep the law; I do. There is no falsehood in me.” He said let he who is without sin throw the first stone. This is the man who claims to be without sin, and she is in front of him. Other people may not want to throw that stone, but if he wants to, he could. He reserves that right as the person who has not sinned. What’s he going to do?

Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir.”

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.

There’s that mercy. There’s the mercy that we all crave to see from Jesus. Here is a woman—they’ve got her dead to rights. She has obliterated her family life. She has been trotted in front of leaders and the populace. We don’t know what kind of social outcast she is going to spend the future of her life as. She is someone who is so clearly guilty of something where the punishment in the law is death, and people seemed eager to administer it just moments ago, and Jesus has mercy on her. There is no sin that is so big that Jesus is done with us. We cannot sin so many times that it’s just a lost cause because at this point—come on, you said you were done 50 times ago, you come forward again, God’s not going to waste his time on you anymore. No.

The classic image of mercy: Jesus is the father in the parable of the prodigal son. God is waiting for us to return, even after we make mistake after mistake. God doesn’t give up on us. He waits. He waits for us to come home. God is merciful. He does not condemn her.

Yet he ends on a note of justice: “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Jesus doesn’t say it’s not that big a deal, people get bent out of shape about this kind of thing. He doesn’t say, “I get it, take your time to get to a comfortable place, I’m sure you’re going to figure this out as things go on.” Jesus says, “Go and sin no more.” It matters. It makes a big difference, what we do and the way we live our lives. God is merciful, but God is also just. He’s not just going to ignore the things that are uncomfortable. And ultimately, he may not have judged today, but even right there in the Scriptures, Second Timothy chapter 4 verse 1—this is what we say every week when we say the Apostles Creed, right?—Jesus will come back and judge the living and the dead. He will judge. He didn’t that day, but he will ultimately.

In our lives as we live them, there are so many people that want to give their two cents. They want to say what they think you should be doing. They want to say where you’re right and where you’re wrong. And sometimes they might be right and sometimes they might be wrong. Everybody’s got an opinion; there’s always a crowd. But in the end that crowd will diminish. And in the end, all of us will stand in front of Jesus awaiting the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” or “Depart from me, I never knew you.” Jesus will judge. He did not judge this woman yet. He is merciful, he is longsuffering, he will wait day after day, year after year, sin after sin in the hopes that we will repent and return to him. But there does come a day where there are no more days left. There does come a time where there will be judgment.

I’ve done enough funerals lately that it seems especially obvious, the seriousness of life, the fact that we don’t have infinite chances. As much as we might sometimes like to see God as purely merciful, as purely delightful, as purely this big comfy guy that just says, “Don’t worry about it, you can wait till next week, it’s fine”—someday there’s not going to be a next week. Jesus is merciful, but he’s just. Go and leave your life of sin.

Amen.

Philippians 1:12-30 In Chains for Christ

September 9, 2026September 9, 2026 ~ Vincent

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From the Pulpit

Commentary

¹²Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. ¹⁴And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Note the pastoral care Paul is offering here. At a time when this church is probably worried about him, he reminds them that by being in prison, he is doing incredible work for God. There is no need to be concerned.
“I am in chains for Christ.”
1. Many Christians have suffered for Christ. The apostles, Stephen, Perpetua and Felicity, Polycarp, the 21 martyrs in Libya, and more than could reasonably be shared in a single list.
  1. Paphnutius has an especially beautiful story, as he was someone who got to see some of the changes that his witness inspired.
    
    He was a 4th century Egyptian bishop during the Diocletian persecution.
    
    When he refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods, his legs were crippled, his right eye was torn out, and they exiled him to the mines for life.
    
    He outlasted Diocletian’s reign and when Constantine, the first Christian emperor, took the throne, he invited Paphnutius to the imperial palace to work on the Nicene Creed with the other bishops. The man who was tortured for Christ was publicly honored by the machinery that tried to destroy him.
  2. Richard Wurmbrand, a pastor that suffered enormous persecution in communist Romania, opened the organization The Voice of the Martyrs specifically to tell people the stories of persecuted Christians sharing the Gospel. These stories inspire people around the world to do more, seeing how their brothers and sisters endure for Jesus in the most challenging circumstances.
2. Christians don’t just suffer from the work of non-Christians. People that call themselves Christians often hurt others as well, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, and John of the Cross.
  1. Athanasius, another 4th century Egyptian bishop, was exiled multiple times, had other bishops appointed to replace him, and had to hide from troops that were sent to arrest him because he affirmed that Jesus is God in an era where watering down the claims of Christ for “peace” within the church was seen as more important. Even so, he endured and helped the Church remember what it was.
3. It doesn’t matter where our suffering comes from. We might suffer because of people who call themselves Christians or non-Christians or just bad circumstances. Enduring hardships for Christ is a powerful witness.

¹⁵It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

“Some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry…”

1. Note that this is not about false teachers. It is about people who are sharing the good news for bad reasons.
2. “The shepherd who teaches for the sake of the truth should be loved; the hireling who teaches for gain should be tolerated; but the one who teaches what is false must be expelled”- Augustine as Cited by Aquinas in Commentary on Philippians, Lecture 3, 24.
3. “Now, it sometimes happens that joy arises from a good cause, and in that case it does so directly and in itself. At other times, joy arises from an evil cause, and then it does so indirectly and accidentally. When joy comes from a good cause, we should rejoice both in the effect and in the cause, as with an act of almsgiving done for the sake of God. But when it comes from an evil cause, we should rejoice in the effect, but not in the cause.” -Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians, Lecture 3, 24.
4. It is all too common for different ministry roles to become an end to themselves, rather than a means to the end of glorifying God. Many people find personal glory in being a women’s minister or a band member or a pastor, rather than offering these things up for God’s glory. Praise God he can still use insufficient workers for His plans.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. ²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

“To live is Christ and to die is gain.”
1. “How ominously these words follow each other in the text “live,” “die.” There is but a comma between them, and surely as it is in the words so is it in reality. How brief the distance between life and death! In fact there is none. Life is but death’s vestibule, and our pilgrimage on earth is but a journey to the grave. The pulse that preserves our being beats our death march, and the blood which circulates our life is floating it onward to the deeps of death. To-day we see our friends in health, to-morrow we hear of their decease. We clasped the hand of the strong man but yesterday, and to-day we close his eyes. We rode in the chariot of comfort but an hour ago, and in a few more hours the last black chariot must convey us to the home of all living. Oh, how closely allied is death to life! …. But blessed be God, there is one place where death is not life’s brother, where life reigns alone; “to live,” is not the first syllable which is to be followed by the next, “to die.” There is a land where deathknells are never tolled, where winding-sheets are never woven, where graves are never digged. Blest land beyond the skies! To reach it we must die. But if after death we obtain a glorious immortality, our text is indeed true: “To die is gain.” -Spurgeon, Sermon 146.
2. Paul’s deliverance is assured, whether that means freedom from prison or execution; either way, God’s salvation is at work.
Living for Christ vs. Worldly Pursuits
1. A lot of people live for comfort, money, conflict, or pleasure. All of those things are based on what we know can’t last forever.
  1. The easy life that brings us comfort won’t exist someday.
  2. We can’t take our money and possessions with us when we die.
  3. There will come a day when conflict results in no material gains– it only leads to wailing and gnashing of teeth.
  4. Pleasure based on quick thrills will dry up when the things that bring the pleasure are no longer accessible
2. Only Jesus is eternal. A hard life followed by eternal bliss is better than an easy life followed by eternal misery.
3. “Call no man happy until he is dead; because the life that is to come, if that be miserable, shall far outweigh the highest life of happiness that hath been enjoyed on earth. To estimate a man’s condition we must take it in all its length. We must not measure that one thread which reacheth from the cradle to the coffin. We must go further; we must go from the coffin to the resurrection, and from the resurrection on throughout eternity.” -Spurgeon, Sermon 146.
4. When you live for Christ, death becomes “gain” because it brings eternal life with Him.

²²If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

“I am torn between the two…”

1. Paul sees a “win-win”: if he dies, he is with Christ—“better by far.” If he lives, he continues “fruitful labor” for God’s glory.
2. “[I]f I am to live is the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour – This is the fruit of my living longer, that I can labour more. Glorious labour! desirable fruit!” -John Wesley, Notes on the New Testament.

²⁷Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel ²⁸without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

“Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel…”
1. “There is only one thing, Olympia, to fear, only one real temptation, and that is sin. This is the refrain I keep chanting to you ceaselessly. Fore everything else is ultimately a fable–whether you speak of plots, or enmities, or deceptions, or slanders or abuses, or accusations, or confiscations, or banishments, or sharpened swords, or high seas, or wars engulfing the entire world. Whichever of these you point to, they are transitory and perishable, and they only affect mortal bodies; they cannot in any way injure the watchful soul.” -John Chrysostom, Letter to Olympia 7, 1,C.
“…without being frightened in any way…”
1. With God on their side, believers need not fear what the world can do—pain or death are fleeting.
2. Nothing frightens people so much as seeing that their ultimate display of force doesn’t affect their opponent in the slightest. What does their foe know that they do not? Let them ponder the Gospel in these circumstances.
“…but also to suffer for him…”
1. The central question is not if you will suffer, but how you will act in that time of suffering. The only true fear worth having is the fear of sin, which separates from Jesus.

Full Transcript

Last week, we began our series on the book of Philippians. We covered the fact that this is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi. At the time, he was in prison in Rome. They allowed him to rent a place to stay, but he could not leave, he was in chains, and he was being watched by a Roman guard at all times. He could still write letters and receive guests, but he was accruing expenses. He had to pay for the space he was in and the food he was eating. All the while, they were figuring out what they were going to do with him, and he did not know how it was going to turn out. The church at Philippi heard that Paul was in prison, and they sent some money to help him. So, Paul wrote this letter to thank them, encourage them, and teach them.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Paul has done something wonderfully pastoral here by comforting them. Can you imagine how you might feel if the person who helped found your church suddenly ended up in prison? You would potentially be freaked out. Paul knows that, so he encourages the church at Philippi by telling them that what is happening is actually advancing the gospel, which is a good thing. People who know Jesus are encouraged because they see what Paul is able and willing to endure for Jesus, inspiring them to do even more. Meanwhile, the people who do not know Jesus, like the guards, watch him and scratch their heads, wondering what he knows that they do not and why he is going through all of this.

Suffering for Jesus creates some of the greatest heroes in Christian history—people whose stories we look at time and time again and cannot help but feel inspired by. For example, one of my favorite people who suffered for Christ has one of the best stories. His name is Paphnutius, which sounds like a silly name, though I imagine if he heard the name Vincent, he would think my name sounded kind of silly too, so we will call it even. Paphnutius was a bishop from the fourth century who lived during the Diocletian persecution. Emperor Diocletian decided he was going to fix the Roman Empire by enforcing one culture, one law, one way of being, and one faith, so he started cracking down on Christians. He demanded they make sacrifices to the Roman gods. The Christians responded that while they were happy to pray for the emperor and the prosperity of the empire, they could not sacrifice to a god that was not real. The Roman Empire decided to see how that would go for them, and a lot of people were tortured and killed.

When Paphnutius was brought in, the Romans told him to make a sacrifice to their gods. He refused, saying there is only one God, Jesus Christ, and he could not sacrifice to gods that were not real. So, they crippled him so he would never walk without trouble again. They asked him again, acknowledging his private obligations and offering that he could do whatever he wanted in private as long as he made the public sacrifice required of a Roman. He refused, stating he would not betray his God. They then gouged out his right eye and asked again if he was ready to make the sacrifices. When he maintained that he would never make those sacrifices, he was banished to the mines for hard labor for the rest of his life, never to see the sun again.

That is how it was supposed to be. A lot of people who suffer for Christ never get to see the fruits of their work, but Paphnutius did. Diocletian came and went, and eventually, a Christian emperor came to power. Under him, Christianity was no longer illegal, and he invited all the bishops to the imperial palace to make a statement about the essentials of Christianity: the Nicene Creed. Paphnutius—a man who once had the entire Roman machine against him—walked into the imperial palace, unable to walk without great struggle, his hands tired and worn from labor, with only one eye, and was honored by the emperor himself. He made a difference, and he got to see it.

While we are often comfortable talking about stories where non-Christians persecuted Christians, we miss another category that is unfortunately a source of a great deal of suffering for sincere Christians: people who claim to be Christians causing trouble for real Christians. At that same gathering in the imperial palace, a deacon named Athanasius was present, serving as the secretary and assistant to the bishop of Alexandria. He witnessed firsthand how they worked tirelessly to draft the Nicene Creed to explain the core pieces of Christianity. Part of the language put in that creed was that Jesus is God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, of the same essence of the Father. In multiple ways, they made it exceedingly clear: Jesus is God.

Everyone loved it when it was made, but as time went on, a vocal minority became upset. They questioned if Jesus was really God, arguing that a son cannot be the same as the father and that there must have been a time before Jesus existed. They argued Jesus was just a powerful figure, not truly God. This caused controversy, and some people suggested stepping back to make adjustments for the sake of peace and reconciliation. By this time, the bishop of Alexandria had passed away, and Athanasius had become the bishop. When others urged him to revisit the document and soften their stance, he refused, stating that Jesus is God and that without that truth, there was no point in doing anything.

Because he refused to compromise, the institutional church made his life very difficult. They appointed another bishop, deposed him, and had multiple emperors send him into exile. Every so often, they would bring him back to see if he had changed his mind. When he maintained his stance, they would re-exile him, sometimes even sending the army after him because he was causing too much trouble in their eyes. Athanasius did not get discouraged; whether in hiding or in exile, he continued to write to people, reminding them that Jesus is God. Eventually, the institutional church realized that the peace they had been pursuing at the cost of truth was not worth it, recognizing that he was right and that they needed to stand on that truth without compromise.

Whether suffering comes from non-Christians, people who claim to be Christians, or simple circumstances, it serves as a powerful witness. It makes non-believers stop and take notice, and it encourages believers to do even more as they see how others withstand hardship to proclaim Christ.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Some important clarifications should be made here. These individuals are not preaching false doctrines; they are telling the truth, but for the wrong reasons. Augustine of Hippo, one of the foremost Christian thinkers, wrote on this topic: a teacher who teaches for the sake of truth should be loved; a hireling who teaches for gain should be tolerated; but one who teaches what is false must be expelled. Here, Paul is dealing with people doing the right things for the wrong reasons, such as out of pride or a desire for control.

I saw a similar dynamic at a previous church I served, where conflict arose in a women’s ministry because several individuals wanted to be in charge rather than simply serve. They wanted to approve programs and have everyone bow down to them, forgetting that we are there to bow down to Jesus. Paul notes that even when people act out of selfish motives, good can still come from it if Christ is preached. When a good thing comes from a good place, we can be thankful for both the source and the effect. When a good thing comes from a bad place, we do not have to be thankful for the bad source, but we can still rejoice in the positive effect that more people are learning about Jesus.

For I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Paul does not know if he will be released from prison, nor does he assure people that he will be. When he says it will turn out for his deliverance or salvation, he means he knows God is working through the situation for his best and for the best of the world, even if it is not what he personally expects or wants. God’s glory can still be seen even when unexpected things happen.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Life and death are separated by only a few words in that passage, and in our world, they are not separated by much more than that. From the day we are born, we move toward death, which is inevitable. The strongest person flexing their muscles one day could gently close their eyes for the last time the next day. Animals, empires, and ideas all eventually end. In this world, everything that lives dies. Jesus assures us that this state of affairs is not how it was supposed to be, pointing toward a reality defined by life rather than death.

To experience that life, living must be centered on Christ as the primary purpose of everything we do. Many people live for other pursuits, such as comfort, money, conflict, or pleasure. However, each of those things is temporary. The things that bring comfort will eventually be gone, wealth will become inaccessible, conflict will turn to distress, and fleeting pleasures will fade. Only Jesus is eternal. When you live for Christ, death becomes gain because it leads to eternal life.

If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Paul views his situation as a win-win. If he dies, he goes to be with Jesus; if he lives, he continues fruitful work that brings glory to God.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Paul urges them not to be afraid of worldly forces, as earthly suffering and inconvenience are fleeting compared to eternal life. Facing opposition without fear demonstrates confidence in God. Suffering is inevitable in this life; the question is how we behave during it and whether we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. As people with faith in Jesus Christ, the only thing to fear is sin, which separates us from Him. Regardless of the circumstances, if you keep your faith in Christ and live for Him, to die is gain.

Philippians 1:1-11 Background and Introduction

September 2, 2026September 2, 2026 ~ Vincent

Video Teaching
Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Full Transcript

From the Pulpit

Commentary

Overview

This book of the Bible is an epistle, which is the Church’s word for letters in the Biblical canon.
1. Just because it’s a letter, it would be wrong to assume that it’s just a casual piece of communication to a particular group long ago.
2. This is a letter inspired by the Holy Spirit by an apostle and beneficial for the whole church.
Philippians is from the Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi.
Understanding the city, the church, and why the letter was sent helps make the context of this book clearer.

The City of Philippi

Located in Macedonia
(modern-day Greece), Philippi was a Roman colony, meaning most of the citizens living there were Roman citizens, the culture was Roman, and the institutions were especially Roman, even though it was in a region that was culturally Greek.
1. It’s important to remember that just because an area was conquered by Romans, that didn’t make the citizens Roman citizens. Citizenship had to be earned with service to the Empire, such as military service or large donations.
2. Only people born to citizens were citizens from birth.
Philippi was especially proud of their Roman identity.
1. Philippi was the site of the decisive battle ending one of Rome’s civil wars, the Liberators’ Civil War, roughly 100 years before this letter was written.
  1. Julius Caesar was assassinated by senators who feared his growing power.
  2. The Imperial forces led by Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) and Julius’s right-hand man, Mark Antony, defeated the republican forces led by the assassins Brutus and Cassius and the at Philippi.
2. The cultural memory of that battle shaped the identity of the city. Imagine something like Gettysburg Pennsylvania; stars and stripes everywhere.
3. A lot of the citizens were descended from soldiers that retired after that war and settled in the region, so that military identity would also be really strong in this area.

The Founding of the Church at Phillippi

The book of Acts chapter 16 gives us an account of the founding of the Church at Philippi by the Apostle Paul during his second missionary journey.
Paul hadn’t originally planned to go to Europe. He planned on going to Asia, but the Holy Spirit stopped him and sent him a vision of a man from Macedonia calling for help. Paul consequently went to Macedonia and started the first Church on the continent of Europe.
Paul proclaims Christ to three noteworthy people in Philippi. These people are likely still living in the community as prominent members of the church that Paul is writing to.
1. Lydia: A wealthy merchant of purple fabric
  1. Purple dye was extraordinarily valuable. To produce a single ounce of purple dye, thousands of sea snails would be gathered by hand, workers would break their shells and extract fluid from their mucus-producing hypobranchial gland, and boiled for ten days with other liquids such as urine.
  2. Roman clothing had certain visual symbols based on how much imperial purple was in a garment to tell a person’s rank and social standing. Only the emperor could wear a purely imperial purple garment.
  3. Given her trade, Lydia would have been well-connected and likely very wealthy.
  4. She and her entire household heard the Gospel and were baptized.
2. A Slave Girl: Possessed by a “spirit of divination” Python” (associated with the god Apollo in Greek culture)
  1. The Greek text calls it, quite literally, a “spirit of python.” Pythons were associated with the Greek god Apollo, who was especially honored in the city of Phillipi. It’s likely that locals saw her abilities as a divine blessing, though Paul and Silas knew that it wasn’t of God.
  2. Her owners profited from her fortune-telling ability.
  3. She followed Paul and Silas declaring: “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”
    
    Given Paul’s annoyance, one must assume this was said in a disrespectful, mocking tone.
  4. Paul cast out the demon; her owners, having lost their income, dragged Paul and Silas before magistrates where they were beaten and imprisoned.
3. The Philippian Jailer
  1. Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned in the deepest cell.
  2. That night, in the darkness of their cell, they prayed and sang hymns, reflecting a faith that is truly unshakable and joyful even in the worst of conditions.
  3. A miracle occurred! An earthquake opened all the doors and broke every chain.
  4. Paul and Silas chose to stay rather than escape. Not only did they stay, but they convinced all the other prisoners to stay too.
  5. The jailer, about to take his own life in Roman fashion (the only way to reclaim honor after such failure), was stopped by Paul.
  6. He immediately asked: “How can I be saved?” — received the gospel and was baptized.
These people are the foundation of the church. Each was hungry for the news of the gospel and responded quickly alongside their families. Imagining all three does involve a little speculation. While the slave girl is not said to have joined the church, one has to imagine that someone freed from spiritual exploitation would remember the name by which she was saved and investigate it more as time went on.

Why did Paul write this letter?

Paul was writing from Roman imprisonment under Emperor Nero.
He was not in a dungeon but was under house arrest — in chains, guarded 24/7, while authorities decided his fate.
He was accruing expenses: rent, food, daily needs.
The church at Philippi sent a courier from the congregation named Epaphroditus to give Paul financial support upon hearing of his need.
Paul writes to:
1. Thank them for their generosity
2. Encourage and teach them

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

From…
1. In a modern letter or email, the person who wrote the letter is listed at the end of the letter. In this time and place, the sender was the first item in the letter, which makes a good deal more sense.
2. Paul is with his ministry partner Timothy. This is the same Timothy that he would later write 1 and 2 Timothy to.
3. “Paul is accustomed, in the inscription of his epistles, to employ titles of distinction, with the view of procuring credit for himself and his ministry, there was no need of lengthened commendations in writing to the Philippians, who had known him by experience as a true Apostle of Christ.” -Calvin, Commentary On Philippians.
To…
1. “All God’s holy people at Philippi”
  1. This is fairly standard language from Paul’s letter when addressing a congregation in a particular city.
  2. Notice the weight of the title: we are God’s holy people in whatever city where we live. That’s not just a compliment, so much as a calling that we have to strive to live into.
  3. Could we call ourselves one of God’s holy people in good conscience? If not, maybe we have some work to do.
“Overseers and deacons”
1. Paul addresses both the congregation and the church leadership.
2. Depending on the translation, this passage may read “Bishops and deacons,” rather than “overseers and deacons.”
  1. Bishop, presbyter, and deacon are all traditional church roles and come from Greek words that mean overseer, elder, and servant.
  2. While exact roles differ from tradition, the basic pattern across Christian history is a bishop oversees churches in a region, a presbyter is a person that leads a local congregation, and a deacon is someone that serves a local church in a more limited capacity.
  3. In the biblical era, the exact division between a deacon and a presbyter had not been defined. Paul often uses the two words interchangeably, such as here. If they had existed as they do today, having multiple deacons in a single city and no referenced presbyters would pose significant challenges. As it is, he appears to be addressing those in leadership roles and those in service roles.
  4. “He mentions the higher-ranking figures—saying “with the bishops,” and so forth. The question arises: why does he place the lesser before the greater? Because the people come before the prelate. Ezekiel 34:2: “Do not the shepherds feed the flocks?” For flocks are to be fed by shepherds, not the other way around.” -Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians, 1.1.6.
“Grace and peace”
1. Paul uses this exact language in every one of his letters except the book of Hebrews. Sometimes it’s more flowery, sometimes it’s simpler, but it’s usually there. This particular example is on the shorter side.
2. Rather than just wishing that the letter finds them well, Paul wishes that they know the grace and peace of God.
  1. Grace is God’s unearned favor resting on us through Christ.
  2. True peace that comes from knowing the one unchanging thing (God) in a constantly changing world is available through Christ as well.
3. “Then he mentions the good things he desires for them when he says, grace be unto you and peace. These two goods include everything: first, there is God’s grace remitting sins: for by grace you have been saved through faith (Eph 2:8); lastly, there is man’s peace: he makes peace in your borders (Ps 147:14).” -Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians, 1.1.7.

³I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

“I thank my God every time I remember you…”
1. Paul doesn’t say this about every church. There are some he worries about, others that have conflicts, and some that are actively disloyal to the Gospel, but this church is a genuine source of joy to him.
2. Notice that he thanks God, not just them. He thanks the giver, rather than take joy merely in the gift of the church.
“Partners in the gospel”
1. They are not just recipients of the Gospel, but active partners with Paul in spreading it.
2. We are all called to be partners with one another, even across different callings. Some are pastors. Some are teachers. Some are evangelists. Some can give more time or money than others. Every one of us can do incredible ministry, but we need people to partner with us and encourage us to be the best God is calling us to be.
3. We have to support one another if we want to make a difference in a world where the enemy is active and would love to isolate and destroy us.
4. “And this Paul means by fellowship. They give a share to us, he means, in carnal things, and we give a share to them in spiritual things. For if God for little and worthless things grants the kingdom, His servants too, for little and material things, give a share in spiritual things.” -Chrysostom, Homily 1 on Philippians.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”
1. Just as God taught the great prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 18:1-12, God molds and shapes his people through the Holy Spirit every day.
2. That work continues until the Day of Christ Jesus, or the second coming of Jesus, when all will be made perfect: no sorrow, no pain, no disease.
3. Paul’s confidence is rooted in the grace that he sees in the Philippians and the trust that he has in God. He will finish what he’s obviously started.
4. “The chief thing, indeed, to be understood here is — until the termination of the conflict. Now the conflict is terminated by death. As, however, the Spirit is accustomed to speak in this manner in reference to the last coming of Christ, it were better to extend the advancement of the grace of Christ to the resurrection of the flesh.” -Calvin, Commentary on Philippians

⁷It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

The Philippians did not abandon Paul when he was imprisoned. This wasn’t his first imprisonment, but they remained faithful supporters in both good and difficult times
His love for them isn’t built on their material gifts or their delightful personalities, but on the affection of Christ that flows through him.
“He calls not God to witness as though he should be doubted, but does this from his great affection, and his exceeding persuasion and confidence; for after saying that they had fellowship with him, he adds this also, in the tender mercies of Christ, lest they should think that his longing for them was for this cause, and not simply for their own sake. “ -Chrysostom, Homily 1 on Philippians
We are called to love with more than our own limited human love: we’re built to allow God’s love to flow through us
1. Though he was not a Christian, the quote from the medieval Islamic poet Havez puts it beautifully: “I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath moves through—listen to this music.” -Hafiz, as translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

“…that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best…”
1. Paul does not simply pray that they love more — he prays that their love grows in knowledge and depth of insight.
2. The issue is not whether we love. Everyone loves something. The question is: what do we love, and how do we love it?
Our affections are disordered in this fallen world.
1. We can love the talents that God gave us so much that we imagine that they’re products of our excellence, rather than his generosity.
2. We can love money so much that we find joy in hoarding it, rather than in using it to further God’s kingdom.
3. We can love food so much that we eat it just to taste it, rather than appreciating that it is God’s provision for us.
Augustine wrote on the need for Christians to learn to rightly order their affections, especially having experienced his own chaotic younger days before he knew God.
1. “I loved you far too late, beauty so old and so new—far too late. You were in me, but I was outside myself looking for you in the world. In my ugliness, I plunged into those beautiful created things which you made. You were with me, but I was not with you. Those beautiful things kept me far from you, even though they wouldn’t have existed at all if they didn’t exist in you. You called out to me and overwhelmed my deafness. Your radiance pierced my blindness. I drew in your fragrance and now pant after you. I tasted you, and now I only hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am on fire to have your peace.”-Augustine, Confessions, X. 38.
2. “For he loves you too little who loves anything together with you which he does not love for your sake.” -Augustine, Confessions, X. 40.
Paul’s prays that that the obvious love in the church at Philippi continues to be rightly ordered so that they can see the giver’s glory shining through every good gift and love him all the more for it.
Someday, we’ll stand in front of Christ and look at him eye to eye. We long to hear him say “Well done, good and faithful servant,” (Matt. 25:21). Paul prays that they hear exactly that, as they live a life that loves well and is pure and righteous in Christ’s sight.

Full Transcript

Today, we begin a fresh undertaking as we go through the book of Philippians chapter by chapter and verse by verse. In many ways, it is not a particularly large undertaking—it is a short book of the Bible, only four chapters, so it will probably take around eight weeks to get through it all. But just because it is short does not mean there is not tremendous depth to it. Philippians is a book I recommend to new Christians all the time, as well as to people who just feel beat up, because it is like a warm hug on a cold day. It is encouraging and delightful. Even the way Paul teaches doctrine in this letter is particularly beautiful.

This book is an epistle, which is just the fancy church word for a letter. This letter was written from the Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi, which means there are some factors that might help us understand it well. For example, what was the deal with Philippi? What was the church there like, and why did Paul write them a letter? Before we dive into the content directly, let’s do a little background work so we can understand it well, as it will pay off in the long run.

Philippi was a Roman colony in the region of Macedonia. A Roman colony was a city set up by citizens for citizens, making it very Roman in its people, culture, and legal system. Outside of Italy, local cultures across the Roman Empire could vary significantly—for instance, the area surrounding Philippi in modern-day Greece might feel quite Greek—but within the colony itself, the atmosphere was distinctly and patriotically Roman.

About a hundred years before this letter was written, Philippi was the site of a civil war that ultimately ended the Roman Republic. Back when the Romans were a republic, they had safeguards against any one person getting too much power. When Julius Caesar politically maneuvered to gain more power, concerned members of the Senate assassinated him. In response, Caesar’s son Octavian and his right-hand man Mark Antony raised armies to fight the most influential assassins, Brutus and Cassius. This major war ended with the pro-imperial faction victorious and the pro-senate faction defeated. Octavian later became Caesar Augustus. Some of the residents in Philippi were descendants of soldiers from that battle, making them proud of their heritage. Much like Gettysburg today, where everything is star-spangled and deeply patriotic, Philippi was a city proud of its Roman roots.

As for the church itself, the Book of Acts records the conversions that led to its foundation, and those individuals were likely still part of the congregation since it had not been that long. In Acts chapter 16, Paul originally intended to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit redirected him through a vision of a man from Macedonia asking for help. Paul went to Macedonia in Europe instead, founding the first European church in Philippi.

Acts highlights three conversions in particular. The first was Lydia, a purple fabric merchant. Purple dye was incredibly precious—worth more than gold—because making it required harvesting sea snails near the city of Tyre. It was so valuable that laws regulated who could wear it, reserving pure purple garments for the emperor and restricting others based on status. As a dealer in purple fabric, Lydia was likely wealthy and well-connected. After she and her household heard about Jesus and were baptized, the church gained its first converts.

Later, as Paul and his companions walked through Philippi, they were followed by a slave girl possessed by a demon—literally a “spirit of Pythonus,” an animal associated in Greek culture with Apollo. Local residents believed her fortune-telling abilities came from Apollo, and her owners made a great deal of money off her. She followed Paul’s group, shouting that they were servants of the Most High God declaring the way to be saved. Although the statement was true, Paul eventually cast the demon out of her.

This created trouble when her owners, realizing their source of income was gone, dragged Paul and Silas to court. They were beaten and thrown into the darkest, dankest cell of the prison. That night, despite their suffering, they were praying and singing hymns. Suddenly, an earthquake shook the prison, opening the doors and loosening everyone’s chains. Instead of fleeing, the prisoners stayed put. When the jailer saw the open doors, he drew his sword to commit suicide—a customary act for a Roman officer facing utter disgrace. Paul stopped him, assuring him that everyone was accounted for. Seeing this, the jailer asked how to be saved, received the gospel, and was baptized alongside his family.

Thus, the core of the Philippian church included a wealthy purple merchant, a Roman jailer, and presumably the former slave girl. This became a healthy congregation that Paul frequently cited as a positive example. They supported him regularly, which brings us to the reason for this letter.

Paul wrote this letter from a Roman prison. He was not in a dungeon; he was under room arrest in a rented space, chained and guarded around the clock while awaiting a decision from Emperor Nero. Because he could not leave, he needed financial support to pay rent and buy food. Hearing of his need, the church at Philippi sent him financial aid. Paul wrote back to thank them, encourage them, and teach them.

The opening two verses follow the standard pattern of ancient letters:

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

In that culture, letters began by identifying the sender, which made it immediately clear who was speaking. Paul included Timothy, his co-worker in the gospel to whom he would later write First and Second Timothy. He addressed the letter to all God’s holy people in Philippi, alongside the overseers (or bishops) and deacons. In the early church, terms like overseer and elder were often used interchangeably for leadership roles, while deacons managed specific ministries. Paul addressed the whole body—congregation and leaders alike. His greeting of “grace and peace” wished them both the unearned favor of God through Christ and the deep spiritual security that comes from resting in Him.

In verse three, Paul transitions into thanksgiving:

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Paul expressed pure joy over this church, referring to them as his partners in the gospel. Though Paul was an apostle, he viewed the believers as fellow workers. In the same way, Christians are called to partner with and support one another in their distinct roles, whether as pastors, teachers, or supporters. Paul was confident that God, who began this work in them like a potter shaping clay, would continue refining them until the day of Christ’s return.

He continued in verse seven:

“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; and whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Jesus Christ.”

The Philippians stood by Paul through good times and bad, supporting him even when he was imprisoned. Because of their faithfulness, Paul loved them not merely out of personal preference, but with the genuine affection of Christ.

Finally, in verse nine, Paul offered a specific prayer for their growth:

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Paul prayed that their love would be guided by knowledge and spiritual discernment. It is easy to misplace our affections on material blessings, wealth, or earthly comforts rather than on God Himself. Paul wanted them to love wisely and rightly so that, on the day they stand face to face with Jesus, they might hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

John 7:37-52: The Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles

August 25, 2026September 2, 2026 ~ Vincent

Video Teaching
Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Full Transcript

From the Pulpit

Commentary

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

The First Seven Days: Daily Water Libation Ritual
1. During the Feast of Tabernacles, a water libation ritual was performed for the first seven days.
2. A priest would carry a golden pitcher from the temple to the Pool of Siloam to fill it with water. He would then go back to the temple, leading a celebratory procession on the way, and pour out the water on the temple’s altar alongside a little wine.
3. The water symbolized gratitude for God’s provision in the past (especially how he provided for Israel during their time in the wilderness) and how he had provided the crops that they just harvested that year.
4. The wine was a reminder that God had not just provided sustenance, but joy.
The Last (Eighth) Day of the Feast
1. On the eighth and final day, there is no water libation ritual. Instead people pray for water for the coming year to nourish their crops.
2. Jesus is standing up on a day that everyone is praying for water and using the metaphor of water to speak to people in a way that addresses exactly what they’re praying for.
3. This is also the last day of the feast, so Jesus won’t have another opportunity to address this particular crowd of people.
4. It’s easy to imagine how passionate his teaching would be on this particular date. He’s like a pastor that’s giving one last heartfelt sermon to his congregation before he moves on. “If there’s one thing to learn, here it is! Please listen!”
5. “On the last day. The first thing that ought to be observed here is, that no plots or intrigues of enemies terrified Christ, so as to cause him to desist from his duty; but, on the contrary, his courage rose with dangers, so that he persevered with greater firmness. This is proved by the circumstance of the time, the crowded assembly, and the freedom he used in exclaiming, while he knew that hands were stretched out on all sides to seize him; for it is probable that the officers were at that time ready to execute their commission.” -John Calvin, Commentary on John 7
The Invitation: “Come to Me and Drink”
1. “O blessed invitation, how sweet it should be to every thirsty soul! ‘If any man’ — prince or pauper, ‘any man’ — moral or utterly debauched, ‘if any man thirst, let him come unto me,’ — not to ordinances, nor to human priests, ‘let him come unto me, and drink,’ as much as he will “without money, and without price.” -Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible, John 7.
2. The invitation is broad and open to anyone. It doesn’t matter how wealthy you are, or where you’re from, or what your heritage is. There are a few prerequisites to answer the call, but it’s not about any of that.
3. Prerequisite 1: Being Thirsty
  1. “The first prerequisite for a person to co me and drink is that they have to be thirsty. In Scripture, thirst is commonly associated with a deep yearning for closeness with God: Ps 42:1-2, Psalm 63:1, Isaiah 55:1, Isa 65:13 etc.
  2. Sin has disrupted our relationship with God. We aren’t in a good place with him naturally. That’s why we yearn for the closeness that was lost at the dawn of humanity in Eden.
  3. Some people have been thirsty so long that they don’t even recognize it anymore. They assume that deep emptiness is just normal, or they push it down by pursuing other things that will never fill the yearning in their heart, but might distract them and numb them for a time.
  4. There are many who call themselves Christians that still aren’t really thirsty for God. They assume that a bit of church in their life or a spare prayer is enough God for them. Jesus needs thirsty people to come and drink, not people who have had enough of him for now.
4. Prerequisite 2: Taking Action
  1. If a person wants to come to Christ and drink, they have to actually act on that interest. Even the thirstiest person stays thirsty if they sit by an oasis and refuse to drink.
  2. There is no amount of theorizing that can end in salvation. Thinking can prime the pump, but until it is accompanied by action, it’s insufficient.
  3. Sometimes, we excuse delays in coming to Jesus. Our life is too busy! Too chaotic! This just isn’t the right season for devotion. We’ll get right with the Lord tomorrow. There are a million excuses to delay action.

³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

1. When John Wesley was banned from Anglican pulpits because of his “religious enthusiasm,”, he began field preaching and used this very verse to invite people to accept the gospel in his day. His journal entry for April 8, 1739 reads: “About five thousand were in the afternoon at Rose Green (on the other side of Kingswood); among whom I stood and cried in the name of the Lord, “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 shall flow rivers of living water.”
“…rivers of living water…”
1. Those who “drink” of God’s grace become life-giving sources for others, helping quench spiritual thirst.
2. Believers should ask how often they nourish others. A true Christian doesn’t just take; they give to everyone freely.
“By this he meant the Spirit…”
1. “Yet we read of John the Baptist, He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother’s womb. (Luke 1:15) And Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied. Mary was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied of our Lord. And so were Simeon and Anna, that they might acknowledge the greatness of the infant Christ. We are to understand then that the giving of the Holy Spirit was to be certain, after Christ’s exaltation, in a way in which it never was before. It was to have a peculiarity at His coming, which it had not before. For we no where read of men under the influence of the Holy Spirit, speaking with tongues which they had never known, as then took place, when it was necessary to evidence His coming by sensible miracles.” (Augustine, De Trinitiate, iv. c. xx)

⁴⁰On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

⁴¹Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴²Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. ⁴⁴Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

“the people were divided because of Jesus.”
1. Division appeared at every level: Jesus’ family (His brothers), the crowd, between leadership and the people, and within leadership itself (Nicodemus vs. other Pharisees).
2. Jesus made it abundantly clear that he would not be a unifying force for the world. To the contrary, he would divide it (Matthew 10:34-37).
3. Unity within a group of people is no substitute for the real power of Christ being offered to us by him. It can be complicated to determine when we need to come together, and when something demands that we act divisively to cling to Christ, but we’re called to that work.
4. A very large church going through the United/Global Methodist split once said that regardless of what the denomination’s official stance on Scripture or same sex marriage was, they would not leave the denomination because, “Division is not a kingdom reality.” One can only wish that they were around to correct Jesus’s divisiveness, much less Paul’s constant concern about churches following false doctrine that draws them away from Christ (Acts 20:29-30, 2 Corinthians 11:4).
“How can the Messiah come from Galilee?”
1. Some people object that he can’t be the messiah because he’s not from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and not a descendant of David (Isaiah 11:1). Jesus is both of these things, but they don’t bother to ask him to clarify.
2. They use their concerns to keep a distance between themselves and Jesus, rather than recognizing them as an opportunity to seek the truth.
3. “And how could they forget that Jesus was born [in Bethlehem]? Had not Herod given them terrible reason to remember it?” (John Wesley, Notes on the NT, John 7)

⁴⁵Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

“No one ever spoke the way this man does.”
1. Temple guards, specifically loyal to the Sanhedrin, were sent earlier (Jn 7:32). One must imagine that this was not the first man they’d ever arrested on the Sanhedrin’s orders! But in spite of their loyalty, they can’t bring themselves to arrest Jesus.
2. They were captivated by His words, which rang true. They could not seize Him. God was at work in their hearts.
3. “The Pharisees and Scribes profited nothing by seeing the miracles, and reading the Scriptures; but their officers, who had done neither, were captivated with once hearing Him; and they who went to take hold of Him, were themselves taken hold of by the miracle. Nor did they say, We could not because of the multitude: but made themselves proclaimers of Christ’s wisdom: The officers answered, Never man spake like this Man.” -John Chrysostom, Hom. lii. 1

⁴⁷“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

The Pharisees’ Reaction
1. The Pharisees answer with classism, calling the people a “stupid mob,” ignorant of the law and deceived.
2. They argue none of the rulers or Pharisees believe in Jesus, which is is quickly proven false as Nicodemus is just about to speak in his favor.
3. They dismissed the guards’ experience, telling them to stop thinking and simply obey.

⁵⁰Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

⁵²They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
1. Nicodemus’s, who previously spoke with Jesus in John 3, speaks up to defend him.
2. Nicodemos’s defense isn’t even particularly intense. He asks only that others investigate Jesus before condemning him, as is required by law.
3. The Pharisees mock him: “Are you from Galilee too?” implying he’s a country bumpkin like the others that favor Jesus and certainly not one of them.
4. “Nicodemus indeed knew, or rather believed, that if only they were willing to give Him a patient hearing, they would perhaps become like those who were sent to take Him, but preferred to believe. They answered from the prejudice of their heart.” -Augustine, Tractate 33, 2.
They claim, “a prophet does not come out of Galilee,” despite the fact that Jonah was a historical prophet that was indeed from Galilee. Their bias prevents them from seeing obvious truths in front of them.

Full Transcript

We are on the last third of chapter seven. We saw in the beginning, that first third, there’s this festival coming, the Feast of Tabernacles, and Jesus’ brothers taunt him. They say, “Look Mr. Big Shot! You think you’re such a big deal? Go down to Jerusalem with us and show everyone what you can do! Show them your miracles! I’m sure they’ll be real impressed!” And Jesus told them, “I don’t work on your timeline. I work on my Father’s timeline. I’m not doing it.”

So they leave, they go to the festival. Jesus does go to the Feast of Tabernacles, not to do miracles, but as someone devoutly seeking to keep the law. And that second third, we saw that Jesus about halfway through the festival can’t hold back from teaching. He’s heard so much bad teaching that he just can’t help himself. He starts teaching people the truth, and he is compelling. The crowds can’t help but be enraptured by the things that he’s saying. Jesus is incredible. He is eloquent, he is thoughtful, he is saying things that they have always known to be true, and now they’re hearing it, and they’re amazed.

But not everyone. There are some people that throw up barriers, that bring up these strange questions that don’t really make a lot of sense when you think about them. They find reasons not to listen to Jesus; barriers to make. That’s when we also see the rulers getting frustrated. They sent some soldiers to go and seize him, but they couldn’t.

Now as we get ready to go into this final third of chapter 7, there are a few things here. We see it’s the last day of the festival. The festival’s eight days long; Feast of Tabernacles lasts for eight days. Remember, this is a festival that has a dual nature to it. On one hand, you’re being thankful for the distant past. You’re thankful for the forty years in the wilderness where God provided manna and provided dew and kept the Israelites safe during that forty years of wandering. You are giving thanks for God’s provision in the past. For the recent past, this is also a harvest festival, and so you think back on the crops from the past year, what God gave you in food and water recently, and you are giving Him thanks for that. That is the essence of this particular feast.

For seven days, they have a little ritual that they do every morning to show that. The priest would go from the Temple Mount down to the Pool of Siloam, which is a few hundred feet away. He would take a golden pitcher and he would kneel down and get some water. Remember, this is a feast, a festival, exciting—there are people celebrating, like a little parade. They take that pitcher full of water to the altar, and then they pour it with a little bit of wine on the altar to symbolize giving thanks to God for the water, both from those forty years and from the past year that helped nourish the crops. You are giving thanks for what you drank and for what the crops had. The wine symbolizes joy, because God hasn’t just given you enough to sustain you; He has also brought joy.

For seven of the eight days they start the day with that, but on the last day, on the eighth day, there is something a little different. On the eighth day, they don’t do that. There’s no libation ritual. Instead, everyone just thinks about water. They don’t actually work with it ritually; they just pray to God: “God, please for the coming year continue to provide water for your people. Continue to provide the water that’s going to nourish our crops and keep us here.” So this last day, everyone is thinking about water, and Jesus is going to talk to them about water.

Keep in mind, this being the last day, not only is there that significance of knowing that everyone’s praying for water, but this is also the last time Jesus is going to get to speak to these particular people. This is the last time he’s going to see this particular crowd, and we can see he’s especially passionate. It tells us he spoke loudly when he was teaching this day. It doesn’t always tell us that. There’s a certain kind of passion that comes out when someone knows this is their last opportunity to be heard.

I’m sure you’ve seen it. You’ve seen different pastors have their last sermon, and the last one usually is a little extra passionate because they’re trying to say that one thing: “If you didn’t get anything out of me, this is the thing I hope you remember.” That is exactly what Jesus did. He’s a little extra passionate. He knows this is his last opportunity to reach these people, and so here he goes. He is speaking with passion, speaking to them with his heart. He goes to them and he uses that theme of water. Everyone’s praying for water, and he says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.”

That’s a pretty broad invitation, right? “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” Anyone can go to Jesus. You don’t need to be of a certain economic status, you don’t need to be from a certain continent, you don’t need to be a certain race. Anyone, any singular person on this earth is capable of going to Jesus. But this broad invitation does show that not necessarily everybody will.

There are a few things that you need to do. First, you got to be thirsty. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” We are made for God. Just look at Genesis—from the very beginning, there was this closeness between humans and God that was disrupted by sin. We long for that closeness; we long to be close to God. That’s normal, that thirst is natural. It’s just us wanting to be what we’re supposed to be.

Now, some people have been so thirsty for so long, they don’t even feel it anymore. They don’t even recognize that yearning; they just think it’s how you’re supposed to feel: “Oh yeah, that deep-seated sense of emptiness? That’s normal. Don’t worry about that. Just push it down with a fun Friday night and try not to think about it too much.” It’s not normal. We have to pray for people that don’t feel that thirst. They feel it, but they’re used to it; they feel like it’s natural. It’s not! We pray that they sense it.

It’s not just non-Christians. Sometimes there are people who think of themselves as Christians who think, “Oh, I go to church enough. I pray enough, I do enough of the Jesus thing.” If you have had enough to drink, you are not thirsty, and that is a prerequisite. Jesus says, “You have to be thirsty. You have to want it.”

It’s not just about wanting it; there’s a second part to this: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” You got to do something. It’s not just about that internal yearning, acknowledging that it exists and following it. You got to do something. The most thirsty person in the entire world, if they were right next to an oasis, would continue to be thirsty if they did not take a drink.

Sometimes you’ll occasionally meet people that say, “Oh man, I really wish I was one of those spiritual people that had a relationship with God. I wish I was, but I’m just really busy right now. This schedule… I’m busy, I can’t do it right now, but someday I’ll get to it. I know that it’s important to do the God thing, but right now it’s just not a good time. My life is chaos. I’m going to get to it!” Even if you feel that thirst, if you’re not doing it, it doesn’t make a difference. You have to do something. You have to make the choice to turn to Jesus, and it’s an active choice. Jesus tells us not only to recognize our thirst, but to go to him.

Then there’s a third thing too: what’s the third thing? Well, he tells us, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

If you feel that thirst and if you drink, you should have rivers of living water in you. You should become the kind of person that can help others find and drink of that grace of God. You should be a fount of it yourself through the Holy Spirit. Every one of us should be that. I think that’s one of those things you have to think about every so often. You have to ask: Do I have that in me? Am I someone that takes and takes and takes, or am I the kind of person where, wherever I go, people find life? Am I nourishing others? Do I see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit where I’m going? Because if we have drunk of the grace of God through Jesus, that is what is supposed to happen. That’s the next step. If it’s not happening, we have to take a step back and ask, am I really drinking of that grace? You got to want it, you got to drink, and you should see that bubbling up of the Spirit in your life. Others should find their thirst quenched through the grace of God in you.

Now people hear this and it makes an impact. On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”

We’ve got two groups that recognize that Jesus is doing something important, and then this third and final group. Isn’t it interesting? Earlier the crowd said, “Well, Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah because we’re not supposed to know where the Messiah comes from.” That doesn’t make any sense. Now, a few days later, they’re like, “Well, the Messiah’s supposed to come from Bethlehem and he’s not from Bethlehem. He’s from Galilee.” Their excuses are changing depending on the circumstances just to find ways to create distance.

Jesus is from Bethlehem, and they could know that. All they have to do is one thing: go to him and ask. He’s right there. He’s not far. But they don’t. They don’t go to him and ask. Instead of using that question as an opportunity to go to Jesus, they use it as a way to create distance, as an excuse to not have to take him seriously anymore.

There’s this great quote from theologian James Boyce. He writes, “Are you the one who has been rejecting Jesus Christ on a quibble? Do you refuse to come because you cannot understand where Cain got his wife, or how God can punish sinners, or why we are to believe in a virgin birth or a resurrection? Is there some little question that you’re using to create distance between you and God?”

If you have those questions, you can use them to go to Jesus, to ask and to learn, but you got to go to him. You can’t just sit with them and use them as an excuse. See how these people—their question had an answer. All they had to do was ask, and they didn’t, so they missed out. Don’t let a quibble hold you back. Don’t sit with that one question, saying, “I’m not going to buy in until X, Y, Z,” without looking into it or asking Jesus, just going about your life using it to create distance. Don’t hold back. If you’ve got those quibbles, ask, seek an answer. Go to Jesus. He will answer.

Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him because his hour had not yet come.

Finally, the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

They sent these guards days ago to get Jesus and bring him in, and the guards just started listening to Jesus. They heard him speaking, and something about his words rang true. They were beautiful; they were right. They had to hear just a little bit more every day, and in the end, they couldn’t bring themselves to seize Jesus.

We saw earlier it said it was not time; God had a plan for Jesus, so they couldn’t do it. This explains the logic of it. Why did it happen? It’s not like Jesus had a magical force field that activated from God. God was at work in their hearts; they could not lift a hand against Jesus.

The Pharisees respond, “You mean he’s deceived you also? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! This mob knows nothing of the law. There is a curse on them.”

The Pharisees respond with pure classism: “You stupid guards! We don’t pay you to think. Do you see any of the leaders believing it? Do you see any of the Pharisees believing this? No!” By the way, they’re wrong on both counts. When Jesus was born, there happened to be three kings that were very interested in seeing him, and Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, had been to see Jesus. There are repeated instances already where they’re wrong, but they don’t even care about the details. To them, they are the elites, and if someone is really one of them, they would never believe this Jesus guy. “You stupid guards wouldn’t get it. Stop thinking and just do what we tell you to do.”

Nicodemus, the Pharisee who went to Jesus—you remember him all the way back from John chapter 3? Under the cover of night, Nicodemus went to Jesus, curious but also a little hesitant. He told Jesus, “You told us we’re supposed to be born again. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, Jesus. I hear you’re a great teacher, but what am I supposed to do? Crawl back inside my mother’s womb?” There’s a reluctance to him, but also a curiosity.

Now we see, as he sees the Pharisees coming against Jesus and his fellow members of the elite lining up, he recognizes that this is not right. They are not living up to their own standards. They haven’t even heard this Jesus guy, they don’t even know what he’s about, and they’re sure he’s wrong. He warns them, saying, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he’s been doing?”

“You guys don’t even know what Jesus is about! Let’s talk to him! You should hear what he has to say.” Nicodemus has heard it, and clearly it made an impact on him. They should hear it too.

Their response to Nicodemus is just, “Are you from Galilee too?” Remember, Galilee is that rural region Jesus is coming from. “Look, are you some kind of hick? You one of them? You can’t be one of us if you’re not willing to attack Jesus. Are you from Galilee too? Look into it. You will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Which is wrong on multiple counts, because first off, prophets historically had come from Galilee. There was no region of Israel that was permanently barred from having people that were faithful to God. As a matter of fact, one of the more prominent prophets, Jonah, is from Galilee, and there are others as well. There were prophets that had come from Galilee. But maybe they meant the prophet of prophets, the King of kings, the Messiah will not come out of Galilee. They would be right if that’s the case, but they would also be asking the wrong questions, because Jesus is not from Galilee. Jesus is from Bethlehem.

As we come to the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, one major theme to think about—there’s a particular scripture that comes to my mind from the book of Matthew that really cuts to the heart of John chapter 7. Matthew 10:34–36: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Jesus has come to save, but that’s difficult work. It would have been easier to just leave us as we were, but the earth as it is does not always want to be saved. There are battle lines being drawn. You see how Jesus causes separation: there’s a division within his own family as his brothers don’t believe in him, the crowd is separated from one another because some believe and some don’t, the leadership is separated from the people as they rely on prejudice to say anyone who’s not one of them is stupid, and leadership is divided from other leadership.

Divisions continue as people have to ask the question: Whose side are you on? The side of Jesus or the side of the world? That is a division where you can’t be neutral. You either know the King and are obedient to him, or you’re not. You can’t be neutral towards the King and be one of his servants.

That’s a good thing for all of us to ask ourselves: If the battle lines have been drawn, have we chosen to be on the side of Jesus? Are we there? Are we experiencing it? If we’re not, the invitation’s always there. Jesus gave it 2,000 years ago, and it still stands: “Anyone who is thirsty, come to me and drink.” If you do, you will be filled with a river of running water through the Holy Spirit.

Tag: Aquinas

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