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This column represents the thoughts and opinions of The Rev. Carl Roth. This is not the opinion of the Elgin Courier.
“There’s Nothing in the Middle of the Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos” is the title of a book by Jim Hightower, former ag commissioner of Texas and talk radio host. The phrase is aimed against noncommittal, cowardly people who refuse to take sides on an important issue. But as we must see in John 8:42-59, when it comes to Jesus, there isn’t even a middle of the road for yellow stripes and dead armadillos, much less for people — you are either with him or against him, with Jesus or with Satan, no third way given.
How do you know which side you’re on? Jesus gives the diagnostic tools in John 8. He is talking to a group of Jewish leaders who are seeking to kill him (John 8:37), and he calls them children of the devil because they will not listen to God’s Word coming from his lips; they will not believe that he is God in the flesh, the Messiah, the savior of the world. That’s it; that’s the diagnosis: He says to them, “If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
These Jews proudly thought that being physical offspring of Abraham, simply being born Jewish, made them part of God the father’s chosen people. We should hear Christ’s words to the Jews as a warning to us today, if we think we are saved by being part of a specific denomination instead of being saved by the grace of Jesus Christ alone. Jesus says that true children of God love Jesus and gladly hear and believe his word. Jesus says to the Jews and to all who rely on their own works or manmade traditions, “You are children of the father of lies because you do not listen to my word.”
That doesn’t sound very nice, does it? This Jesus is not the warm, cuddly milquetoast that so many people today assume Jesus is. From this we learn that we don’t do people any favors by making “niceness” the highest value and avoiding the truth when it hurts. Does this Jesus appear to be tolerant? Not at all. When it comes to the question of allegiance to Christ or Satan, tolerance is no virtue. Eternal death and eternal life are at stake here.
The Jews were stung by the truth coming from the lips of Jesus, but they were captive to the devil and did not believe Jesus. They accused him of having a demon, so he responded, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my father, and you dishonor me… It is my father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So, the Jews said to him, “You are not yet 50 years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
“Before Abraham was, I am,” Jesus said. Now we get to the part of the story that explains why the Jews wanted to kill him. Abraham had lived over 2,000 years before Jesus was born. And here was Jesus, telling the Jews that he already existed before Abraham did. On top of that, Jesus takes the Old Testament name of God for himself when he says, “I am.” When the Lord appeared to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3), he told Moses, “I am who I am.” That is what Jesus is referring to when He says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus identifies himself as the Lord who created the world out of nothing. The Lord who put the breath of life into Adam and made Eve from Adam’s rib. The Lord who promised to send the Seed of the woman to crush Satan underfoot. The Lord who caused the great flood and saved Noah. The Lord who called Abraham to be the father of all the faithful Israelites who were awaiting the Lord to come in the flesh to redeem His people. Jesus Christ is that Lord, the God of heaven and earth.
And the Jews got what Jesus was saying — they understood that he was claiming to be God — but they didn’t believe him, so they attempted to stone him to death, which was the Old Testament penalty for blaspheming (Leviticus 24:16). This is like the scene from John 5, in which the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus not only for breaking the Sabbath and showing his lordship over the Sabbath, but “he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). This they could not tolerate.
But the Holy Spirit has given Christians the eyes of faith to see that Jesus was not blaspheming but telling the truth: He is the only-begotten son of God incarnate. This identification of Jesus as God the son is so important for us because only God himself could step in to make right everything that is wrong with us and all the creation; only the blood of God could pay the ransom necessary to save us from our sins. So, he did it, out of love for us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten son.” He is the one who came to fulfill the law perfectly and fulfill all righteousness, to bear God’s wrath against sin in your place, to rise on the third day, to destroy the works of Satan, and to give you the right to become children of God through baptism and faith in him.
Jesus says, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God …Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Those who ignore his word, refuse to listen to it, and reject it — they will experience hell with Satan and all the damned. Those who hear his word, believe it, and keep it — they will enjoy the everlasting life he gives them by adopting them as God’s children in holy baptism.
God’s word says that you are either with Jesus or Satan, no third way given. Those are the two alternatives. Not even yellow stripes and dead armadillos can find middle ground. So repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen.
