21 Again He said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”

22 So the Jews began to ask, “Will He kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

23 Then He told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 That is why I told you that you would die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

25 “Who are You?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world.”

27 They did not understand that He was telling them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me. 29 He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”

30 As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Keith Hengpoonthana

The hard reality is this: there are going to be people who hear or read the gospel but will not believe or understand it. But there will also be those that hear or read the gospel and will accept it as truth that Jesus is one who is sent by God the Father so that we might be saved and not perish in our sins. Jesus makes it clear that those who don’t believe in him will die in their sins.

I found Jesus’ words a painful reminder that there will probably be family and friends we care about who will not believe in him. It may well be that you have tried hard to share the good news with them. Jesus had the same experience, since he says he had been telling them “from the beginning” (v.25). This is not the first time they had encountered Jesus declaring he IS “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), but they still refused to believe and they still did not know Him.

Does that mean we should stop sharing the gospel with people like that? Definitely not! It would be wrong to hear Jesus rebuking these stubborn, non-believing Jews, and conclude that there are people we know who can’t possibly be saved. In fact, what really sticks out for me from this passage is the remarkable line in verse 30: “As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him.” He also said that more would come to know the truth after he had been lifted up on the cross and glorified (v.28).

We can never know who may or may not believe, or when someone will believe, but we do know that it will only be after they hear the gospel truth about Jesus being lifted up and glorified, and Jesus speaking the will of the Father. Some may believe after they hear it for the first time, and others after hearing it a hundred times, or even the very last time before their dying breath.

Are you currently praying for a non-believer? Pray that God would help you not to be discouraged and to persevere in sharing the gospel with them, even though it may be difficult to get through to them. Remember that our heavenly Father hears our prayers and only He can save. Are you bold enough to be like Jesus in telling the world the truth? My prayer for you is that by sharing the gospel many would come to believe and be saved. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keith is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.