Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vols. 13–63

Christ thus spoke to His adversaries.

Verse 29. And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father has not left Me alone: for I always do those things that please Hi. Brothers and Sisters, what Christ could say, I trust many of His servants can also say in a like manner. "He that sent me is with me." What power, what pleasure must the Presence of God give to His servants! "The Father has not left me alone." Oh, how blessed to feel that behind us is the sound of our Master's feet and that in us is the Temple of His Presence! We cannot, however, say as Christ did, "I always do those things that please Him," for, alas, we have the remembrance of sin this morning—and have to confess it in His sight. But let us also remember that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

30, 31. As He spoke these words, many believed on Him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples, indeed. It is not a mere profession that makes a man a saint—there must be a continuance of well-doing. We bind lads apprentice for a little time, but no man belongs to Christ unless he belongs to Him forever. There must be an entire giving up of one's self, in life and unto death, to the Lord's cause.

32-34. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered Him, We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: why do You say, You shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. There is this in the original, "Whoever makes sin." It is not exactly, "Whoever commits it," because if so, all would be the servants of sin and God would have no sons at all! But it says in the original "Whoever makes sin," that is, whoever makes it his choice, and makes it the delight of his soul— whoever does this is the servant of sin and is no son of God.

35. And the servant abides not in the house forever, but a son abides forever He may be in the house and have slender privileges for a time, but these soon go away.

36. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free, indeed. And give you the privileges of sons!

37. 38. I know that you are Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill Me because My word has no place in you. I speak that which Ihave seen with My Father: and you do that which you have seen with your father Men always act according to their natures. We shall find the polluted fountain sending forth filthy streams. We do not expect to hear sweet singing from a serpent, nor, on the other hand, do we expect hissing from the bird, but every creature is after its own kind. Christ, coming from the Father, reveals God! Ungodly men, coming from the devil, reveal the devil.

39-42. They answered and said unto Him, Abraham is our father Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. You do the deeds of your father Then said they to Him. We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me. You should see in Me a brother. You should perceive in Me the attributes of God and, being made like unto God as His sons, you would love the Godhead in Me.

43-44. Why do you not understand My speech? Even because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do.Christ does not speak very gentle words at all times. A deeply-rooted disease needs a sharp medicine—and He gives it. He uses the knife, sometimes, and if there is a deadly ulcer that must be cut away, He knows how to do it with all the sternness of which His loving heart is capable.

44. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth because there was no truth in him. The first murder was committed by his suggestion. Cain was guilty of it, but Satan instigated it. He has always been a man-killer and so Christ says that inasmuch as they sought to kill Him, they were worthy sons of their parent. "There is no truth inhim."

44. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own. It is his own idiom. You may always know him by it. 44. For he is a liar, and the father of it The father of all liars and of all lies!

45-46. And because I tell you the truth, you believe Me not Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe Me? Oh, matchless argument! Now were they silent, indeed! His whole life was before them. He had not lived in secret and yet He could appeal to his whole life—from the first day even to this time—and say, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" It is this that weakens our testimony for God—that we are so imperfect and full of sin. Let us seek to imitate the Master, for the more clean we are from these imperfections, the more shall we be able to shut the mouths of our adversaries.

47, 48. He that is of God, hears God's words. You, therefore, hear them not, because you are not of God. Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, Say we not well that you are a Samaritan, and have a devil?Always abuse your adversary if you cannot answer him—this is always the devil's tactic! When he cannot overthrow religion, then he seeks to append opprobrious titles to those who profess it. It is an old and stale trick and has lost much of its force. Our Savior did not answer the accusation of His being a Samaritan, but inasmuch as what they said about His having a devil, would touch His Doctrine—He answered that.

49-51. Jesus answered, Ihave not a devil, but I honor My Father and you do dishonor Me. And I seek not My own glory: there is One that seeks and judges. Verily, verily, I say unto you. If a man keeps My sayings, he shall never see death.The sting of it shall be taken away—he may fall asleep—he will do so, but he shall not see death.

52-56. Then said the Jews unto Him, Now we know that You have a devil! Abraham is dead, and the Prophets, and You say, If a man keeps My sayings, he shall never taste of death Are You greater than our father, Abraham, who is dead? And the Prophets who are dead? Whom do You make Yourself to be? Jesus answered, If I honor Myself, My honoris nothing: it is My Father who honors Me; of whom you say that He is your God: yet you have not know Him; but I know Him: and if I should say, I know Him not, I shall be a liar like you: but I know Him and keep His saying. Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad. There is a great force in the original language here, "He was glad." There was an excessive joy which holy men had in looking forward to the coming of Christ. I do not think that we give ourselves enough room for joy in our religion. There are some persons who think it the right thing to restrain their emotions. They have no bursting forth of joy and seldom a shout of sacred song. But oh, my Brothers and Sisters, if there is anything that deserves the flashing eyes and the leaping feet, and the bounding heart, it is the great Truth of God that Jesus Christ has come into the world to save sinners, even the chief! Let us be glad as often as we make mention of His name.

7. Then said the Jews unto Him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham? Why, He was hardly thirty, but sorrow had made him appear older.

58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am. Here He claims His Deity to the fullest extent! And those who can read the New Testament and profess to believe it—and yet not see Christ as a claimant of Deity—must be sinfully blind!

59. Then they took up stones to cast at Him: but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the Temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. This is always the sinner's argument against the right! First, hard words, and then stones!

Verses 1-3. After two days was the feast of the Passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft andput Him to death But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper A well-known person. There were plenty of Simons and so they had to put another name to distinguish him. You remember Simon the Pharisee, in whose house Christ was anointed by a woman who washed His feet with tears. This is another Simon. Not Simon the Pharisee, but Simon the Leper. A healed man, no doubt, or he could not have entertained guests. There can be no question by whom he was healed, for there was nobody else that could heal leprosy except our Divine Lord. "And being at Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper."

3. As He sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she broke the box and poured it on His head. It does not need any "it," "poured on His head." The liquid nard flowed over His locks and, as it was with Aaron, it went, doubtless, down His beard to the utmost skirts of His garments.

4. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? Matthew says that they were disciples. Shame on them! The ointment was put to its proper use. It was more wasted when it was in the box than when it was out of it, for it was doing nothing inside the alabaster box! But when it came out, it was answering its purpose. It was perfuming all round about. "Why was this waste of the ointment made?" When lives are lost in Christ's honor, or strength is spent in His service, there is no waste. It is what life and strength are made for— that they may be spent for Him.

5. 6. For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence and have been given to the poor And they murmured against her, And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble her? She has worked a good work on Me. Or "in Me.'"

7. For you have the poor with you always. If you help them one day, they are poor and they need helping the next. Or if you help them and leave them, leaving them because they go home to God, there are other poor people sure to come, for they will never cease out of the land. "You have the poor with you always."

7. And whenever you will, you may do them good. But Me you have not always. "You can only do this for Me during the few days that I shall be with you. Within a week I shall be crucified. Forty more days I shall be gone from you. Me you have not always."

8, 9. She has done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint My body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wherever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also what she has done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.And it is so to this day! Christ's Gospel is preached, tonight, and this woman's love will be remembered. John also speaks of this in his 12th Chapter.

Verses 1, 2. Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper. It was in the house of Simon the Leper, a near acquaintance, perhaps, a relative of this beloved family, for we find that Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him. The two families had joined for this festival, and well they might, for in one case, someone had been healed of leprosy, and in the other case Lazarus had been raised from the dead! It was a holy, happy feast.

2, 3. And Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus The other Evangelist said, "anointed His head." And they are both right. She anointed His head and His feet.

3. And wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Everybody perceived and enjoyed it—and understood what costly ointment it must be which loads the air with so delicate a perfume.

4. Then said one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which would betray Him. I wonder whether he was son of that Simon the Leper, and whether a spiritual leprosy did cling to him! That, we know, was the case.

5, 6. Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag, and took what was put therei. Observe that the sharpest critics of the works of good men are very often no better than they should be. This Judas is indignant with what Mary does, and claims that he cares for the poor, but all the while he is a thief! Whenever a man is very quick condemning gracious men and women, you may be quite as quick in condemning him. He is usually a Judas.