John 8:52-56 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
Continuing from the last post, the Tyranny of Language, I left you some key verses from John. I asked what it was that Jesus was preaching that was so different from the linguistic dissimulation that has covered the Bible in confusion and obscurity, that we like to call clarity, for so many centuries. What have we missed?
Just about every word that Jesus spoke was a parable. However, none of our exegetes pick up on this and consistently apply it (Mat 13:13, 34, Mark 4:2,11-12,34). The Parable of the Sower is the parable, but parabolic speech is denied for such passages as John 8 and 9. This despite the fact that in both Jesus tells his audience that they are effectively listening to parables by their inability and refusal to understand.
39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
Veiled speech (see John 8:43). As for what this veil is hiding before them, Jesus quotes Psa 78: “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
Well, what’s so parabolic about Jesus telling the Pharisees “you do the deeds of your father” and “you are of your father the Devil?” Well, I’ll tell you.
According to our interpreters and theologians, what is most important about these passages is always taken from v.58: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus was saying that he is preexistent? Indeed he is, but that is not the first meaning that Jesus is wanting to push home here.
Jesus is not primarily concerned with the Pharisees’ rejection of him as God. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of understanding the fulfillment of ancient biblical prophecies regarding the Messiah. These prophecies, some of which pertain to future events like the resurrection, serve as a crucial framework for recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and ultimately as God. To fully grasp Jesus’ identity, one must engage with these prophecies, prioritize them in their religious beliefs, evaluate them in light of Jesus’ teachings, and ultimately make a decision to follow him. The fulfillment of prophecies related to the Messiah’s role as a healer, preacher of the Good News, revealer of hidden truths, and his death and resurrection are key indicators of Jesus’ identity. Jesus embodies the essence of the prophetic words, serving as the manifestation of God’s will before being acknowledged as God through faith.
It is a critical error of the Church to put the conclusion of God before the certainty that, to faith, Jesus must first be the Messiah. If he fails to have the credentials of Messiah he is neither. If he is God he is the Messiah, but he is not God or Messiah to faith unless God enters the world and fulfills the messianic mandates. The regard for the office of Messiah stands between the potential believer in God and God himself, but that regard can come only from that unique revelation that stands between the Messiah and the believer.
When reading this, lets just experiment and follow what I assume to be Jesus’ parabolic logic pertaining to him as the Word of God. If Jesus was equating himself biblically with the Prophets and faith of the Prophets, the religious motivation by the words of the Prophets alone, Jesus wants us to transpose his personal symbol with its meaning of the whole testimony of the prophets concerning him, the Prophetic Word (PW):
John 8:52-56 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that [the fulfillment of the PW] has a devil. The [human faith father of the PW] is dead, and [his faith children in the PW]; and [you, the PW] sayest, If a man keep [my, the PW’s] saying, [he, those who believe the PW] shall never taste of death. Art [you, the fulfillment of the PW] greater than [the human faith father of the PW], which is dead? and [his faith children in the PW]: whom makest [you, the fulfillment of the PW]? [the fulfillment of the PW] answered, If I, [the fulfillnent fo the PW]. honour [myself, the fulfillment PW], [my, the fulfillment of the PW] honour is nothing: it [my, the PW’s] Father [of the PW] that honoureth [me, the PW]; of whom [you, those who do not believe the PW] say , that [the Father of the PW] is your God: Yet [you, those who do not believe the PW] have not known him; but [I, the PW] know him: and if [I, the PW] should say, [I, the PW] know him not, [I, the PW] shall be a liar like unto [you, those who do not believe the PW]: but [I, the PW] know him, and keep his saying. Your [faith human father of the PW] rejoiced to see [my day of the fulfillment of the PW]: and [the faith father of the PW] saw it, and was glad.
“Before [the faith father of the PW Abraham] was, [the PW was established as the only basis for the religion of man], I [the Prophetic Word] AM. That is, the Prophetic Word is before all things.
The hermeneutical key to the Book of John is found in the first verse: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Notice that in this statement there is only one mention of a person: the Father. The other entity here is the Word. This is John’s way of saying that before Jesus is a person to faith he is the Prophetic Word of God which reifies Him. There is no way to righteously accept the Person, and especially the deity of that person, without the prophetic certification going before Him. Our carnal minds glom onto the personal object and read that as referring only to the particular personal aspect without the necessary reference to a particular Word. Hence, our faith is in the exclusive and singular Man/God, not the exclusive and singular Word which is both an ultimate Scripture and a Truth.
This renders the meaning of this and hundreds of other passages that are taken for granted as claims of theological propositions and turns them to the scriptural basis of all theological propositions, the oracles themselves. This is the context of John 8, which tell of the challenge to Jesus on the basis of false religious priorities, which Jesus turns to the messianically prophetic one, which neglect and disbelief is the reason for their rejection of Jesus.
There are 6 key figures involved in this narrative: the Father, Jesus, the mainstream religionists (the Jews), Abraham, and the Prophets. They are symbolically represented as the Father of the Word of God [the PW], the fulfillment of the Word of God [the PW], those who lack religious motivation as a primary concern, the human faith father of the Word of God [the PW], and those who are driven by the Word of God [the PW]. Viewing the situation through this lens, it becomes clear that the central conflict revolves around Jesus challenging not just a religious belief, but an entire prophetic foundation. This foundation suggests that the primary focus of any religious belief should be on justifying itself without the need for explicit scriptural or miraculous validation.
Jesus is the embodiment of God’s Word, making him the Son of God and the living expression of that Word. Abraham, who lived long before the establishment of the Law, served as the original model for the prophetic faith that Jesus later preached. This faith anticipated a future Savior and formed the basis for a new religion centered around this expectation. As a result, Abraham is considered the patriarch of many nations whose people would come to believe in this Word. Abraham’s descendants, including the prophets, continued to uphold this faith. However, the religious scholars and followers of the world often reject this interpretation. Their goal is not only to discredit these scriptures but also to suppress and eliminate them.
This is easily paraphrased:
John 8:52-56 “Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?”
Paraphrase: “Those of the religious principle and an interpretation of the scriptures that go against the authority of the messianic prophecies inquired of those same prophetic scriptures, ‘now we know that you, the oracular religious principle, are an evil to religion. The prophecies state that the father of that faith in the oracles is dead, and those that preached exclusively a faith founded on them are dead, and did not see them fulfilled. But you, those same prophecies, propose that they are being fulfilled now. Is the mere claim of fulfillment only by some miracles greater than the scriptures that promised them? To what level of authority in religion do you assume? You cant be of such importance unless you fulfill them in a way that supports our faith paradigm, which demands that we see only the prophecies of a messiah triumphant messiah who takes the Law as the way to righteousness.”
But the fulfillment is not just a claim now, its a reality. Messiah must fulfill the prophecies of his office of Redeemer, priest, and preacher of good news before he comes as a conqueror.
“Jesus answered, If I, honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
Paraphrase: “The prophetic scriptures said, if the PW makes a claim that is not demonstrated in its entirety, the claim is nothing. If the PW comes to fulfill itself by the force its own power, as you take the Law, the claim of the fulfillment of King Messiah is nothing, just as your claim of righteousness by the Law. It is the Author of these scriptures that honors them in his power to bring them to fruition. This is the same Author that you say is your vital religious center. You don’t know the Author, but the real Oracles that have come to pass, and are coming to pass now, speak of Him authoritatively, and if these same oracles should be interpreted to say that he is not their Author, they would be false prophecies, like you are false prophets. The Oracles know that Author, and they are fulfilled in their entirety and alone prepared for for the faith. The one whom you claim to be your personal faith principle, the biblical type of Abraham, is not your father as the Author is my father, because that faith principle saw in that same oracular Word of God that which is being fulfilled now, and expressed great joy in it.”
V. 58: “Before [the human faith father of the PW] was, [the PW was established as the only religion of man].
Note that in John 5, we see the exact thing:
Note this statement:
John 5:31–32: 31: “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.
He refers to messianic prophecy as the testimony, which is given as revelational equivalent of the Father. Then:
John 5:38: “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.”
John 5:39–47: 39: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40) and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41) “I do not receive glory from men; 42) but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43) “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44) “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? 45) “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46) “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47) “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Before Abrahams was was the Word, and the Word was with God. Not just Jesus the Person, but the prophetic plan of redemption, which was later seen by Abraham and announced in detail the prophets, and historically, miraculously fulfilled by Jesus.
This whole exchange, and all of them, are Jesus’ teaching of a certain kind of spiritual and religious law (Jer 31:31) or his confronting of detractors. He is not making claims of himself by himself, but all claims are made through the prophets (Luke 24:44, John 5:39, John 14:10), as all the prophets were told what to speak not by their own authority (2Pe 1:21), but by the Father Author of the scriptures (2Pe 1:21). Moreover, he expects faith not to take to itself righteousness by force (John 16:30-32, Mat 11:12-19,), but only thorough the messianic predictions fulfilled in Jesus.
There is nothing about either Jesus the person or the Word of God of the prophets that cannot be taken as interchangeable, and the invitation by Jesus to do so is by his use of parabolic speech. This is why John’s logos theology was divinely codified and works flawlessly. The PW can be abused, humiliated (John 19:2), spat upon, tortured (John 19:1), killed (apparent failure of fulfillment, John 19:30), and it can rise again (vindication of God’s righteousness) when all of it is fulfilled. It can be incarnated (fulfilled), it can speak, it can walk (is carried through the world by its relational power), it can heal, and, by being realized hundreds of years after declaring the future, miraculous. Jesus is its Person, its reason for existing, its originator, its Author, its maintainer, its interpreter, its ultimate steward, its fulfiller. If we are his, what we are, or should be, are the people of the Prophetic Word. Not our own word, not the word of other people, or the culture, or a denomination, or our feelings, or any doctrinal conclusion that we use as an idol.
Everything is a parable, even “you do the works of your father.” Fail to see through that one and repent and nothing is more fatal.
Christ and the Norming of Transcendence: Passing by Nehushtan
Matthew 5 and the Adultery of the Heart: Passing by Nehushtan
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