Abiding (I)

John 8:30-31 are transitional in the story of what happened that day after the Feast of Tabernacles when Jesus came early to the temple to teach. He was interrupted by those trying to trap Him with the woman caught in the act of adultery. He had a very contentious exchange with the Jewish leaders about His identity. But, it appears He may be gaining some ground. "Many came to believe in Him." About this time we would be jumping up and down and preparing to go to press with the headlines, "Tabernacle Campaign A Big Success: Many Believed." We would be counting the numbers of how many walked down front to give their hearts and lives to Jesus. But, not so fast. In the text, it says that "many believed in Him" (30) and "those Jews who believed Him."(31) If we put the two together we see that many believed Him and even believed in Him. But, Jesus was not ready to throw a party over it. He keeps on talking instead of calling it a day and proclaiming victory. As He talks it seems the gains He has is undone. We see the same thing in John 6. He went from feeding thousands and them wanting to make Him a king by force, to everyone but the 12 walking away because His teaching was too hard. Is Jesus trying to win people or drive them away? He is not after some impressive set of numbers. He is about telling people the truth about their condition and the solution He alone offers. This is not a negotiation. This is not a marketing campaign. This is a presentation of truth, and who loves it, and who is willing to abide in it.

Jesus wanted to see who would be a true disciple. Simple impulsive faith does not mean one is a real disciple of Jesus. Many have been impressed with Jesus and His marvelous acts of kindness and power, while at the same time not being willing to listen to His words and follow Him. So Jesus gives the test of discipleship as abiding in His word. This will lead to a knowledge of the truth that will set the person free. If you fast forward to the end of this section (8:59) you will find these same people picking up stones to kill Him. The word they heard previously obviously did not find  the good soil necessary for spiritual growth to take place. The apostle John uses the word "abide" (meno) some 54 times in four books (John, 1 John, 2 John, and Revelation). Some of the references are merely someone staying or abiding in a physical location. But, the others are significant for understanding the doctrine of abiding.

In John 5:38, a parallel passage to John 8, Jesus declares that they do not have God's word abiding in them because they do not believe in Him. Now here in John 8 they do believe in Him, proving the word has gotten in and began to sprout and grow, but this is not the test of discipleship. It must continue to grow. The word "continue" is another synonym for abiding. Temporary abiding does not make one a disciple. In John 6:27,56 Jesus connects our abiding to the food that abides or endures. Some food spoils easily and is good for nothing. The food that abides is the food that like the manna is taken in daily. It is the flesh and blood of the Son of God that is constantly consumed that causes one to remain in Him. Jesus knows that it is easy to "join" His band of brothers, but it is much more difficult to remain in His band of brothers. (More to come)