Emphatic

12.20.13

John 8.45-46 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” (ESV)

John’s gospel certainly seems to have a different tone to it than do the other three. Matthew’s is very Jewish, Mark’s is very concise, Luke’s is very spiritual, and John’s seems to be more explanatory than the other three. Today, after reading John 7 and 8, I get the word: emphatic.

In chapter 7, Jesus’ own brothers are pretty emphatic about what a wannabe needs to do.(cf Vv. 1-13). In 7.14 ff. the crowd seems to be pretty emphatic in their assessment of who Jesus is and what He’s up to. The Pharisees seemed to be pretty emphatic that He was a fraud.

In chapter 8 the argument continues when the Pharisees and leaders bring a woman who was caught in the act of adultery (the very act, they assert). They were pretty emphatic that they’d caught Jesus between a rock and a hard place. They hadn’t, and Jesus called them on it.

Then the Jews insist emphatically that Jesus is no more than a mere man with delusions of grandeur probably because He was a demon plagued Samaritan. And then they emphatically insist they’d never been enslaved to anyone (yet with all the trappings of Roman occupation surrounding them.) They were pretty emphatic that because they were descendants of Abraham, they had a hall-pass from all of the ebbs and flows of human life.

And so back to chapter 7 when the officers come back to the Pharisees empty-handed they reply to the Jewish leaders: “No one ever spoke like this man!” It was an emphatic statement; they were convinced that what Jesus said was true and the leaders were somehow mistaken.

An encounter with Jesus seems to turn the lights on for some who are so emphatic that He isn’t who He says He is. These measure Jesus by their own experience and realize, no one ever spoke like He did. When the lights come on the rest of the world appears differently than it presents itself. It happened to me, and I suspect it may have happened to you. There may be much thrown at us these days which demands our allegiance emphatically. But when the lights are on we realize no one ever spoke the way Jesus did, then (or since). I sure feel that way. Every passing day reminds me of how much someone somewhere is emphatic that Jesus isn’t the Way, the Truth, or the Life. They just haven’t been able to produce a suitable alternative…

Note the exclamation point at the end of the officer’s statement. They exclaimed it like this: NO ONE EVER SPOKE LIKE THIS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were ridiculed for their exclamation. You and I will be too. Truth is though: No one ever spoke like this Man. (For even the briefest of moments, the lights came on for them.)

Father, today through my life may the light of Jesus shine. To this day, no one speaks like Him and He had chosen to speak through His people. May I speak the words of Jesus, and through my life may the light dawn for someone who is emphatic that You and He aren’t who You say You are – through Him, amen.