Depicting God’s Truth In Partnership with His Holy Spirit
David W Palmer
(John 15:22–23 NKJV) “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. {23} He who hates Me hates My Father also.”
Our wonderful Lord Jesus was speaking of the people who rejected both his Father and him. He says, in effect, that they would have been better off if they had never heard him or seen the signs and wonders God sent through him. Jesus had already said something similar tothem in John 9:
(John 9:39–41 NLT) Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” {40} Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” {41} “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”
Pride prevented these Pharisees from admitting they were blind spiritually. Obviously, they were; earlier in John 9, they were unable to “see” what caused the “man” to be born blind. They couldn’t see the problem, and they certainly couldn’t see the solution. Jesus, on the other hand, could plainly see both; and he demonstrated this to them conclusively by healing the man’s blindness (See: John 9:1–7).
The fact of these Pharisee’s spiritual blindness was obvious to everyone else, including the ex-blind man. But they still refused to admit they were [spiritually] blind, and therefore in need of a spiritual shepherd—which Jesus obviously was—to guide them. As a result of this proud choice, Jesus assessed them thus: “You remain guilty because you claim you can see.”
(John 15:24–25 NLT) “If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. {25} This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’”
The “miraculous signs” that God performed through Jesus were sent to confirm that his message was truly from God:
(Hebrews 2:1, 3–4 NLT) So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. ... {3} So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? {4} And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.
We note that in this passage, not only does the Holy Spirit tell us plainly that “God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders, etc.,” but it warns us to “listen very carefully to the truth we have heard.” In other words, if God sends us an important message, and then confirms it with supernatural signs—such as healings—then we should not focus our attention on the messenger, but listen very humbly to the message.
Why is the message so important? Because it is God speaking to us. And we certainly don’t want to receive the assessment that the Pharisees of John 9 received; so, let’s heed whatever message God sends our way—especially when he confirms it clearly with supernatural signs and wonders that are from him.
The Pharisees, etc. refused to listen to the message God sent and confirmed to them through Jesus. As a result, Jesus said that their refusal to heed was tantamount to hating God:
(John 15:24–25 NLT) “If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. {25} This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’”
The apostle Peter was present at the Last Supper, and was on the walk to Gethsemane when Jesus said this. Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he later said:
(2 Peter 2:21 NLT) “It would be better if they had never known the way to rig
