20250128 [새벽묵상] 마음을 완악하게하면 예수님을 알 수 없습니다 | A Hardened Heart Makes it Impossible to Know Jesus (요/Jhn 8:12~20)

8:12 예수께서 또 말씀하여 이르시되 나는 세상의 빛이니 나를 따르는 자는 어둠에 다니지 아니하고 생명의 빛을 얻으리라

[Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony]

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

8:13 바리새인들이 이르되 네가 너를 위하여 증언하니 네 증언은 참되지 아니하도다

13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

8:14 예수께서 대답하여 이르시되 내가 나를 위하여 증언하여도 내 증언이 참되니 나는 내가 어디서 오며 어디로 가는 것을 알거니와 너희는 내가 어디서 오며 어디로 가는 것을 알지 못하느니라

8:15 너희는 육체를 따라 판단하나 나는 아무도 판단하지 아니하노라

8:16 만일 내가 판단하여도 내 판단이 참되니 이는 내가 혼자 있는 것이 아니요 나를 보내신 이가 나와 함께 계심이라

8:17 너희 율법에도 두 사람의 증언이 참되다 기록되었으니

8:18 내가 나를 위하여 증언하는 자가 되고 나를 보내신 아버지도 나를 위하여 증언하시느니라

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

8:19 이에 그들이 묻되 네 아버지가 어디 있느냐 예수께서 대답하시되 너희는 나를 알지 못하고 내 아버지도 알지 못하는도다 나를 알았더라면 내 아버지도 알았으리라

8:20 이 말씀은 성전에서 가르치실 때에 헌금함 앞에서 하셨으나 잡는 사람이 없으니 이는 그의 때가 아직 이르지 아니하였음이러라

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

                오늘의 말씀은 요한복음 7:52절에서 연결되는 말씀으로 보시면 이해하기가 한결 편합니다. 이스라엘의 절기인 초막절 그 마지막 날에 예수님께서 ‘나는 세상의 빛이다’ 라고 말씀하신 것이지요. 초막절은 이스라엘의 절기로서 말 그대로 풀로 천막을 지어 8일동안 거하면서 이스라엘이 40년 광야생활을 하는 동안 천막 가운데 지냈을지라도 하나님께서 그들과 함께하시고, 인도하시고 보호하셨던 것을 기념하는 절기입니다. 초막절에는 몇가지 행사를 같이 하는데요 그 중에 하나가 초막절 마지막 날에 성전 안에 있는 여인의 뜰 네 모퉁이에 있는 촛대의 불을 밤새 환히 밝히는 것입니다. 이는 그들이 광야를 지날 때 하나님께서 불기둥으로 그들을 인도하시고 보호하셨던 것을 감사하며 기념하는 행사이지요. 바로 이 초막절 마지막 날, 촛대의 불을 환히 밝힐 때에 예수님께서 당신을 가르켜 “나는 세상의 빛이다” 라고 말씀하신 것입니다. 아마도 이 말씀을 들었던 당시의 사람들은 예수님께서 무슨 말씀을 하시는지 알았을 것입니다. 하나님의 임재와 인도하심을 상징하였던 불기둥처럼 예수님께서 하나님이시며 이들을 이끄시는 분이심을 말입니다. 그러나 바리새인들은 그런 예수님의 말씀을 받아들이지 않습니다. 그들은 끝까지 예수님을 거절합니다. 그 결과로 오늘 말씀에 예수님께서는 그들이 예수님을 알지 못하고 하나님도 알지 못한다고 말씀하십니다. 이처럼 마음을 완악하게 하면 예수님을 알 수 없는 것입니다.

Today's message connects with John 7:52, which will help us better understand the context. Jesus declared "I am the light of the world" on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, one of Israel's major festivals. The Feast of Tabernacles was a celebration where people lived in temporary shelters for eight days, commemorating how God dwelt with, guided, and protected Israel during their 40 years in the wilderness.

During this festival, there was a significant ceremony: on the final night, they would illuminate four large menorahs in the Court of Women in the Temple. These lights burned brilliantly throughout the night, remembering how God had led them with a pillar of fire through the wilderness. It was at this precise moment, with these brilliant lights blazing, that Jesus declared, "I am the light of the world." Those who heard Him would have understood the profound significance of His words - He was claiming to be the divine presence that had led Israel, the very presence of God Himself. However, the Pharisees refused to accept this claim. They rejected Jesus completely, and as our passage shows, Jesus states that they know neither Him nor the Father. This demonstrates how a hardened heart prevents us from truly knowing Jesus.

                12절에 예수님께서 “나는 세상의 빛이다”라고 하신 말씀은 예수님의 신성을 드러내신 매우 중요한 선언입니다. 요한복음에는 이런 예수님의 신성을 드러내는 “나는 ~이다”라고 하는 선언이 7번 나오지요. 그 일곱 번의 선언 중에 특별히 오늘 본문의 “나는 세상의 빛이다” 라고 하시는 이 선언은 초막절의 마지막 날 촛대를 밝히는 행사와 또 바로 다음에 있을 맹인의 눈을 밝히시는 표적 사이에 있는 매우 상징적인 선언입니다. 예수님께서 바로 이 생명의 빛 되심을 직접 말씀하실 뿐만 아니라 당시의 상황을 통하여서도 이들에게 전하고 계시는 것입니다. 그런데 13절에 보니 바리새인들은 도무지 그 말씀을 받아들이려 하지 않습니다. 13절입니다. “바리새인들이 이르되 네가 너를 증언하니 네 증언은 참되지 아니하도다” 무슨 말씀입니까? 이들에게는 예수님이 무슨 말씀을 하시던지 그 메시지가 중요한 것이 아니었습니다. 그들은 들으려고 조차 하지 않습니다. 왜냐하면 율법에 따르면 신명기 19:15에 증인은 두 명 이상이여야 한다는 규정이 있었기 때문입니다. 예수님께서 아무리 스스로를 가르켜 나는 세상의 빛이다 라고 할지라도 다른 한 명의 증인이 더 있지 아니하면 그것은 믿을 수 없는 말이라는 것입니다. 이들의 말은 얼핏 보면 일리가 있는 말 같습니다. 예를 들어 우리가 비행기를 탈 때 우리가 누구인지를 증명하려 할 때에 나는 이종우라는 사람이다 라고 말을 하기보다 보통 신분증을 건네주지 않습니까? 이 신분증이란 무엇입니까? 바로 정부나 공신력 있는 기관에서 이 사람이 이종우다 라고 증언해 주는 증서이지요. 즉 내가 나를 증언하고 또 내 신분증이 나를 증언함으로 내가 비로소 이종우다 라는 것을 증명하는 것이지요.

Jesus' declaration in verse 12, "I am the light of the world," is one of His most important statements revealing His divine nature. In John's Gospel, there are seven "I am" statements, and this particular one is especially symbolic, positioned between the Festival's light ceremony and the upcoming miracle of healing a blind man. Jesus not only directly proclaims Himself as the light of life but also uses the surrounding context to communicate this truth. However, in verse 13, we see the Pharisees' immediate rejection: "The Pharisees challenged him, 'Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.'"

What were they saying? For the Pharisees, the actual message wasn't important - they weren't even trying to listen. They based their rejection on Deuteronomy 19:15, which required two or more witnesses for valid testimony. They argued that Jesus' claim about being the light of the world couldn't be trusted without another witness. At first glance, their argument might seem reasonable. For instance, when we board a plane, we don't just declare who we are - we show identification. This ID is essentially a second witness, issued by a trusted authority, confirming our identity.

                그러나 이들이 알지 못하였던 것은 예수님께서 혼자 계신 것이 아니라 하나님 아버지와 함께 하신다는 것입니다. 그렇기 때문에 14절 말씀에 예수님께서 “내가 나를 위하여 증언하여도 내 증언이 참되니” 라고 말씀하시는 것입니다. 그리고 그 근거로서 “나는 내가 어디서 오며 어디로 가는 것을 알거니와” 라고 말씀하십니다. 예수님이 어디서 왔고 어디로 가는 것이 어떻게 예수님의 증언이 참되다는 근거가 되는 것일까요? 어떤 사람의 증언을 증명하는데 있어서 그 사람의 출신과 목적지를 근거로 제시하는 것은 말이 되지 않습니다. 그러나 예수님이 하나님으로부터 오셨으며 다시 하나님께로 가신다는 말씀은 예수님과 하나님이 하나이심을 보여주심으로 근거가 되는 것입니다. 16절 말씀처럼 예수님은 혼자 계신 것이 아니라 예수님을 보내신 하나님께서 예수님과 함께 계셔서 예수님을 증언하신다는 것입니다. 이를 두고 예수님께서는 17절에 그들이 목숨처럼 여기는 율법을 들어 확인하고 계시는 것입니다. “너희 율법에도 두 사람의 증언이 참되다 기록되었으니” 18절입니다. “내가 나를 위하여 증언하는 자가 되고 나를 보내신 아버지도 나를 위하여 증언하시느니라.” 자 예수님의 변론이 끝났습니다. 예수님께서 스스로를 “나는 세상의 빛이다.” 라고 증언하신것에 바리새인들이 네가 두 증인을 세우는 절차를 따르지 아니하였기 때문에 너의 증언은 위증이다 라고 말한 것에 대해 예수님께서는 나 뿐만 아니라 하나님이 나를 증언하신다 라며 모든 변론을 마치신 것입니다. 그렇다면 이들은 어떻게 해야 할까요? 이들이 요구한 조건을 충족하신 예수님의 증언을 받아들여야 하지 않겠습니까? 아 예수님이 세상의 빛이시구나 듣고 믿어야 하지 않겠습니까? 그러나 그들의 마음은 완악하여 예수님의 말씀을 들으려고 하지 않습니다. 믿으려 하지 않습니다.

But what the Pharisees failed to understand was that Jesus wasn't alone - He was with God the Father. That's why in verse 14, Jesus responds, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid." He then provides the basis: "I know where I came from and where I am going." How does Jesus' origin and destination validate His testimony? While knowing someone's origin and destination wouldn't normally prove their credibility, Jesus' statement about coming from God and returning to God demonstrates His unity with the Father. As verse 16 shows, Jesus isn't alone - the Father who sent Him testifies with Him. Jesus then uses their own legal requirements against them in verse 17-18: "In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

The debate should have ended there. Jesus met their requirement for two witnesses - Himself and the Father. Shouldn't they have accepted His testimony? Shouldn't they have believed that He was indeed the light of the world? But their hardened hearts prevented them from accepting His words or believing in Him.

19절입니다. “이에 그들이 묻되 네 아버지가 어디 있느냐?” 여러분 이들은 이미 예수님의 육신의 아버지가 요셉임을 알고 있었습니다. 굳이 아버지가 어디 있느냐 라고 묻는 것은 이미 이들이 예수님께서 말씀하시는 아버지가 하나님이심을 인지 하고 있는 것입니다. 이들이 예수님을 죽이고자 하였을 때 가장 큰 이유 중에 하나가 5:18 “하나님을 자기의 친 아버지라 하여 자기를 하나님과 동등으로 삼으심이러라” 즉 예수님께서 하나님을 아버지로 부르신 것을 알고 있었습니다. 그렇다면 아버지가 어디 있느냐고 왜 묻고 있는 것입니까? 예수님께서 예수님 자신 뿐만 아니라 하나님께서 예수님을 위하여 증언하신다 하시니 예수님은 눈 앞에 있지만 예수님을 증언하시는 그 하나님 어디 있느냐고 묻고 있는 것입니다. 즉 그들은 예수님이 눈 앞에 계심에도 불구하고 예수님 안에 계시는 하나님을 보지 못하는 것입니다. 이는 왜 그렇습니까? 그들의 마음이 완악하여 19절 말씀처럼 그들은 예수님을 알지 못하고 하나님도 알지 못하는 것입니다. 만약 이들이 예수님이 누구신지 알았다면 하나님도 알았을 것입니다. 그러나 이들은 마음이 완악하여 끝까지 예수님의 말씀을 듣지 않고 율법으로 예수님을 판단하여 예수님을 알 수 없게 되었고 예수님을 믿을 수 없었습니다.

In verse 19, they ask, "Where is your father?" They knew Joseph was Jesus' earthly father, so this question reveals they understood Jesus was claiming God as His Father. One of their main reasons for wanting to kill Jesus, as mentioned in John 5:18, was that "he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." So why did they ask about His Father's whereabouts? Because while Jesus stood before them, they demanded to see the Father who was supposedly testifying for Him. They failed to see God's presence in Jesus, despite Him standing right before them. Why? Because their hardened hearts, as verse 19 indicates, prevented them from knowing either Jesus or the Father. If they had known who Jesus was, they would have known the Father too. But their hardened hearts, focused on judging Jesus by the law, made it impossible for them to recognize or believe in Him.

말씀을 맺습니다. 바리새인들은 율법에 정통한 사람들이었습니다. 그러나 그들이 그렇게 신성시하던 율법에 막혀 그들은 예수님 앞에 마음을 완악하게 하고 말았습니다. 예수님께서 절기와 표적 가운데 당신이 세상의 빛 되심을 직접 알리고 계심에도 그들은 예수님이 누구인지 알지 못하고 그 결과 그들이 율법으로 섬기고자 했던 하나님도 알지 못하게 되고 말았습니다. 여러분 우리의 마음이 완악하면 우리는 예수님을 알 수 없습니다. 하나님의 말씀 앞에 설 때에 우리 마음은 우리의 생각을 내려놓고 하나님의 말씀을 온전히 들을 자세를 갖추어야 하는 것입니다. 여러분 오늘 말씀의 바리새인들처럼 마음을 완악하게 하지 마십시오. 마음을 완악하게 하면 예수님을 알 수 없습니다. 기도하시겠습니다.

Let me conclude. The Pharisees were experts in the law, but the very law they revered became a barrier that hardened their hearts against Jesus. Even as Jesus revealed Himself as the light of the world through both the festival context and His miraculous signs, they couldn't recognize who He was, and consequently, they failed to know the very God they claimed to serve through their law-keeping.

Dear brothers and sisters, when our hearts are hardened, we cannot know Jesus. When we approach God's Word, we must set aside our preconceptions and be ready to truly hear what God is saying. Don't harden your hearts like the Pharisees did. A hardened heart makes it impossible to know Jesus. Let us pray.