John 8 – Page 2 – Three Minute Bible

January 5, 2019January 4, 2019

Not From Around Here

As I read through the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life the thing that keeps jumping out at me is how foreign Jesus’ words sound to us here on earth. He continually talks about having come from somewhere else or having existed before Abraham existed; those kinds of things. Today, he does it again!

I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.

John 8: 38

Before Jesus was born on earth he was in the Father’s presence and he remembers what that was like. Jesus knows what God knows and does what God wants him to do. He also knows who his adversaries are. He knows who their father is and he knows it is not God.

January 4, 2019January 3, 2019

Death

Three evil looking eggs look down on a broken shell. — For a while, it looked as if the bad eggs might win…

In my experience, excellence in anything is usually perceived as a threat by those who are mediocre. Perhaps you have experienced this yourself? Have you ever put out extra effort or done something exceptionally well only to have someone make a snarky comment intended to pop your bubble? If you have suffered mockery or insult for doing something well, you are in good company. Jesus did everything well and yet not everyone loved him or appreciated him.

January 3, 2019January 2, 2019

Freedom

The past couple of days we have been talking about what it means to be a slave to sin. Jesus has made the case that anyone who sins is a slave to sin. It seems to me that the concept of being a slave to sin has a lot of ramifications. One of the most obvious ramifications of being a slave is that a person no longer has the freedom do what they think is right. A slave must do what he or she is told to do, there really is no choice.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8: 36

January 2, 2019January 1, 2019

Slave or Son?

By the time this discussion between Jesus and the Jews happens, Jesus is well known as one who speaks his mind and backs up what he says with amazing miracles. The culture at that time included a large number of slaves, people who were servants of someone. How they came to be servants or slaves varied greatly. Some were born into slavery, some were conquered peoples. Some actually came into hard times and sold themselves into slavery as a means of staying alive. Regardless of how they came to be in the service of someone else, a slave was not part of the family.

Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.

John 8: 35

Prior to this Jesus says, “…everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Well, that would have to include everyone except Jesus. While Jesus is very careful about not confronting people directly in situations like this, he clearly means that everyone on the planet is a slave to sin, and technically has no place in God’s family. Unlike the slaves, the son cannot not be part of the family.

January 1, 2019January 1, 2019

Time Warp – Happy New Year!

Our last post was about the arrival of the Magi and the discussion question led us to ponder about the memories of the Pharisees. Many of them would have been between the ages of twenty to forty years old when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and when the Magi cause such a disturbance in Israel with their announcement that they were here to honor the newborn king. As we jump back into the Gospel of John we find Jesus arguing with those same Pharisees who were in Jerusalem thirty-some years earlier when the Magi caused such a stir.

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018

Fire Starter

John 8: 33

” They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’”

Imagine for a moment that you personally are standing in the Temple courtyard during the time of Christ. You have been celebrating the Feast of Booths with your family and neighbors. Suddenly you hear a commotion in another part of the courtyard. You walk towards the crowd to see what is going on and you hear someone say in a loud voice, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Before you can react to what you have heard, someone near the center of the crowd, near the man who had spoken yells angrily, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” Others around him yell supportively, “Yeah, who are you calling slaves?” The reaction of the crowd surprises you. Could the man who caused all of this be the one they call Jesus?

An older man next to you at the back of the crowd turns toward you and you prepare for more anger. Instead, he half-whispers, “I wonder what all of the fuss is about?” Continue reading “Fire Starter”

November 29, 2018November 25, 2018

Set Free

John 8: 31-32

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

So far the past three days we have looked at the teaching of Jesus in this passage, what it means to be his disciple, and what it means to know the truth. Today we will look at the final promise in this passage, the promise that knowing the truth will set you free. As we will see in the next passage, the Jews assign a very literal meaning to the word, “free.” You and I, on the other hand, have the advantage of a perspective that comes from reading the whole of John’s gospel.

Jesus didn’t mean “free” in the sense of being freed politically or judicially. The freedom Jesus talks about applies to all people wherever they are in life: Slaves remain slaves, prisoners remain prisoners, draftees remain drafted. People in bad situations remain in those situations. Jesus does not change where we are or who we are in the physical sense. Continue reading “Set Free”

November 28, 2018November 26, 2018

Knowing Truth

John 8: 31-32

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

I confess that I am curious about your thoughts on yesterday’s post. Do you love to argue or do you argue that we should love?

Regardless, Jesus challenges us with yet another pair of promises. If we hold to his teachings and are really his disciples, we, “…will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” What “truth” is Jesus talking about? Do you know?

A lot of people these days make conflicting claims about the nature of truth. Some say there is no absolute “truth” and others say truth is relative, meaning, I suppose, that truth is what you want it to be or feel it should be or possibly that only what a relative says is truth. 🙂

My old Webster college dictionary defines truth as, “the state or character of being true.” Obviously defining truth can be a challenge. My personal definition is that truth is what really is. For example many people these days say that there is no God. Others say there is. While we might discuss or argue the points in favor of either point of view, the indisputable fact is that all life born on earth will die, and when we die presumably the truth will be obvious to all because we will no longer be subject to deception in the matter. Continue reading “Knowing Truth”

November 27, 2018November 25, 2018

Being Discipled

John 8: 31-32

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

So what did you decide it means to “hold to the teachings of Jesus?” One of the questions that come to my mind is whether or not my salvation is dependent on my ability to hold to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus does not say, however, that if you hold to his teaching you are saved. He says instead that if you hold to his teaching you are a disciple.

Can the power of Christ on the cross save someone who is not able to hold to the teaching of Jesus? I hope so! Like Paul, in his writings to the Romans (chapters 7 & 8) I find that “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” (Romans 7: 21) He then adds, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7: 25a) Jesus himself says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3: 14-15) Continue reading “Being Discipled”

November 26, 2018November 25, 2018

Holding On

John 8: 31-32

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”

I appreciate this opportunity to walk through the Gospel of John with you. Each time I sit down to look at the next passage, whatever it is, I find myself challenged in new ways. In this passage we see Jesus setting out a causal statement ending with three promises. He begins with, “If you hold to my teaching…”

What does it mean to hold to the teachings of Jesus? What does that look like? I suppose this question could be considered the essence of Christianity. Continue reading “Holding On”