Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
Jesus is the only person who ever walked the earth and did not sin. Now to be accurate we need to realize that what is meant by “sin” in this context means to sin against God. As far as the Pharisees were concerned Jesus “sinned” all of the time because he did not follow all of their rules. Obviously just because Jesus didn’t sin against God did not mean he did not sin against the Pharisees.
Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?
Each one of us has a sense of what “Truth” is or isn’t. Yet how many of us are right? If one hundred people each have a different idea of “Truth” then there are one hundred different definitions of truth. What are the odds that even one of those is right, let alone one? Certainly there can be no more than one true Truth.
Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
I don’t know if you have ever thought of Jesus as gutsy before, but really, if Jesus had been a cowboy instead of a Jewish carpenter, it is hard to imagine a more tense situation even if he had been surrounded by armed bad guys all holding loaded guns pointed at him. Staring down this crowd of angry Jews was really gutsy. And he didn’t back down from his message one bit:
As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
As Jesus labors to be understood by the Jews he is talking with, the conversation quickly turns to his Father. The question of who Jesus’ father is has become a major point of contention. It is interesting that God would arrange things so that Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father, would pass on before Jesus starts his ministry. Jesus does not claim to be the son of Joseph, but rather the son of God Himself.
In the heat of the discussion, Jesus says to the Jews, “… you are doing what you have heard from your father.” (v 38) The Jews are incensed:
Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did.”
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.
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.
Continue reading “Not From Around Here”
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.
Continue reading “Death”
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.
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.
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.
Continue reading “Slave or Son?”
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.
Continue reading “Time Warp – Happy New Year!”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”