CATCH-22
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Opening Prayer
Thank you, Father, for the gift of your Word. Prepare me to receive and apply what you teach me through it today.
Read JOHN 8:42–47
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
42 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. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 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. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Think about people groups of which you are a member. What makes you belong in each group?Jesus addresses these words to people who had seen his miracles and chosen to believe him (v. 31), but according to Jesus they were unable to grasp their dire spiritual condition and their need for Jesus to set them free (vv. 33, 43). Do you ever wonder why some people hear the good news but seem to be impervious to it? Or why some people revere Jesus as a moral teacher but react angrily to the suggestion that they are sinners? According to Jesus, only those who belong to God can hear and understand (v. 47). It seems an impossible situation, a catch-22!
The reason people do not understand is because they are held captive by the devil, caught in his web of lies and unable to recognize and respond to the truth (vv. 43–45). It is a hard truth to hear that every person is held prisoner by sin and the devil (v. 34; see Psalm 14:1–3; 2 Corinthians 4:4), unable to hear the voice of God. The only way out of this catch-22 is through Jesus (v. 36). So, let’s keep talking about Jesus to those who appear deaf to him, trusting God to work in their hearts.
Apply
Where are the places God has provided for you to engage with people who need to hear the gospel? How can you prepare for conversations that point to Jesus?
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, thank you for giving me ears to hear the truth of the gospel that has set me free. Help me to use that freedom in ways that encourage others to hear and believe in Jesus.
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