Confronted
Opening Prayer
Christ Jesus, through Your Word help me to honestly appraise my own faults and character.
Read John 8:21-30
[21] Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” [22] This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” [23] But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. [24] I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” [25] “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. [26] “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” [27] They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. [28] So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. [29] The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” [30] Even as he spoke, many believed in him. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What was the difference between Jesus and his enemies (23)?We all have blind spots. That’s a fact. Apparently, all vertebrates have a blind spot at the back of their optic disc where there are no cells to detect light. If you’re a driver you’ll know about blind spots; there’s a certain part of the road that you can’t see–and it’s different for men and women. We can also have blind spots in our perception of ourselves. In Growing Leaders, James Lawrence uses the “Johari window” (a square diagram with four panels) to talk about this. There’s the “arena”–the part of ourselves that we and others see; the “facade”–behind which are the parts we see but don’t want others to see; the “blind spot”–the part that others see but we don’t see; and the “unknown”–the part of us that is so subconscious that neither we nor others see it. The Pharisees have blind spots. They are confounded by Jesus, even though he is completely upfront with them. His description of himself emphasizes this (28). It echoes the name that God used with Moses (Exod. 3:14), which in Hebrew can be rendered in different ways, including, “I am what I really am” and “I am what I am telling you that I am.” The Light of the World has no facade–he is completely transparent.
Apply
Draw your own “Johari window.” Let it help you think about what people see and don’t see in your character.
Closing prayer
Holy One, I need the probing light of Your Spirit. Expose my sin and lead me to repentance.
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