Life Sentence
Opening Prayer
“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!… For with You is the
fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Psa. 36:7,9).
Read John 8:48-59
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
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
The claim of Jesus in 8:58 is breathtaking. This tells us that the voice which said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” is the same voice that said, “Let there be Light.”
The Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, who died in 43 B.C., observed that “orators are most vehement when they have the
weakest cause, as men get on horseback when they cannot walk.”
This truth can be seen in today’s reading, as Jesus’ Jewish
opponents—having been named “in court” as children of the devil and without a leg to stand on in their defense—resort to accusing him of being a Samaritan inhabited by a demon (48)! This, along with their open mockery of his subsequent responses to their empty challenges (52,53,57), constitutes a desperate attempt to sidestep his judgment of them and to discredit him in the eyes of the “court”/community. This demonstrates the truth of Jesus’ claim that they have no room for his word (John 8:37). Could John be
driving the point home by recording them as slightly misquoting in verse 52 what Jesus actually says in verse 51 about those who obey his word never seeing death?
Despite Jesus’ earlier verdict that they are children of the devil (John 8:44), the accusers once more invoke Abraham as their father (53). Ironically, this enables Jesus to confirm the centrality of his own place in God’s plan of salvation. Abraham had complete faith in God to deliver on his promise, and he could therefore rejoice at the prospect of God’s salvation finally being revealed. This very thing is now happening in the person of Jesus (56). As the agent of God’s salvation, Jesus identifies with the name of God (58), implying that he, like God, embodies life within himself. That the Jews respond by reaching for stones (59) verifies all Christ’s claims about them and reminds readers just how soon a rebuke from Jesus can be turned into attempted murder (John 8:7).
Apply
What practical steps can you take to ensure that the Word of God remains in you amid the stresses and strains of everyday life?
Closing prayer
Lord, I believe that You are not only the beginning but that You predate the beginning; that when the beginning began, You existed.
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