John 8:12-30

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

The Validity of Jesus' Testimony

¹²When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

¹³The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."

¹⁴Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. ¹⁸I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

¹⁹Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"

"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." ²⁰He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.

²¹Once 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."

²²This made the Jews ask, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, 'Where I go, you cannot come'?"

²³But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be,^a]'> you will indeed die in your sins."

²⁵"Who are you?" they asked.

"Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied. ²⁶"I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world."

²⁷They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." ³⁰Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.

Jesus really turns up his preaching, and, of course, the people have a very difficult time understanding. The people at Jesus time were used to very literal preaching. If he said he was the light of the world, they thought he was telling them he was one of the lamps that illuminated the temple, and that was crazy talk.

The pharisees did not help, (do things that go against Jesus ever help?) as they tried to disprove the things Jesus was saying to the crowds. Sometimes all someone has to do is plant doubt, then people don't know what is truth and what is fiction. As Jesus talks about His Father they asked "who is your father? and where is he now?"

After Jesus told the people that he was going to a place they could not come, the Pharisees concluded that he was suicidal, which of course is a big sin in Jewish law. Jesus was willing to give Himself up for us so they we do not go to hell, that is what is so ironic about this. In spite of the heckling from the leaders, many believed.

Questions:

1. What does Jesus mean when He says He is the light of the world?

2. Do we really know who Jesus is?

3. Do we, as humans, still try to confuse our world about the Truth?

Prayer- Dear Lord, Give us the patience and discernment to truly understand You and what You want us to do. Help us spread the truth about Your love and grace. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.