Skip to main content

199. Jesus' Testimony


Key verse: "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
John 8:58

For the Jewish leadership, Jesus was finally speaking clearly. They remembered, in their history, when Moses met Got at the burning bush, before he led the people out of Egypt. Moses had asked: "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The Lord God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they ask me, "What is His name?" Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I Am." (Exodus 3:13-14A) "I Am," "JYWH," is the most revered name of God because it is the name He gave Himself. The Jews treated it so reverently that they wouldn't even speak it. When they were copying it as they copied and recorded their history, prophesies and law, His name was represented by four letters, "JYWH." To hear Jesus so plainly call Himself, "I Am," was blasphemy of a most serious kind, punishable by death if it weren't true.

We know that Jesus was speaking the truth, but to them, these were the words of an irreverent man. He had claimed to be bread, and compared Himself to the Manna from heaven. He had claimed to be magical water that could quench thirst forever. He had claimed to be light that could give life forever. Now, He was claiming to be God Himself. Only a madman, a demon possessed man, would make such claims in the hearing of others. How could he be speaking truth?

Throughout this passage, the issue of paternity has been discussed. Who is your father? Is Abraham your father, the devil, God? At one point, the comment was made, "We are not illegitimate children," (John 8:41) This may have had a double meaning in reference to Jesus. There had to be rumors about Jesus’ legitimacy and paternity. It wouldn't have taken much digging for the leadership to learn that Mary had been pregnant when she and Joseph were married and that Joseph wasn't the Father of her baby. This made Jesus even more loathsome in their eyes and may explain why they called Him a "Samaritan." (John 8:48) To have this man, who, as far as they knew, was unschooled, a simple blue collar carpenter of questionable heritage call Himself "God," was, to them, like dragging God's name through the mud, the dregs of society. Only a demon possessed man could be capable of such disrespectful speech and behavior, unless He was speaking the truth, which they were certain He was not!

John's gospel seems most concerned that Jesus’ testimony about Himself be made known. We will actually explore the, "I Ams," of Jesus in the future. For now, it is enough to know that Jesus did not live a hidden life. He stayed out in the open, showing us how to live an obedient life for the Father whom He loved so much. Jesus is God, not just the Son, or a Son, not a created being. He is God, the second person of the Trinity of the Godhead. When He spoke to the leadership, He was not blasphemous or demon possessed or deranged. He was speaking the truth, but their sin, and love of this world and the power that they thought they had, blinded them to the truth. 

Remember, Jesus had told them that their father was the father of lies. Now those lies were blinding them to the truth of who Jesus is, that could set them free, (John 8:32) if they would only believe and trust in Him.

Hymn: "How I Love You,"  by Keith Green 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...
Post a Comment
Read more

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...
Post a Comment
Read more