He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham,, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"

Jesus answered "If I honor Myself My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  

Jesus said to them "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple," going through the midst of them, and so passed by. 

 

- John 8:47–59 

 

In our latest readings, Jesus has been disputing with the religious leaders in the temple, at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  Yesterday we read that they answered Jesus, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants but you seek to kill Me,, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them "If you were Abraham's children you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

  "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  In Jesus' latest disputes with the religious leaders, He has emphasized their lack of real love of God.  He has taught them that His words are given to Him by God the Father, but their loyalties lie elsewhere, so they reject Him.  

 

 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham,, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"   As the religious leaders (the Jews) are unable to defeat Jesus through logic or truth they resort to the use of personal insult.  (See also John 9:34.)  

Jesus answered "If I honor Myself My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"   Once again Jesus returns to the problem of witnesses to His identity.  In this case He returns yet again to the Father as witness.  He says to the religious leaders, "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him."  Because Christ keeps God the Father's word, He is true to the One who sent Him, the witness He names.  Next Christ names Abraham, who understood that the day of Christ would come.

 

Jesus said to them "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.  I AM (In Greek, ego eimi) is the divine Name of God in the Old Testament.  This Name was first revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  For the Jews, this is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God -- which we see by their reaction!  (See also Mark 14:63-64).   My study bible tells us that John places special emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim, it says, illuminates Christ's authority even over death (verse 52), which is a power that belongs only to God the Father. 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  This is the theme Jesus returns to over and over again.  It's as if the acceptance of God's words is somehow based on a connection to start with.  This is a sort of connection deep within the heart, that confers relationship, communion.   This is  a sense that is repeatedly returned to in John’s Gospel, that the truth is a living reality which we are a part of through faith.  It refers to a kind of acceptance deep within the heart, and not something easily nameable through surface references to a nominal group, like a nationality, or a collection of people with the same interest, or a class of people.  It is something that works deep in the heart of people, which may not at all be discernible through a surface level of attention or awareness.  There are times in our own lives when we may be made aware of another person whom we say is on our same “wavelength,” or someone who believes a truthful testimony in a sense that is nearly instinctive, for want of a better word.  It is at these times that we begin to discern a kind of thread that runs under the surface of things, connecting us together with others.  We might be tempted to call it empathy, we might find other reasons to explain it, but from the perspective of the Gospels there is a faith which is truly characterized by a trust in and acceptance of the good, the life of the love of God.  Some of us may have had experienced in which we felt an instant connection with someone, a face we somehow knew we could trust.  This frequently happens in times of trouble, if you listen carefully to people’s experiences.  There are ways in which we respond to the love we feed in others, even when their message isn’t necessarily immediately welcome.  The love and trust of God works similarly within us, at depths which are hard – if not impossible – to truly discern.  Nevertheless it is something real and experienced by generations of people through centuries of faith.  It is a trust in God which gives a communion, a joint participation in something.  Let us seek during Lent to strengthen this connection, this communion, through increased prayer and focus on seeking and doing the will of God as best we can.  The words of Christ are meaningful through this connection of love with the Father.