Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?

 

 "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 

 

Jesus is currently at the Feast of  Tabernacles in Jerusalem, as we read through chapter 8.  He has been in disputes with the religious leaders, who unsuccessfully tried to have Him arrested.  Yesterday we read that they answered Him, "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."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" My study Bible comments that, unable to defeat Christ through logic or truth, these enemies resort to personal insult.  They will do so again in the following chapter (John 9:34). Personal insult (as well as Scriptural error) was also their response to Nicodemus when he questioned whether Jesus should be judged without a hearing (John 7:50-52).

 

 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."  Once again, Christ's own witness comes up for questioning.  Who lies, and who tells the truth here?  He offers His Father again as witness, the One who honors Him.  Abraham also bears witness through the Scriptures.  For Jesus, the value of all things is measured through relation to the Father, including Christ's own honor.

 

 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Once again we recall that in St. John's Gospel, the term the Jews most often refers to the religious leaders, not the people.  It is akin to naming the rulers of a city, the word in Greek translated by some as meaning "Judeans."  Jesus and His followers (which included the author of this Gospel) are all Jews.

 

 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 (Greek εγω ειμι/ego eimi) is the divine Name of God in the Old Testament, which was first revealed to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  For these religious leaders, my study Bible explains, this is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, as evidenced by their reaction here (see also Mark 14:62-64).  It notes that St. John in his Gospel places special emphasis on the use of this Name to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death, which is a power that belongs only to God the Father.  

 

It seems quite ironic (or perhaps we should just say interesting) that the insults which come to Jesus (as they did earlier to Nicodemus) take on the same character that we find in our own headlines so often.  He's insulted as to His possible origins ("You are a Samaritan") and also He's called evil (You . . "have a demon").   They used the same kind of insults with Nicodemus, asking if he were a Galilean too.  In formal logic, these are called ad hominem fallacies, personal attacks on a person rather than a solid and truthful argument about something. It seems that this sort of attack will always be with us somehow, and we should pay attention, because in this case it's directed at the Person who is truth (John 14:6), the Logos (Word) Himself (John 1:1).  This attack is on the One who is the light of life, the co-Creator with the Father.  These false attacks are attacks on the One who gives life, and will ultimately judge.  It has to make us think about the essence of good and evil somehow, to consider how profoundly in error this behavior can be, and it invites judgment on a scale that doesn't exist normally between imperfect human beings who all are guilty of error in some way or another.  Jesus said Himself, perhaps illustrating the point, and speaking of blasphemy against the Spirit, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:31-32).  It all adds a very profound weight to consider when we ourselves indulge in personal insults and false arguments instead of a sincere focus for truth.  This is an often overlooked foundation of our faith.  For, if we worship the Person who is the truth, as He said, then should we not always be faithful in serving truth, in seeking what is real and true, and good and beautiful, and not indulging in what we see are false arguments used even against the Son of the living God?  Why is it important that we ourselves refrain from using fallacies, lies, manipulations, and other such tactics when we interact with others?  There is a much deeper foundation to our own need for dispassion and rational faith in what we know to be good, and true, and beautiful than we might consider in our every day lives.  It is what we read here that should give us pause, in the heat of an argument, during heightened passions and arguments and confrontations, beyond all other considerations we might have.  And that is for the simple reason that such things are even paraded in accusation against the Judge Himself, the One who is the arbiter of all things.  When we indulge in such behaviors we're doing ourselves no favor, but serving the master that would make us a slave (John 8:34).  We forget who we are and the One whom we truly must desire to serve, the One who tells the truth and teaches us to abide in His word, for it comes from the One who sent Him, and who is true (John 7:28).  Once again, we are in the approach to Lent, and it's the perfect time to consider why cultivating our capacity for these virtues has always been in the teaching of the Church, and particularly emphasized as goals through the practices of Lent.  Let us find the discipline to be as true as Jesus, and abide in that truth.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 They answered Him, "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 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."

 

- John 8:33-47 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the autumn festival the Feast of Tabernacles.  He has been disputing with the authorities in the temple in Jerusalem, who have unsuccessfully attempted to have Him arrested.  Yesterday we read that Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 

  They answered Him, "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."  Christ speaks of Himself as Son, the Second Person of the Trinity.  In His divine identity, He shares power that no other before Him has had as human being.  Therefore in His role as Messiah, the Son can make us children by adoption, conferring a kind of liberation that the law could not.  

"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 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."  My study Bible comments here that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood  Instead, the true children of Abraham share his faithfulness and his virtue (Luke 3:8).  According to St. John Chrysostom, the Lord wanted to detach these religious leaders and their followers from racial pride -- to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature.  Instead He encourages them to come to faith by their own free will.  Their notion that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing that prevented them from coming to Christ. 

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."  My study Bible says that proceeded refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.  

"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."  My study Bible notes that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes (of faithfulness and virtue), so likewise, those who reject Christ are sharing the same attributes as the devil.  In particular, this involves a hatred for truth.  Therefore, they are rightly called the devil's children.  

 

Jesus says, "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."   There's a very significant distinction being made here; that of those who choose to embrace and participate in what are called the "energies" of God, and those who choose otherwise.  In teachings of the period of Jesus (and especially in the Didache, the oldest teaching document known to us in the Church), there is the teaching that is known as the "two ways."  There is the way of life, and the way of death.  This teaching was also a part of Jewish tradition; see, for example, Jeremiah 21:8.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  The way of life is also the way of truth.  As we discussed in yesterday's commentary, this truth of Christ isn't only a simple declaration of true statements or theories or intellectual concepts.  But as Jesus says of Himself, He is the Person who is truth.  "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  As the Son Incarnate, He has come into this world to show us the Father (which we can see in Him), to give us the truth, and to give us Himself, for in Him is life that is our light (John 1:4).   Therefore, Christ Himself is the way of life.  So, therefore, if we abide in His word, as He has said, then we will come to know the truth indeed, living, real, the banishment of illusion, of lies, and ultimately of death.  For it is the one who opposes this life and this truth that is the father of lies, as Jesus says in today's reading.  "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."  When we choose to worship Christ, we choose to participate in His energies, and thereby to make a choice for truth.  This is a dynamic and active way of being, and something that works in us through our faith, and through our faithfulness.  When Jesus speaks of being true children of Abraham, this is what He means, that we can only truly be children of Abraham if we are faithful as Abraham was faithful.  Genesis 15:6 says of Abraham, "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."  It is this righteousness, the righteousness of faithfulness, abiding in the word of the Lord, that Jesus calls us to, that He calls these religious leaders to, but they cannot receive it.  There has to be a deep and even fearless commitment to truth to embrace the kind of faithfulness that Jesus is all about.  The true freedom He would claim and offer to all of us is in this freedom to love the truth above all, to abide in His word, and to refuse the lies of the devil that deceive and mislead, leading to slavery and death.  For when we would deny ourselves that union of faithfulness to true existence, to choose instead an easy belief in convenient lies, the delusion of complaisance with deception and manipulation, the "safe" road of living a lie, then we refuse life itself for a kind of slavery to what is not ultimately real, because it's not rooted in God.  Think of the complacency of those who would go along with the plan to eliminate Jesus for the safety of not rocking the boat -- for to embrace truth is often to forgo a worldly ease.  But our God is the God of love who loves us and wants to lead us to life, even eternal life with Him.  Let us remember the two ways and choose the one that offers us what truly exists, the way of life.  Let us always hear His words and cherish what we have in Him.

 

If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing

 

 "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 his Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47-59 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn festival which commemorates the time Israel wandered in tents, or tabernacles. It is the final and great day of that feast, which takes place in the final year of Christ's earthly life.  He has been disputing with the religious authorities.  Yesterday we read that they answered Him, "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."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Here we must pause to recall that by the time of the writing of the Gospel of John, the followers of Jesus were persecuted in the synagogues.  Therefore, when we read the term "the Jews" in John's Gospel, we are to understand its use as a type of political term, to designate the leaders or religious rulers in the temple.  It is not meant to indicate the Jewish people (the author of this Gospel was also a Jew, as was Jesus and the rest of the people in the stories we're reading).  That is the case throughout today's reading.  Here, the religious rulers, unable to defeat Christ in dispute through logic or truth, resort to personal insult.  (See also John 9:34.)

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." Again, Jesus turns to His relationship to the Father, and the words He speaks which come from the Father.  It is important that we understand Christ's repeated emphasis on this deepest of relationships, for it is also a model for ourselves.  In yesterday's reading (above), Jesus alluded to the adoption which is possible through faith:  "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."  Here again, He speaks of this adoption through faith into the life He offers.

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?"  Again, John's Gospel works through dispute and particularly the misunderstandings that accompany Jesus' teaching.  He uses "earthly" terms to indicate heavenly or spiritual realities, for which one must have "ears to hear" and understand.  The religious rulers dispute Him through their own understanding, opening the door to more of His teaching in response.

 

 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."   Jesus returns to His relationship to the Father, and also the righteousness of Abraham, which was accounted to faith (Genesis 15:6).  It is this capacity for faith, which comes from the love of God in the heart, to which Jesus points in Abraham, whom these religious leaders consider to be their patriarch, their "father."  As Jesus has already offered various witnesses to His identity (John 5:31-47, 8:14-18), here He also offers Abraham.

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 his Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.  This statement of Christ, calling Himself by this term, I AM, is using the divine name of God from the Old Testament (in Greek εγω ειμι/ego eimi).  This Name was first revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  My study Bible comments that to these religious leaders (and those who understand the language of the Scriptures) this is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, as is made clear by their reaction here.  (See also Mark 14:62-64.)  It notes that John places special emphasis on the use of this Name to clearly reveal Christ as God.  Such a divine claim also illuminates Christ's authority even over death, as He has asserted above ("Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death").  This is a power which belongs only to God the Father.

Yet again, as we have been over the past several readings, we must be impressed by Christ's example of fidelity to God.  In today's reading, He begins with a kind of indictment of the religious leaders, declaring to their faces, "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Imagine saying that to a religious hierarch, one instructed with the care of the people in the temple, the place where worship of the only God was to be upheld and regulated.  But He says to their faces that they don't love God.  If they did, it follows, they could hear Him, listen to Him, for Jesus is sent by God, and says only what He is taught to say.  Jesus says, "I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges."  In all things, Jesus puts Himself last and the Father first, and this is the One whom He serves in His ministry.  This the One whom these leaders truly cannot hear, and do not obey, because they do not have the love of God deep in themselves.  And it is God who will judge them.  Again Jesus turns to the subject of honor, and what we honor with our hearts, our being, and our actions:  "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God."  In other words, He speaks from the honor of the Father, not of Himself, and if He speaks of Himself in a particular way, it's because the Father has declared it so.  It is reminiscent of Christ's criticism of the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew 23.  In verses 16-22, Jesus criticizes their acceptance of oaths sworn by the gold on the altar, in the end saying to them, "He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."  What He insists upon is similar to His insistence that it is the honor shone by God that gives value; in the case of the oath practices He criticizes it is similar:  it is God who makes the honor and gives the value, and this is true even of the identity of Christ.  If Jesus can use the Name, the I AM, it is because of His relationship with the Father.  So let us simply pause here and take in Jesus' words, and think about our own spirituality, and the meanings in our lives.  Who are we?  How are we called?  What do our prayers say to us, and about us?  What is it that we seek?  The yardstick for all things is this primary relatedness to God, this "consuming fire" with which we seek union in the heart, in prayer, in worship.  That is the place where we go for answers to questions about our lives and ourselves, what we need, what we should value, and all else follows that.  This is what Jesus teaches us.  What is it that we honor?  What gives our words value?  We know what Jesus says here.  What do we find when we follow His example?

 

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

 

 "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 recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn festival.  It is the final year of His earthly life.  He has been disputing with the Pharisees, and recently taught, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  In yesterday's reading, they answered Him, "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; was 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."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  My study Bible comments that as they have been unable to defeat Christ through logic or truth, these religious leaders who oppose Christ now resort to personal insult.  (See also John 7:45-52, 9:34.)  

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."   Once again, Jesus defends the power of His word through His close communion with the Father, whose glory it is He seeks, and not His own.  As He has earlier said, the words that He speaks are spirit, and they are life (see this reading).

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."  Once again, Jesus returns to His relationship with the Father, whom He has named as a witness to His identity (see John 5:31-47; 8:16-18).  He has repeatedly spoken of the honor He gives to the Father through His ministry (see John 4:41-44).

"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.  I AM (in Greek, ἐγὼ εἰμί/ego eimi) is the divine name of God in the Old Testament, first revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:13-15.  To the Jews, this declaration by Jesus is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God.  Hence their reaction here (they took up stones to throw at Him); see also Mark 14:52-64.  My study Bible explains that John puts a special emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death ("Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death"), a power which belongs only to God the Father. 

 

 These claims in John's Gospel of Sonship and equality with God are quite explicit.  These are not statements which could easily be explained as metaphor, or even products of a kind of grandiosity.  We could ask ourselves how someone could make a statement like this without being insane or delusional.  But the thing is, there really is no evidence in the rest of the text for claiming that Christ is a mentally unbalanced person, or even one who is grandiose.  Aside from the seven miraculous signs John gives us in His Gospel, which obviously point to the presence of the kingdom of God, the text does not really give us ways to explain away such statements without simply flatly declaring it to be a work of fiction.  There is too much historical evidence about Jesus' existence for this to be truly successful as a denial of the claims made here by Christ.   The religious leaders here claim He simply has a demon; that is, He is unbalanced and under the influence of a demonic spiritual force.  But there's an argument against that in the text also, which Christ makes Himself.  The religious authorities claimed He cast out demons by the power of the ruler of demons.  But Jesus asks, if their exorcists in the Jewish tradition that existed at the time also cast out demons, then by what power does He do so?  Moreover, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, only a "stronger man" could cast out a strong man from his palace and claim his goods (Luke 11:14-23).  All the arguments we could make against such extraordinary claims fall flat, as Jesus is not one to conduct Himself in either a grandiose manner or one in which He seeks worldly power over others.  He does not control or compel people to follow Him through any apparent means of coercion.  His demeanor is righteous, His judgment honest and true, His weapon is the mercy and love of God.  Otherwise there would be no way that Christ could be such a compelling figure, and the power of our faith be something experienced by so many, and in so many ways.  The power of Christ's words, therefore, must remain to us not something simple and self-explanatory, but a truly compelling mystery.  It is something that invites us in to the extraordinary grandeur and power of God, and also into the perplexing questions of just why this is so.  Why the Incarnation?  What is the power of Christ not only to heal, but also to save?  To offer us life that is greater than the life we know already?  In His words, life more abundantly (John 10:10).  Why is God manifest in our world, and present to us?  Why does God need to live the life of a human being, as one of us?  All of these questions are opened up for us in His words.  If we accept what He says as true, then we don't have a question resolved, but even greater mystery and more questions than we'd have otherwise.  And this, too, remains a compelling part of the ministry and figure of Christ:  He invites us in to something that pulls us forward, asks us questions, even questions we need to ask ourselves about our own purpose and meaning in our lives, what we seek, and by what measure we judge ourselves.  It presents us with what one might call "the whole shebang" -- a colossal presence of something we otherwise would never think about or contemplate, the mystery of creation and the Creator.  Let us consider with what gifts we're blessed in such acceptance of so much more to life than we know, for even we are considered worthy for such a God to find us, for the more abundant life He offers beyond what we know.  And that is a great mystery indeed.

 

 

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

 They answered Him, "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."

- John 8:33-47

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles.  Yesterday we read that He spoke again to the Pharisees who question and seek to accuse Him.  He said, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

They answered Him, "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."   Jesus teaches about freedom in a depth meaning, even in a type of existential sense.  Sin works as a kind of slavery, it does not cherish us as human beings.  But to become a son (and therefore heir) by adoption is something different.  It is to become a member of the household of Christ who loves us.  It is to be given the fullness of life.

"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."   My study bible says that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood.  Instead, Abraham's true children in fact share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  According to St. John Chrysostom, our Lord wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature.  He teaches that they must come to faith by their own free will.  The idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing that was preventing them from coming to Christ.

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."  Proceeded refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather He's saying that He's sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.   Jesus has repeatedly told these leaders that if they truly loved the Father, they would hear His word and understand Him.  Their hearts betray their ability to hear the One sent by the Father.

"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."  My study bible explains that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing his attributes, as Jesus has expressed in the verses above, likewise, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil.  In particular, that would entail a hatred for truth.  Possessing such attributes results in being called the devil's children.  Again, Jesus repeats the link between the love of God and the capacity to hear His words.

At Jesus' time, although emphasis on genealogy was clearly important, lineage was emphasized more by household than purely by blood relation.  Adoption was a common practice, ensuring lineage and inheritance.  (Augustus Caesar, for example, was a maternal great-nephew of Julius Caesar, but was named in Julius' will as adopted son and heir. Augustus was in turn succeeded by his adopted son and heir Tiberius.)  Identity was shaped through affiliation of household, lineage, family branch, clan, community.   We can see the cultural importance of the extended family group even in the language of the Gospels, as those called Jesus' brothers and sisters are more likely to be either step-children of His mother Mary by an earlier wife of Joseph, or cousins.   The notion of fatherhood as given by Jesus in today's reading shifts the view of lineage from a worldly perspective to one of a spiritual perspective, emphasizing the orientation of the soul.  Whose character do we emulate?  What traits do we take on?  Where does our heart place us in deference to its true objects of love?  Jesus emphasizes the state of the heart, and more clearly, what our true preferences are, what or whom we love.  He returns always to the love of the Father, and in so doing, reminds us of the depth of communion that is at work determining everything about us, even true identity.  It is in this sense that we are to understand paternity.  The person (or Person) you love will be the one whom you emulate, whose characteristics you take on, to whose ideas you will be receptive.  Jesus says elsewhere that the whole of the Law and the Prophets hang on the two greatest Commandments.  The first is to love God with all our heart and soul and mind, and the second is to love neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:36-40).  In the great consistency of the Gospels and Christ's teaching, our very identity and character is determined within the framework of such a command. Everything depends on what we put first in our hearts, and whom we truly love - or not.

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

 "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 recent readings, Jesus has been in Jerusalem, at the Feast of Tabernacles.  We are in the midst of a dialogue, begun on the last day of the eight-day feast, with the leadership in the temple.   See the earlier readings from Friday, Saturday, and Monday.  In yesterday's reading, the leadership answered Him, "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."  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."  My study bible points out here that the leadership has been unable to defeat Christ through logic or truth.  Here, they're resorting to personal insults.  Jesus reiterates His relationship with the Father, and the power of life in that relationship -- into which He invites all through faith.

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."  Once again, we are to remember that in John's Gospel, the term "the Jews" is used to refer to the religious leadership.  Jesus once again responds regarding witnesses to His identity (see this reading for His earlier citing of four witnesses to His identity, including God the Father).  Where does honor come from?  The Father is One who honors Him, who is witness to His identity as Son.  But they don't truly know God, in the fullness of what that means, to know a  Person.  He refers them back to Abraham, whose faith sealed him in relationship to God and who rejoiced to see His day, this time of the Incarnation, of the Christ.

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.  The leadership focuses on discrediting Jesus; he is either crazy, a "Samaritan," or has a demon.  But Jesus chooses His words deliberately.  I AM (in the Greek, ego eimi) is the divine name of God in the Old Testament, which was first revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).   My study bible says that to these men, this was a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, as we can see by their reaction to Him (they took up stones to throw at Him -- see also Mark 14:62-64).  John puts particular emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim, says my study bible, illuminates Christ's authority even over death, a power that belongs only to God the Father. 

Jesus speaks very boldly in this confrontation and dialogue with the religious leadership.  He doesn't hide His identity.  When they push Him and insult Him, He goes even more boldly forward in a declaration of identity with God, conveying equality in His statement.  How can this be?  The reaction from the leadership is one of pure fury at what they perceive is blasphemy; they are ready to stone Him to death on the spot.  We have to pause and ask ourselves why God comes to the world as a Man, if it is going to create such a disturbance in this religious leadership.  Wouldn't it be better if this dispensation into the world took o a form more acceptable to them?  Should Jesus have taken on aspects of public relations that made Him more palatable to these men in charge of the religious life of the people?  One must consider first of all Jesus' response to them, that they are the descendants of the ones who stoned and killed the prophets as well.  It seems that the word of God coming repeatedly throughout history, calling the people back to God, was met in the same way, with the same impulse to shut down, to banish, even to murder the messengers.  Jesus has clearly aligned Himself with the voices of the prophets from the history of Jewish spiritual life.  It seems that this great dispensation of the Incarnation, also spoken of by the prophets, even the day which Abraham rejoiced to see, was to be met with such a reaction by those who jealously guard their places of leadership, their power with the people.  Christ's life in the world as incarnate Man is a gift to the world, but one not so easy to accept by everyone.  His truth presents challenges, and asks us to be drawn forward into deeper relationship with God, and also into a greater understanding of the reality of God.  But this is the mission, this is the thing Christ has been entrusted to do for all of us.  It is up to us whether or not we can come along into the life He promises, into the faith He asks, into the relationship He offers as human being, God Incarnate.  It's not just these men who are challenged, and Jesus is not in the world on a public relations mission.  He's in the world on a saving mission of the gift of life in abundance, life everlasting.  We are all extended an invitation with the gift.  Everything is about whether or not we can accept it.  Clearly it has reached the point where these men simply cannot hear the words given to Him by God.  Jesus knows this, and He tells us why not:  they are not of God.  But Jesus continues, and continually speaks, to each of us.