I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me

 

 "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 

 

We are currently reading through the section of St. John's Gospel which reports events at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), an autumn festival.  This is an eight day festival which commemorates the time that Israel wandered in the wilderness, following Moses to the Promised Land.  The many ceremonies and commemorations are reflected as a backdrop to Christ's teachings, and His Incarnation as fulfillment of them.  In our recent readings, Jesus has been disputing with the religious leaders in the temple at Jerusalem.  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?"  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."  We should first remember that in St. John's Gospel, the term the Jews most frequently refers to the religious leaders, and not the people.  These men with whom Jesus disputes are unable to defeat Jesus through logic or truth.  They are by now His personal enemies who seek to put Him to death.  They now resort to personal insult, a tactic they will use again on the one whom Jesus will subsequently heal in the sixth sign of seven in the Gospel (see John 9:34).  Let us note, importantly, that once again Christ's emphasis is on the proper notion of honor, and from Whom it must come ("I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me"; "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing").  He connects both honor and glory to true judgment, the discernment that comes from God ("I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges").

 

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.   When Jesus says, "I AM," He is repeating the divine name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  We should recall once again that the Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the events of the Exodus. My study Bible comments that, to the Jews, this was a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, as can be seen from their response.  Additionally, it notes that St. John places special emphasis on the use of this Name to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim, it says, illuminates Christ's authority even over death, a power which belongs only to God the Father.  

 

As we have repeatedly observed, Jesus continually returns to His relationship to the Father; that is, His obedience and love.  In today's reading, He speaks of giving honor.  As runs through the entirety of the Holy Bible, what we truly believe is what we live; that is, what we do.   What Jesus says He actually does in today's reading is to honor the Father.  This is not a question of a feeling or emotion or intellectual choice.  It is the way He lives; it sets out a pattern in all that He actually does.  Jesus says to their accusation that He has a demon, "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."  In these actions of honoring and dishonoring, each shows who they truly are.  Jesus is one who honors God the Father.  These religious leaders at the same time dishonor Him.  And what they do in dishonoring Him also dishonors the Father; they are expressing their dishonor to One who is obedient to the Father in all things.  It's an important concept to grasp, because it tells us about holiness.  Can we honor it where we encounter it, or where we see it?  Jesus expresses a similar theme when He teaches His disciples, "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward" (Matthew 10:40-42).  To receive one who comes in His name is to receive Him, to honor Him.  To receive or honor one in the name of a prophet is to find the reward which belongs to a prophet.  The same is true of a righteous man.  Finally, even to give only a cup of cold water to one of His "little ones" in the name of a disciple is also to reap a reward.  There is a thread, a spirit that runs through all which originates with the Father, and is continued through our own actions of honoring (or dishonoring, as the case may be).   A similar theme was also expressed by Jesus in yesterday's reading, when He spoke of what truly constituted being a child or son of Abraham.  He told the religious leaders, "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" (see yesterday's reading, above).  So, therefore, to be a child of Abraham comes from doing the things Abraham did; that is, to honor God as Abraham did.  Our actions express what we honor and love, where our loyalty really is.  Jesus expresses this principle as a teaching, when He declares, "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  To keep His word is to honor Him.  This He then emphasizes when He claims, in relation to God the Father, "I do know Him and keep His word." Let us consider, also, how we honor Christ in our own lives, and all the ways in which we may do that, day by day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed

 

 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 at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is the final year of Jesus' earthly life.  He has been disputing with the religious authorities, who seek to persecute Him because He healed on a Sabbath at a previous festival, and because He speaks of Himself as Son and therefore equal to God the Father.  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 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."  What or whom do we serve?  With Christ's help we need not be slaves to sin.  The "father" of sins does not love, but God loves and offers the freedom of sonship through grace.  Thus, a son abides forever in love.  It is Christ the Son who is Liberator and Deliverer from all kinds of bondage.

 

 "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 aid 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."  My study Bible comments here that to be a child of Abraham, it's not enough to be simply related by blood; rather, Abraham's true children share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, our Lord wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them not to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but to come to faith by their own free will.  Their idea 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 explains that proceeded here refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but to His 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."  Similarly to the way that being a child of Abraham is based on sharing the attributes of Abraham, so also, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil (which in particular involves a hatred for truth).  Therefore they are referred to here as the devil's children.  

 

We know about the sonship offered through grace to believers, so that we may become children of God by adoption (see, for example, Romans 8:15).  Let us note that while Christ's Sonship to the Father is by nature (John 1:1), becoming a child of God happens through grace.  For the Orthodox, this grace is understood as the "Energies" of God.  Akin to the way in which the sun emits light, and we bask in its warmth but cannot dwell on the sun itself, so also we cannot receive God in God's Essence, but God's Energies are such that we may participate in grace, as grace may also be active in us.  This happens through what is described as "synergy," in which we receive and cooperate with grace.  Thus, Jesus' words teaching us regarding Communion make it very clear: "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:56).  He will repeat this same sentiment at length at the Last Supper, telling the disciples, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:4-7).  We must see the fullness of this adoption in love, as Christ finishes with these words:  "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:9).  What Jesus posits to us today is that just as we may abide in Christ, so also there is the spirit of that which opposes Christ.  To participate in those oppositional influences and practices of evil is to engage and become "like" them, effectively becoming children of a different father, the one whom Christ calls in today's reading "a murderer from the beginning" and "a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).  We have offered to us the love of God in Christ, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who operate in love, even the kingdom of heaven in our midst.  But outside of that, there is that which opposes God, hates the truth, and loves darkness, and the slavery it brings.  To which do we desire to belong?  It's important to understand that of itself, evil has no real substance; it is always parasitical.  Hence, the evil we see ultimately preys on the innocent, causing pain and suffering, desiring to make slaves of human beings.  Let us remember whom we desire to serve, and who offers us the grace of adoption and love, even an eternal home.

 

 

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.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 if 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 at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn harvest festival.  He teaches and preaches daily in the temple, and has been disputing with the religious leaders.  They have tried unsuccessfully to arrest Him.  It is the final year of Christ's earthly life.  In yesterday's reading, 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 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 continues the discussion regarding His statement from yesterday's reading (above), "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  Here He makes the further distinction regarding the nature of sin, and its enslaving effect.  Freedom comes in the truth of Christ, which permeates and supersedes all things, for it comes from the Father.  Here He emphasizes further His communion with the Father.  As the Son, all things are committed into His hands (John 3:35); and Christ is entirely loyal to the Father ("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" from yesterday's reading, above).  Therefore, as Son, He has the capacity to make us free.

"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."   My study Bible comments here that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood.  Instead, Abraham's true children share Abraham's faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  It cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that 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, but to come to faith by their own free will.  St. Chrysostom comments that 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."  Here, my study Bible explains, 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 if 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 remarks that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes, so likewise, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil (in particular, a hatred for truth), and so are therefore rightly called the devil's children.

In today's reading, Jesus' words imply that there is really no neutral ground when it comes to the heart and its love -- or lack of love -- for God.  This is also not separable from a basic attitude toward truth, starting with spiritual truth.  Jesus says that these religious leaders are "not able to listen to My word."  Let us understand that the powerful men to whom He speaks are those religious leaders of Israel, who are among the most learned in the Scriptures and the whole of Jewish spiritual history.  The Pharisees spend their time poring over the Scriptures; the chief priests are responsible for the maintenance of the temple and its practices.  And yet, Jesus says that they cannot understand His speech.  He gives His conclusion and explanation for this:  "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 if 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."  The conclusion is stark, and we can understand it clearly as Christ voices it.  What is it that draws us away from God, and keeps us from drawing toward communion with God?  If we accept that this communion is our true natural state -- that is, it is the condition of creation before sin entered the world, to be as Adam and Eve were in communion with God -- then the broken communion (or what is referred to as a "fallen" state) is actually not natural to us, but unnatural.  As human beings we are made for worship, and have a natural capacity for doing so.  But other things draw us away, such as Jesus illustrates in His explanation in the parable of the Sower and those within whom the seed of His word fails to take root and produce (Matthew 13:18-23).  Using those things He shares in the parable that inhibit the taking root and growth of the word, we read of the "wicked one" who snatches away the word from a person's heart, those who have no root in themselves for the word and so stumble when tribulation or persecution arise.  There are those for whom "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word," and so they become "unfruitful."  If we look closely, each of these things comes from "the evil one" in one way or another, and the word in the heart that was snatched away was attributed directly to the devil by Jesus.  So, what He describes is an activity in the world by that which is opposed to God, and therefore also to the Son, and all that is under the yoke of God and what we might call "godliness" or holiness.  We also find examples in the Gospels of evil action in the world, especially in the story of the demoniac possessed by a legion of demons (Mark 5:1-20).  But here, what we find is the nihilistic nature of the demons.  That is, they're very destructive, but they create nothing.  True essence or substance belong to God, and so -- at best -- the "evil one" can seek to tear down the good, but cannot create true power of its own.  And there perhaps we find the heart of the matter.  What we seek is the truth Christ offers us, at the depth and breadth of life He offers, the Son who receives all from the Father, who also sends us the Spirit.  Evil can choke us with cares, distract us with concerns of the world, put stumbling blocks in our way.  But the desire for truth in the heart is, in Christ's words here, the real foundation we need for our faith and for grace to find us.  Let us seek the ground of the truth of His word, and the freedom it brings.  For even the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the rock of faith He can build in us.  Jesus describes the nature and work of the devil:  "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."  The devil is the origin of lies.  Jesus asks, "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."  Let us look to the heart which loves truth; let His truth be our treasure.

 

 

 

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 recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  He has been disputing with the religious authorities.  In yesterday's reading, 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 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."  This conversation continues on from the one begun in yesterday's reading, when Jesus taught to those from Jerusalem 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."   Once again we see the use of misunderstandings in St. John's Gospel, in order to clarify or elaborate on concepts for which Jesus uses ordinary language to convey the things of God.  It's worth revisiting my study Bible's comment on His statement.  Here, it says, the truth refers both to the virtue of truth and, even more importantly, to Christ Himself (John 14:6).  To be free means freedom from darkness, confusion, and -- as well as the bondage to sin and death, to which Jesus alludes here.  As Son, Christ is the Person who is truth.  Therefore as Liberator or Deliverer He is the One who can make 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."  To be a child of Abraham, my study Bible says, it isn't enough simply to be related by blood.  Abraham's true children are those who share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  It notes that, according to St. John Chrysostom, Christ 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, but rather to come to faith by free will.  This notion that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was just the 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.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word."  Here, proceeded refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth, my study Bible explains.

"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 tells us that, just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes, so likewise, these who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil (in particular, a hatred for truth), and are therefore rightly called the devil's children.  

It's interesting to consider what the Orthodox say are the "energies" of a person.  These energies are our actions, the things we do, from the Greek word ἐνέργεια/energeia.  It is frequently described as meaning "being at work" or "active" or "in operation."  For persons, it means things that we do.  We could consider it as being essentially what we do in the world.  This word ("energies") is also used in Orthodox theology to describe God's grace; that is, the things that God does.  One analogy to this concept is like the sun:  the sun itself in its being is the fiery planet we know, but the sun's energies are the things that reach to us (i.e. rays of sunlight) and sustain our lives and our world.  So it is with God's grace, God's energies.  In a recent comment on his blog, Fr. Stephen Freeman described how human beings also have energies by which we know them.  So, whether we are speaking of a human person or a divine Person, both have these energies that we can know by the properties we experience or witness.  As my study Bible, and Jesus' words indicate, however, this does not only apply to the good things a person does.  Jesus gives this example in illustration of the principle, saying to the religious leaders, "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."   Jesus speaks of the devil as "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."  These things are also types of energies by which we know the devil:  as a murderer, a liar, the father of lies.  In Revelation 22:15, the Lord says that those kept outside of the city of God include "whoever loves and practices a lie."  It is in this context that my study Bible comments that through sharing in the attributes of the devil -- and in particular that would include a hatred for truth -- we become aligned with the same energies. We cannot help but notice how lies and lying figure in this for Christ.  This seems to speak of a type of internal disposition which isn't separate from what we do.  Indeed, we practice virtue in order to become disciplined in the practice of "likeness" to God and God's energies.  By the same token, we can become more "like" the one who hates God by habitual practices of lying and contempt for truth.  It is in this sense that Jesus says to the religious leaders that their father is the devil, for with all they do, they make themselves like him.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to those from Jerusalem 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."  To abide in His word is to practice the discipline of the kinds of energies and actions  He preaches; it is to become disciplined in His life and truth, and to become more like Him, to be His children in this sense.  So it works the same way if we choose to practice the vices of the devil, and particularly an affinity for lies.  We must also understand the spiritual component to all of these things, for we do not simply emulate action in a physical sense, but we align with something spiritual, one way or the other.  Therefore it is grace that helps us to align and follow Christ, to abide in His word, but we must also realize that to align in the characteristics of the devil is also to take a side in what is in effect a spiritual battle, with so much that we don't see.  This is what St. Paul asks us to consider when he writes, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  Among the people who listen to Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem, there are those who truly hear Him and believe, and those who cannot hear at all.  Jesus gives us the explanation for both.

 

 

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.

 

 

Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word

 

 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."

 

- John 8:33-47 

 

 In our current readings, it is the last year of Jesus' earthly life.  He is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn harvest festival, and has been disputing with the religious authorities, who have sought 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 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.  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."  To be a child of Abraham, my study Bible comments, it is not enough to be simply related by blood; rather, Abraham's true children share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  St. John Chrysostom, it notes, teaches that the 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, but to come to faith by their own free will.  Their idea 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 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."  My study Bible says that proceeded here refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.  

"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."  Just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes, as has already been touched upon above, here Christ says that those who reject Him share the same attributes as the devil (and in particular, my study Bible notes, a hatred for truth), and therefore are rightly called the devil's children.

What a dizzying array of concepts in today's reading.  They are related to Jesus' teaching in chapter 4, to the Samaritan woman, that "the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."  In that discussion with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, the issue was a dispute with the Samaritans over the proper place for the temple.  But Christ seeks to make her -- and us -- to understand the true nature of God and the true nature of worship.  Here He does the same with the religious leaders, but they, as contrasted to the Samaritan woman, are secure in their conviction that as the descendants of Abraham, they share Abraham's quality of love for God, and of righteousness.  But Jesus contradicts this by declaring that whatever He speaks is not from "Himself" as Jesus, but rather from the Father who sent Him, and the Father is true, and His word is true because He seeks only to do the Father's will.  In today's reading, He makes it clear that these words of truth themselves become a kind of light and life, and it is their response to His words that expresses where their hearts are -- that they are far from knowing and loving God.  It is because of their hostile rejection that they display in fact, a fealty to the one who is against God, the liar who hates truth, the devil.  If this is too much to grasp, consider that Jesus is ultimately speaking of spiritual matters here.  He teaches us something that was accepted within the context of Jewish understanding, that there were spiritual forces that were antagonistic to truth, rebellious to God, and that these seek influence over human life.  It sets the stage for our understanding of ourselves as in the middle of a spiritual battlefield.  We human beings have the capacity for choice, to seek God or not, to seek to know God or not, and to seek God's righteousness and truth for ourselves.  But we can also be tempted by that which is against God, and against God's truth, a corrupted influence which wants its own power, and human beings in thrall to it, even to make us slaves to it.  It is that corrupted entity that is called the devil, that rejects Christ the Son, rejects Christ's truth that He brings into the world.   So, when we seem to be caught between ideas that seem good but aren't really, or concepts that seem difficult but yet compel us to love God, to know Christ, to seek His light and life, then we are, in a sense, caught in the middle of a spiritual battleground, and the place of that battleground is in our hearts and minds.  We are the ones who must understand that it is pride in our own righteousness and conviction of infallible capacity that leads us astray, when humility accepts that we need spiritual guidance, that Christ was Incarnate in our world to bring that to us.  It is in this sense that we seek that light, because it is so easy to fall into the trap of a false pride, of assuming that we know all the answers, and that our truly limited spiritual understanding always suffices.  It is for this reason that we worship in spirit and in truth, we seek God in daily prayer to keep us on that right road, Christ's light for the direction and illumination of our lives.  But most importantly, we seek to become His "learners," disciples, and our work is to keep growing on His path, in His way.  Today Jesus touches on these spiritual realities, challenging the religious authorities to come to terms with their own pride or self-righteousness, and telling them they don't know God or they would be capable of hearing His words.  When we seek Christ's light for ourselves, then, we are asking for that light to guide us, accepting that we don't know all, there is a mystery into which we plunge when we accept the spiritual life as part of ours and our world.  His is the light we seek, His love the power to make us the adopted children of God in spirit and truth, His word the only ultimate freedom from lies and falsehood.

 

 

 

 

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

 

- John 8:47-59 

 

We are reading through the events at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn festival; this is the final year of Christ's earthly life.  It is the last, great day of the Feast, and Jesus is disputing in the temple with the Pharisees, who seek to seize Him.  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; 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."  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?"  In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus contrasted the lies of the devil with the truth of God that He is offering.  Repeatedly, and constantly, Jesus will return to the love of God the Father which characterizes His own relationship to the Father who sent Him, with the work of the devil, whom He has called a liar and a murderer.  Here, He makes it clear that they have no love for God but serve that which is opposed to God in their desire to murder Him, and to deal with Him and His teachings unjustly, and through motivations which are aside from the love of God and the humility required to truly serve God, and not one's "own glory.".  While the Pharisees have been unable to defeat Him through logic or truth, these enemies resort to personal insult (see also John 9:34, the response to the healed blind man).  

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 again returns to the theme of relationship with the Father, and also the patriarch Abraham, who was capable of receiving truth through the love of God, and with whom He contrasts these religious leaders who now seek to put Him to death.  The theme of honor is essential, because it also asks us the question about what we honor first in our hearts; Christ expresses the humility of the love of His Father, who also honors 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.  I AM (Greek ego eimi/εγω ειμι) is the divine Name of God in the Old Testament, which was first revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  This is a clear and explicit reference to that Scripture, and is significant in John's Gospel.  My study Bible says that to the Jews, this was a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, which is made clear by their response (see also Mark 14:62-64).  It adds also that John places 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, which is a power that belongs only to God the Father.

Jesus again continues to emphasize His closeness to the Father.  He also teaches us about humility, when He says, "I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges . . .."  This is a great emphasis in today's reading, as He adds later, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God."  So what Jesus is doing, aside from presenting His arguments and His doctrine, even His identity, to the religious leaders, is modeling for us the humility that He would also ask of us.  Can we be humble enough to seek the honor of God in our lives?  Can we, who profess to be believers and followers of Christ, put aside our own aspirations and desires in order to "seek first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33)?  What does it mean not to seek our own honor or glory, but rather that of God?  When we're in the midst of a squabble, or a tough decision, or when we face great loss in some sense, can we put aside whatever it is our concern, no matter how great or important, and then seek God's will for ourselves, God's way through a storm or difficulty, God's much greater perspective?  Jesus says something really important and relevant when He says He doesn't seek His own glory, and adds to that "there is One who seeks and judges."  This is because if we seek the glory of the One who seeks and judges, then we're seeking truth, the answers and the solution to whatever it is we're in the middle of, the questions we have, the direction we need.  In David's great psalm of penitence to God, he says, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight, that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge" (Psalm 51:4).  We take this to mean the same thing Jesus asserts here, that there is one Judge, and the ultimately there is only One whose reality is paramount and truly matters in our lives and choices.   Everything else pales by comparison, including the honor, glory, and praise we might receive from other people (see John 12:42-43).   So even Christ, who is claiming for Himself an incredible honorable place by naming Himself the I AM in today's reading, is practicing a deeply humble life, because His honor, and His identity, come from honoring God the Father first, and not from seeking His own glory.  He sets Himself as our example of humility, even as He declares His divine origin to the religious rulers -- even as He makes Himself equal with God.  When we can wrap our minds around this mind-boggling understanding, then we will also come to know its great significance for us.  For He does not ask of us that which He does not do Himself in His humanity.  He takes all that He is, all that He declares, all that He understands, from God the Father whose glory He seeks, and not His own.  So we may do likewise, and find ourselves.  We cannot claim the name I AM, but He has a place for each of us which we may find by honoring God first (John 14:2).