Probably a day or two later, Jesus was again in the Temple speaking. Attempting to again turn people against Jesus, the Pharisees also came to hear Him speak. He spoke about being "The Light of the world" and that soon He would be returning to His Father. He said to the Jews who believed, “If you keep and obey My Word, then you are My disciples for sure. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” They said to Jesus, “We are children of Abraham and we have never been servants to anyone. What do you mean when You say, ‘You will be free’?” (What about that little stint in Egypt ? Was that just an extended vacation ? But, again they missed the point. He is discussing another type of freedom.) Jesus answered them, “For sure, I tell you, everyone who sins is the servant of sin because sin has a hold on him. And the servant does not live in the house. The children live in the house. So, if the Son makes you free, you will be free for sure." “I know that you are the children of Abraham. But you want to kill Me because My Word does not sit well in your hearts. I do the things that I see My Father do and you do what you have seen your father do.” They said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said, “If you were children of Abraham, you would do what he did. Abraham believed God, listened to His voice and followed His guidance. But, you seek to kill The One from God. Abraham never did anything like that. No, you are doing the works that your father does.” They said to Him, “We have one Father. He is God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love Me. I came from God. I did not come on My own, but God sent Me. Why do you not understand what I say ? It is because you do not want to hear My teaching. The devil is your father. You are from him. You want to do the sinful things your father, the devil, wants you to do. He has been a killer from the beginning. The devil has nothing to do with the truth. There is no truth in him. It is expected of the devil to lie, for he is a liar and the father of lies. I tell you the truth and that is why you do not put your trust in Me. Which one of you can say I am guilty of sin ? If I tell you the truth, why do you not believe Me ? Whoever is born of God listens to God’s Word. You do not hear His Word because you are not born of God. But assuredly I tell you, if you keep My Word, you will never die !” Then the Hebrew leaders said to Him, “Now we know You have a demon. Abraham died. The early prophets died. You say, ‘If anyone keeps My Word, that one will never die.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham ? He died and the early prophets died. Who do You think You are ?” Jesus said, “My Father honors Me. You say He is your God. But, you have never known Him, but I know Him. If I said I did not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know the Father and obey His Word. Your father Abraham was glad that he was to see My coming. He saw it and was happy.” The Jews said to Jesus, “You are not even fifty years old. How could you have seen Abraham ?” Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you, before Abraham was born, I AM !” (Again, this is one of those times when the Hebrew leaders knew EXACTLY what Jesus meant when He said this. The phrase "I AM" was seen as a personal pronoun reserved ONLY for God. And when Jesus continues to use the phrase, it angers these individuals and confirms that Jesus is in deed claiming to be God -in the flesh.) When they heard Him speak these words, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But, Jesus hid Himself and left the Temple. (What must have happened to allow Jesus to "hid" Himself from this crowd of people that wanted to stone Him ? Much like -after His resurrection, when Jesus walked with two disciples and they did not recognize Him, this must have been a similar event. In the blink of an eye, Jesus caused the crowd around Him to be unable to clearly see Him and He left the Temple unharmed.) -John 8:12-59
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 10:46:47 +0000
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