Thursday, April 15, 2010
John 8:39-47
They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (ESV)
by Teri Morgan
Jesus let the Jews have it in this passage. He told them they are of the devil, not children of Abraham, as they claimed. Because they were in darkness, they were blind to the truth, for their father, the devil, is the father of lies. They did not see the truth, nor did they understand what Jesus was telling them because they did not belong to God. If they belonged to God, they would have been able to discern what Jesus told them. They were not connected to God and other believers because they choose to follow darkness.
Ouch! When I think of this passage, and how it relates to my own life, I realize how often I only see things from the natural, worldly perspective. I need to pray every day that God will bless me with the power to see and act in the spiritual realms.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.

