Who Are You?

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him. (John 8:12-30, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

My first read-through of this devotional assignment sent sheer panic throughout my whole being.  Usually, some approach comes to my mind with the first read-through of the assigned verses. While I usually trash the first approach, there is at least a starting point from which to work.  What was I doing differently?  I know—I have recently read a book by Dallas Willard, entitled Hearing God.  In this book, the author encourages the reader to put yourself into the situation you are reading about in the Bible and try to imagine how you would have felt if you experienced the situation in person.  Therefore, in reading these verses in John 8, I tried placing myself into the audience hearing these words from Jesus and struggling to make sense of His teachings. 

Without the benefit of 2000 years of translations, interpretations, scholarly research and preaching about the meanings of Jesus’ words, I fear I would have walked away wondering What is this Jesus saying? Can the Pharisees be correct?  Is Jesus saying blasphemous things by echoing God’s great affirmation to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14)?  What about Jesus’ self-description (the 2nd of seven self-descriptions by Jesus, introduced by “I am”) as being the Light of the world?  That too sounds like Jesus is equating Himself to God as God led the Israelites through the desert nights by the Light of a pillar of fire.  Regarding the Law that requires two witnesses to testify to a truth, Jesus stated His Father was His second witness (verse 18), but in answer to the question, “Where is Your Father?”  Jesus replied, “…if you knew Me, you would know My Father also” (verse 19).  How does Jesus’ response answer the question of the whereabouts of His Father?  Jesus went on to say confusing things about “… going away…” and “Where I go, you cannot come” (verse 21).  I overheard others asking, “Will He kill Himself?  Is that why He says where I go you cannot come?” (verse 22).  Can suicide be what Jesus means?  Did you hear Jesus say “I am from above. . . I am not of this world.”?  Do you think He is in His right mind?  Where “above” is He from?  Doesn’t Jesus have parents and brothers and sisters, just like we have?  When Jesus ended this discussion He said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me” (verse 28).  Doesn’t the Greek word for “lifted up”—hypsosete—mean “exalted, raised high, removed from out of the earth by crucifixion”?  Does Jesus believe He is going to be crucified?  Isn’t crucifixion for criminals?  What has He done wrong?

So now I hope you can “feel my pain”!  I certainly feel the Pharisees’ pain of confusion and also “hear” the frustration in Jesus’ voice in His response to the question “Who are YOU?” Jesus responds, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning” (verse 25).  Can’t you just “feel” Jesus wanting to add—Have ANY of you been listening to Me????? 

Using this new approach of beaming myself back in time with no study guides or Bible commentaries, I find I sadly have only questions and no insights to share.  Therefore, I am grateful to God for choosing to create me in my current life so I have the Holy Spirit, Pastor Greg, PRF Women’s Bible Study and plenty of reference materials to help me better understand Jesus’ life-giving words.

In closing the reflections for this assignment, I have decided to include a very reassuring excerpt from the book I mentioned earlier:

“At a certain point in my progression toward spiritual maturity, I can be assured simply that “the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone” (John 8:29).  It should be the hope and plan of every disciple of Christ to come by gracious assistance to this place of rest in God’s companionship and service.” (Hearing God, page 273)

It is surely at this point of spiritual maturity (of which Jesus speaks and Dallas Willard writes), that our conversational relationship with God answers ALL of our insecurities and questions.

PRAYER:

Jesus, thank You for coming down to this confused and chaotic world to bring us the true message of Your “Light of life.”  Help us to accept the guidance of Your Light in our own lives and to BE Your Light for this dark world.  Help us to honestly be able to say, with You, I am NOT of this world!

WHO AM I?

I am Linda Stewart and I want to thank you readers for “stretching” my brain by continuing to read these devotionals and thereby causing Tres to continue to send out assignments.  I know I gain MUCH MORE wisdom in preparing these devos, than I offer to you readers, but such is life.