Monthly Archives: October 2020

John 8:31-47

vs 31-38 – The Truth will set you Free

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

Discussion
  • If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples
    What does this tell us about the true meaning of being a disciple?
  • If you abide in my word … you will know the truth
    Why do we have to abide in Jesus’ word (teaching) to know the truth?
  • If you abide in my word … the truth will set you free
    How does Jesus’ word (truth) set us free? From what does it set us free?
  • We have never been slaves to anyone
    They were blind to their own true condition. Is this form of blindness common or rare?
  • everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin
    The Greek verb translated practices sin is a present participle. This denotes ongoing action. Jesus is not saying that one sinful act, one slip-up, makes you a slave. He is saying that the ongoing practice of sin – the unchecked habit or lifestyle of sin – makes one a slave.
    How does this slavery come about? Try to explain it in your own words.
  • The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
    What is Jesus saying here? What house is he talking about?
  • If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
    How does Jesus set people free from not only the guilt of sin but the power of sin? 
vs 39-47 – The father of lies

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 does not stand in 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.”

  • Abraham is our father
    They were claiming a heritage but had lost sight of what that inheritance really meant.
  • You are doing the works your father did
    What is Jesus saying here? Who is their father, according to Jesus?
  • The reason why you do not hear them [the words of God] is that you are not of God
    Why is Jesus being so forthright with these people?
Personal Reflection

Are you a lover of the truth, even when it exposes your sin?

 

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John 8:12-30

vs 12 : I am the light of the world

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Discussion
vs 13-20 : Jesus and his Father

So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”

They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

  • Your testimony is not true – on what basis did they say this? See Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15.
  • I know where I come from and where I am going. See John 13:3.
  • You judge according to the flesh – what did Jesus mean by this?
  • Where is your Father – What did the Pharisees think Jesus meant by his references to his Father as his other witness?
  • You know neither me nor my Father –  what did Jesus mean by this? What did they probably think he meant?
vs 21-22 : Where I am going, you cannot come

So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

  • Where I am going, you cannot come. Was Jesus afraid to die? If not, why did he sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane?
  • What is the difference between temptation and sin?
vs 23-30 : I am He

He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, “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 authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

  • Unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins. See Exodus 3:14.
  • He who sent me is true. The Father is completely consistent within himself. So is Jesus.
  • I do nothing on my own authority. See John 5:18-19. This is a good goal for believers to emulate.
Personal Reflection
  • What stands out to you about Jesus from these verses?
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