www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Friday, March 20th
John 8:33-47
They answered him, 'We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free"?' Jesus answered them, 'Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in my Parent's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Parent.'*
They answered him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, 'If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing* what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are indeed doing what your father does.' They said to him, 'We are not illegitimate children; we have one parent, God.' Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Parent, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but God sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose 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 according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.'
Who are you? The most common answer to that question is "My name is _________________".
When pressed to move beyond our name as a descriptor, we search for other ways to define who we are. Some answer the question by describing their ancestors or where they were born. I am Mexican. My parents were immigrants. Some believe that what they do for a living best describes who they are. I'm a minister or I'm an architect or I'm a retiree. While others believe that they are their feelings, experiences or physical characteristics. I am bi-sexual or I'm an introvert or I am physically challenged. The Pharisees in the above scripture answered the 'who you are' question by referring to their proud ancestry. We are the 'Children of Abraham', so we are already free.
Jesus lets us know that those things are just window dressings. They only touch the surface. When describing who we are, Jesus breaks through to the core of the issue.
Do we hear and accept the words of God? Do we hear that truth which will make us free? Do we allow the teachings of Jesus to infiltrate every part of our lives? Do we embrace and embody the love that God has for us?
If God is our parent, then we are the Children of God, open and listening for the word of God. That is who we are and the rest is just details. - Lord, help me to remember who I am. vj
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