Egō eimi
“I am.”
A powerful phrase in the scriptures.
God’s revelation of self to Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3:14.)
Then, when Jesus says it, people are moved; sometimes to anger and judgment, and as we will see, sometimes in fear.
Now, saying “I am” would have been common like it is today. “I am… …going to mow the lawn, …watch the game, …get groceries, …remember to pick up the kids this time.” It was normal and common. That’s why the religious leaders didn’t freak out when Jesus said:
I AM the bread of life (John 6:35)
I AM the light of the world (John 8:12)
I AM the door (John 10: 9)
I AM the good shepherd (John 10:11)
I AM the resurrection, and the life (John 11:25)
I AM the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
I AM the true vine (John 15:1)
When the religious leaders heard these phrases, they listened to him, they questioned him about his meaning, and they debated with him. But there are two places where Jesus says “I am,” listed as the Greek phrase “egō eimi” that met a very different response. In John 8:58-59, “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”
This time they wanted him dead for blasphemy. This time there was no subtlety. They believed he was breaking the 3rd commandment and was using the Lord’s name as his own. But it wasn’t vanity, and it wasn’t a mistake. Jesus proclaimed who he was/is/and will be.
Later, in the book of John, when the soldiers went to arrest Jesus in the middle of the night and found his group in the darkness where Judas knew they often went, one of the soldiers called out that they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to the soldiers “Egō Eimi,” and the soldiers, “drew back and fell to the ground” (John 18:6.) At this phrase in the darkness, military men backed up and got knocked over. Coming from Jesus, this was a powerful phrase indeed.
Does the person and nature of Jesus keep you humble and loved or is there a part of you still fighting to be the boss of our creator and savior Jesus?
Pastor John Riley
Spiritual Sight
John 8:43
Spiritual Sight John 8:43
I was driving my kids to school the other day and my daughter started explaining her new book to me. She loves reading and the series she’s in right now is one of her favorites. It chronicles the adventures of Percy Jackson following the narrative lines of famous Greek myths. However, the more details my daughter gave me, the more lost I felt. I haven’t read any of the previous books and I only have a cursory working knowledge of Greek mythology. I was lost!
I get the sense that’s how many people felt when Jesus was teaching. He faced much resistance and was often engaged in debate. Listen to the way he responded to some of the Jewish leaders, “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.” (John 8:43) They are lost, but it’s not that they don’t understand the content of what he’s saying, it’s that they cannot believe it. It’s as though their spiritual ears are closed - they’re spiritually deaf. They are hard-hearted. They could not “bear his word.”
This exchange is a challenge for us to ask ourselves if we can bear his word. It’s a challenge for us to gauge how attentive and open we are to the voice of God in our own lives and if we are willing to understand and listen. It’s easy to cast stones wondering why people were unwilling to listen to Jesus when he taught in the temple, but it’s good for us to recognize that we often do the same thing.
Let’s step back from the story for a moment and name how alike we are to the Jewish leaders. They were in a theological system of belief and praxis. It was a system that gave the people in charge a certain amount of power and prestige. It was a system that people knew that made them feel safe because they knew what to expect. It was a system that included their religion, politics, and social structures - and Jesus was blowing all of it up. So much so that the heart of the Jewish religion, the Temple, would not be a part of the new system moving forward. It made sense that they couldn’t “bear to hear his word.”
Jesus was completely disorienting and wholly unexpected. Maybe that’s what following Jesus is like - unexpected. Maybe it feels like laying down our way of understanding. I wonder what Jesus would say to us as we go to church week in and week out. As we read scripture and sing songs, do we expect to be confronted with things Jesus wants us to surrender, or do we expect our already-held convictions to be reinforced? I don’t think the church was ever designed to be an echo chamber, I think it’s supposed to be a refining fire.
Are you attentive to Jesus in a way that would allow you to hear him if he spoke something unexpected? Would he say to you, “You cannot bear to hear my word” like he did to the leaders? Maybe right now we just pause and ask him to open our ears and hearts more and more to him.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Call Me Abba!
John 8:40-42
Jesus, in his relentless effort to make the Jews who believed in him in John 8 understand who he really was, said their father was the father of lies and they did what their father did. Ouch! We know Satan is the father of lies, so why did Jesus say that to them?
Believe it or not, Jesus loved them enough to speak truth because they still had evil in their hearts (they sought to kill him), and they were still confused about who Jesus was and the relationship with God that was available to them. They were unable or chose not to hear and understand what Jesus was saying; that God sent him, his only “begotten” Son to restore our relationship to Abba Father as sons and daughters.The way he spoke of God as (Abba) Father offended them. This shows they did not understand the prophecy in Isaiah about a future son (they refused to identify as Messiah):
Some of us struggle to see ourselves as sons and daughters of God. It’s easier to think of God as Creator, Lord, God of the Universe, Author of our lives. But Father? Dad? (Abba) It seems a little too close for comfort. Our vulnerability sensors go off. It can even feel scary. Do you struggle with such an intimate relationship?
As Jesus’ disciples we are called to become like Christ, and Christ calls God “Daddy.” We are to become like little children, and place ourselves in relationship with God not as his slaves but as his children. And not his adult children who are self-sufficient and have their parents at arm’s length. As his little four-year-old children, completely dependent, vulnerable, and trusting. Have you ever watched three or four year olds learn about God? They accept his love whole-heartedly and how they love to sing songs of praise to him! In Matthew 19 Jesus said to let the little children come…for to such as these belongs the kingdom of heaven.
He cherishes each of us and wants an intimate relationship with us for his glory and our good for all eternity. By his grace and through the Holy Spirit we can cry out “Abba, Father.” Let’s pray to make good use of this grace for our Father in heaven delights in us, his children.
Deb Hill
Truth vs. Lies
Jesus exposed Satan’s true nature when he declared, “He is a liar and the father of lies.” (Jn 8:44) Satan’s favorite tactic is using lies and deceit. He quickly unleashed this tactic upon mankind by tempting Eve with the question, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1) Adam and Eve fell for this deception and believed Satan’s lie instead of God’s Word. Their spiritual DNA has been passed along to every generation.
Ideas come from many sources and have the potential to shape the world. Ideas that align with divine truth will shape the world for good. Ideas that contradict, deny or tarnish the truth of God’s Word can do great damage. The devil is at war against the truth and reaps destruction through lies. He challenges God's Word and even attempts to erase it. As believers, when we stand firm in God’s Word and proclaim its truth we are actually engaging in spiritual warfare. Standing for truth helps us to bring every idea and thought captive in obedience to Christ, the living word. (2 Cor 10:3-5)
One way to discern spiritual truth versus a lie is through observing the spiritual fruits of opposing claims. A clear example from church history was medieval Roman Catholicism. For a thousand years they prohibited the use of any translation of the Bible except the Latin version which, as the centuries passed, only scholars could read. And the Vatican wrongly claimed sole authority to interpret the Bible. Without access to God’s word, masses of people became lost and spiritually oppressed. That was the fruit of a lie. But spirit-led reformers like William Tyndale, Myles Coverdale, and Martin Luther believed that the Bible must be available to people in their own language. The fruit of their efforts to translate the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible into everyday language led to the Protestant Reformation. Over the span of two centuries, the Holy Spirit used such new translations to bring countless numbers of souls across Europe, and beyond, to a saving faith in the God of the Bible!
Likewise, contemporary believers shouldn’t be surprised when confronted by spiritual lies and deceit. Whenever you encounter such spiritual warfare, may you lean into God for grace to stand firmly upon His unchanging Word!
Pastor Dave Korinek
Believe or Follow
Over the last few weeks in John 8, we have seen Jesus speak to a group of people and contend with the obligatory pack of Pharisees. Many believe in Him, even though they lack a basic comprehension of what He means. Jesus then takes the new believers aside and continues to teach them. These people get completely hung up on an idea they take right out of context. They get so bent out of shape and belligerent about it that Jesus blasts the whole group, calling them “Children of Satan,” and things proceed to get worse from there.
What happened? What went wrong? Why did it escalate so quickly? Why did Jesus burn the bridge so thoroughly with these people? Jesus is after their commitment and their devotion. Jesus is tilling the soil for his church to come with the Holy Spirit. These people just want an easier life, hoping Jesus will overthrow Caesar soon. The Lord has no qualms about making people angry, the human race poses no threat to him.
To those who come to Jesus with selfish motives, they can look forward to the same sort of mutual rejection. See the answer Jesus gives to the rich young ruler. Jesus still wants people to make Him Lord, live for him, and obey him. We’ll mess up and not do these things perfectly, but he has patience for the humble.
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble
James 4:6
Jonathan Duncan
Help! I’m Sin…king!
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave[ to sin. John 8:34
Why does Jesus say, “Truly, truly” or literally “Amen! Amen!”- which, by the way, occurs 25 times in the gospel of John - meaning to affirm and confirm a statement, and emphasize what is to be said. Jesus wants us to know that everyone (I think that includes all!) who sins is a slave to sin. The wording here actually describes something that is done habitually and repeatedly – perhaps even without remorse – placing the doer in bondage, ultimately making sin their master.
Earlier, Jesus claimed to be the one and only source of spiritual truth, and those who accepted Him would be set free from the enslavement of sin (John 7:37–38; John 8:12). Jesus is pointing out that sin is a mark of following darkness, instead of His light (1 John 1:5-10). Sin, by definition, means choosing earthly, worldly things over heavenly things.
What Jesus is not saying is that all sin, at all times, should be interpreted to mean that the sinner has no relationship to Christ. The Greek of this phrase makes this nuance much easier to understand than any English translation. The exact phrasing used is pas ho poiōn ho hamartia doulos ho hamartia. This means "everyone who keeps practicing sin is a slave of sin." In other words, Jesus is now speaking of a habitual, persistent sin. Those who are free in Christ may stumble into darkness, but they do not perpetually "walk" in it (John 8:12).
Someone said, “We’re too Christian to enjoy sin and too sinful to enjoy Christ. We’ve got just enough Jesus to be informed, but not enough to be transformed.”
Most of our sins are little ones and rarely get us on the 10:00 o'clock news. Few of us are ever convicted of robbery, murder, or rape. The majority of Christians manage to avoid the big "whopping" sins most of the time. That's why when a Christian does break the law, it's news. Satan wants us to believe the lie that repentance means getting rid of the big stuff but not worrying about the little stuff. He knows more houses are destroyed by termites than dynamite. Wow! The “little” sins repeat themselves over and over again, boring little holes in our souls eventually bleeding us of all faith and spiritual energy. So, whether big or little, we have to break the sin habit in order to grow in Christ. But how? First, admit it, ask his forgiveness, and then trust God will fill the hole where the sin used to be with something better!
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.” (Jn. 8:31). We need to abide in and obey his word, which usually means making significant changes in our lives. He will help us if we just ask.
Deb Hill
Know the Truth
During his trial before Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, Jesus of Narareth testified, “I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” In response, Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:37-38) His question raises a philosophical challenge about the very nature of truth. How do we know “truth” when we encounter it? Is truth relative or absolute? Is our understanding of truth subject to change? At times in life, we may encounter evidence that calls for a reevaluation of something we’ve held to be true. In that case, we should ask questions, think critically, lean upon God for wisdom, and be open to the possibility of a change in our view.
Jesus called his early disciples to make a radical change in their view. They were relying on their genealogy as descendants of Abraham to define their standing before God. In John 8:31-32, Jesus placed an entirely different truth claim before them when he declared, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus equates “truth” to his own words. He doesn’t present it as a proposition. He unequivocally declares that his words are truth in the absolute sense.
Jesus isn’t just seeking intellectual assent to his words. Rather, he calls for disciples to “abide’ in his words. Abiding speaks of the place where we dwell. Jesus invites us to dwell in Him. Abiding isn’t something that happens all at once. It can take adopted kids a long time to feel like they're at home - safe. To “abide in His word” calls us to embrace, internalize, and live out Jesus' words in our lives. It’s not just that we agree with His word, we delight in it. It becomes a framework for the way we view life. The implication is that Scripture becomes our joy and it fulfills us.
Jesus’ words define the essence of our standing before God as believers and also how we live out our faith integrating the Word into all we think, say, and do. In doing so we experientially affirm it is truth!
May your commitment to abide (dwell) in the Word be a powerful witness of your faith in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Dave Korinek
Becoming Disciples
John 8:31-32
The word ‘disciple’ is a bit ambiguous today. If you ask a group of people what it means to be a disciple, you’ll get a number of different answers. However, in Jesus’ day, the word was very common in society as a whole. The word disciple was used similar to the way we use the word “apprentice” or “student” and people would have a good idea of what the word meant. They would have seen and heard about rabbis calling students to become their disciples. A disciple was someone who followed a rabbi so that they could be with, become like, and do what their rabbi did.
While we typically think of the word disciple as a religious word, discipleship encompasses far more than religious formation, it’s part of our human journey. John Mark Comer once wrote, “The question isn’t, am I a disciple? The question is, who or what am I a disciple of.” He’s right. There are many who are discipled by Netflix and Youtube. There are many discipled by their favorite celebrities. There are many who are discipled by the culture at large. They are being with, becoming like, and doing the things their “rabbis” are doing.
Listen to what Jesus said when Jesus began calling his followers. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Notice that Jesus gave those who believed in him a challenge - to abide in his word. He wanted them to position their lives before him in such a way that their affections and actions became an outflow of his teaching and truth. He then told them what would happen if they did that consistently - they would become disciples. See, not everyone who believed in Jesus (see 8:30) became disciples of Jesus.
Jesus is giving us the same challenge today. He doesn’t only want us to believe in him, but he wants us to abide in his word to the point where we are spending time with him consistently, becoming like him internally, and then doing what he did. In short, he’s calling us to abide in him so that we become his disciples. And we always become like what we abide in.
One of my favorite authors, Dallas Willard, attempted to put into words how important this invitation from Jesus is. Listen to what he wrote, “The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.” May we, may you, become his disciples - and may we learn how to live the life of the Kingdom in our homes, workplaces, marriages, and friendships. Becoming disciples changes everything and it all begins with abiding.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
An Invitation to Freedom
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in 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.” John 8:31-32
The short video showed a small family gathering around what was clearly a birthday celebration. It was the stepfather’s birthday and they were finally at the stage where he was opening the presents lovingly bought or handmade for him. There was much joy in this family! Then the last beautifully decorated box was handed to him; it was from the children who eagerly watched his face. The box was not large, he thought it might be a shirt. After he opened the box and spread aside the tissue, he saw a letter. As he read it, this big strong man began to weep. It was a letter signed by all three children asking if he would please adopt them. What a joyous moment as he gathered them into his arms and tearfully said he could hardly wait to give them his last name.
It seems clear from the story that these children had been living with their stepfather for a long time. They must have felt loved, safe, and free to ask this. Perhaps he had told them he would like to adopt them but it took time for them to get to that place.
When the Lord gave us the promise of freedom if we abide in Him and His word, it would also take time for us to realize it! What exactly does it mean to abide in His word? If we truly want to be Jesus’ disciples, we hold to His teachings, making a commitment to put them into daily practice. For instance, forgiving as He forgives; loving our enemies; serving others; turning our cheeks; being kind to one another, and more. We make our home in Scripture and it becomes the way we view life. The truth of living out, and experiencing what Jesus teaches, releases us from the bondage of sin. What a wonderful promise, freedom from the slavery of sin. If we abide in His word, we become His disciples truly by living out what Jesus taught and then we are free indeed.
Reflection: How would your day-to-day life change if you chose to live out what Jesus teaches? Ask the LORD to reveal to you an area where He wants to free you from bondage. Commit to accepting this invitation to freedom.
Francie Overstreet
Confusion
Have you ever listened to a conversation where both people weren’t listening to each other, so two very different conversations were happening? And suddenly, they realize that neither one knows what the other is talking about. There is a look, an unmistakable look of confusion before they burst into laughter.
In John 8: 31-33, we see the believers talk back to Jesus in a defensive, almost nonsensical way. Obviously, they expected Jesus to say something very different from what they were hearing. I wonder if the scriptures recorded for us only part of their conversations. I’d wager there had been a fair bit of assumption and non-listening going on before this point. And it is at this point they realize Jesus is getting at something very different.
We could say, “Silly people, you should have asked questions or listened better!” But misunderstandings are just going to happen. We are tainted by sin and will cause confusion for one of a hundred different reasons. We will also be confused by each other; trust me, we’re all pretty weird underneath our cool, collected exteriors.
It wasn’t until Jesus rebuilt the temple in three days; it wasn’t until he rose again that people truly began to understand. Their misunderstanding is part of our scripture, and we can often relate to the misunderstanding in one way or another. We wrestle with confusion, and that’s okay. That’s what we are supposed to do. Faith is how we do life because understanding isn’t always possible at whatever stage of life we’re in at the moment.
If we try to comprehend what daytime looks like in the middle of the night, the rising sun opens our eyes to new possibilities. As the light of the world illuminates everything, understanding will come.
Jonathan Duncan