The Freedom of Truth

Sorry for the length, but the Truth is SO good!

I just read John 8. Up until this point Jesus has strictly informed His disciples that His time has not yet come. John 2:4: Jesus rebukes His mother for trying to get Him to supply more wine for the wedding. And just before John 8, in John 7:6,8, Jesus tells His disciples that He shall not go to Judea for they want to kill Him. His time has not come yet. He says it twice in fact.

For some reason He decides to go into Judea for the feast. He starts out under cover. (John 7:10) He wants to lay low in the midst of them. Then He goes into the temple to teach. The Jewish leaders are so stupid here! They are completely blinded to who Jesus is. At the end of chapter 7 they are divided on how to respond to Jesus and His message. We again get a glimpse of Nicodemus standing up for Jesus, whom he had talked with in private in Chapter 3.

Jesus then travels up to the Mount of Olives for some alone time. No doubt to talk with His Father about these unbelieving people. God must of have given Him the green light for unloading the truth, because when He enters the temple the next day, He lays it all out for them!

I want you to read it for yourself, but here are a few of my favorite smack downs!

vs. 22-24  So the Jews were saying, "Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" ²³And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.²⁴"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

BELIEVE IN ME! He is commanding them. That is the only way to salvation!

vs. 25 And so they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to from the beginning?"

Here I can just see Jesus hanging His head and almost muttering these words to Himself. He is SO patient with them....but just wait....

In vs 31 Jesus proclaims that the Truth shall set them free. And then He unloads that Truth upon them. LOVE IT!!

First He accuses them of being children of the devil.  They correct Him with "We are the offspring of Abraham." They accuse Jesus of being possessed with a demon, because they think He is speaking stupidly, surely He must know who they are!

So, Jesus gives them ultimate truth! They say, "Surely you are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?" Jesus' response is wonderful! He completely lays before them exactly who He is. 

"Jesus answered, 'If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing: it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, "He is our God," and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him and if I say that I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like you, but I DO know Him, and keep His word."

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."

In that last verse Jesus basically says, "So your 'father' Abraham....yeah I know him....He says Hi. He's happy to see me."

They respond with "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" HA!! Because if He were older than fifty He would TOTALLY have seen Abraham.

Jesus then lays down the 'AH SNAP!' with this. "Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was.... I AM." You probably could have heard a pin drop in that temple. You want to know who I am?! Alright then....I AM. That is exactly who I am! How awesome and wonderful! That is exactly who He is!

:D