Journey through John 8:13-30

Good Morning Church Family – Journey Through John

Read John 8:13-30

Devo Thought: In this passage, we have a continued interaction between Jesus and the religious leaders. They keep thinking that they know who he is, and Jesus keeps assuring them that they don’t know who he is. Jesus keeps talking about his relationship with the Father, and the religious leaders make it clear they still believe that he is referring to Joseph, the man who was the husband of Mary. Then, all of the sudden, I think there is a moment of crystal-clear clarity in the minds of the religious leaders. They suddenly realize that they are dealing with someone who is far different than they were assuming. In verse 24, Jesus says something so powerful that the religious leaders are stopped in their tracks. They look at Jesus and can only ask the question, “Who are you?” The assumptions, at least for a moment, are gone, and they aren’t saying things like we know where you are from or who your parents are. What made them stop their assuming? Jesus says something that he will repeat later in the chapter. In verse 24, he says, “unless you believe that I am [he] you will die in your sins.” The important part is right in the middle. It is when he says, “I am.” That’s Yahweh’s name. By saying it, Jesus is saying that he is in fact “I AM” in flesh, and they must believe this in order to be free from their sin. They heard and began to question their assumptions, and so they ask (I believe wide-eyed and fearfully), “Who are you?” Let us not become so familiar with Jesus that we forget who he really is, and if we do forget, let us pray that he reminds us and stops us short again.

Let us ask God to help us keep a right and fresh view of Jesus.