Day 25: John 7-9. The Truth Will Set You Free, the Truth will Make you See
In John chapter 7, Jesus goes to Jerusalem (again), although notice he tries to go secretly. Even now, he realizes that he is not safe in Jerusalem. As in the other gospels, when he teaches, he's accused of having a demon. His answer is slightly different: he simply says that he only teaches what he hears fro the Father, and he only does what he is told by the Father. As Jesus teaches, people are divided. Some are in awe of him, and others are angry and already want to get rid of him.
Chapter 7 has that wonderful verse, "Rivers of living waters will flow out from within him (Jesus.)" Jesus cites this as a prophecy about himself, and about the Spirit.
You notice that the very familiar story of the woman caught in adultery is not considered by some to be authentic. But there are so many wonderful details in the story: Jesus writing in the sand, the men ready to throw stones. What do you think Jesus could have been writing? (There are a few possibilities people have put forward.)
There's extended conversation with Jesus and the religious leaders regarding Abraham. Who has more authority. Jesus or Abraham? Jesus contests their authority and questions whether they are really followers of Abraham. do they know the Word that they say that they follow?
"If you continue in my word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
(This verse was one of the rallying cries of the Reformation. Lutherans often preach on it on Reformation Sunday.)
At the end of this chapter, Jesus gives his most explosive 'I AM' statement yet: He says, "Before Abraham was, I AM." There seems to be no doubt about what he is claiming.
Then we get to chapter 9, and another one of those extended stories about an encounter with Jesus. Jesus and Nicodemus meet in the dark; Jesus and the Samaritan woman meet at Noon. Jesus meets a blind man -- and later on, Jesus meets his friend Lazarus and raises him from the dead. There is a lot of character development in these stories, and there are a lot of little details to pay attention to. (Did you know that the meeting of Jesus with a Samaritan woman at a well is the longest recorded conversation of Jesus with ANYONE in all the New Testament? But, I digress.)
In this story, notice that by the time the blind man goes and obeys Jesus and comes back, Jesus is already gone. He doesn't actually see JESUS until the end of Chapter 9.
The basic testimony of the man born blind remains the same throughout, and it's very simple, "I was blind, but now I see." Reminds me that we don't need a complicated testimony. "I was blind, but now I see" works -- on many levels.
It almost seems a shame to be reading these chapters so quickly. The gospel of John is so rich, and there are often single verses that i'd like to mull over for a long time, instead of having to hurry on to the next portion. There is the surface meaning of every story, but there are meanings and metaphors that go deep. What does it mean to be blind? How does the truth set us free?
Chapter 7 has that wonderful verse, "Rivers of living waters will flow out from within him (Jesus.)" Jesus cites this as a prophecy about himself, and about the Spirit.
You notice that the very familiar story of the woman caught in adultery is not considered by some to be authentic. But there are so many wonderful details in the story: Jesus writing in the sand, the men ready to throw stones. What do you think Jesus could have been writing? (There are a few possibilities people have put forward.)
There's extended conversation with Jesus and the religious leaders regarding Abraham. Who has more authority. Jesus or Abraham? Jesus contests their authority and questions whether they are really followers of Abraham. do they know the Word that they say that they follow?
"If you continue in my word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
(This verse was one of the rallying cries of the Reformation. Lutherans often preach on it on Reformation Sunday.)
At the end of this chapter, Jesus gives his most explosive 'I AM' statement yet: He says, "Before Abraham was, I AM." There seems to be no doubt about what he is claiming.
Then we get to chapter 9, and another one of those extended stories about an encounter with Jesus. Jesus and Nicodemus meet in the dark; Jesus and the Samaritan woman meet at Noon. Jesus meets a blind man -- and later on, Jesus meets his friend Lazarus and raises him from the dead. There is a lot of character development in these stories, and there are a lot of little details to pay attention to. (Did you know that the meeting of Jesus with a Samaritan woman at a well is the longest recorded conversation of Jesus with ANYONE in all the New Testament? But, I digress.)
In this story, notice that by the time the blind man goes and obeys Jesus and comes back, Jesus is already gone. He doesn't actually see JESUS until the end of Chapter 9.
The basic testimony of the man born blind remains the same throughout, and it's very simple, "I was blind, but now I see." Reminds me that we don't need a complicated testimony. "I was blind, but now I see" works -- on many levels.
It almost seems a shame to be reading these chapters so quickly. The gospel of John is so rich, and there are often single verses that i'd like to mull over for a long time, instead of having to hurry on to the next portion. There is the surface meaning of every story, but there are meanings and metaphors that go deep. What does it mean to be blind? How does the truth set us free?
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