Read chapter 8 by clicking here.
Like most chapters in John, there is a ton here to discuss. First, Jesus deals with a woman caught in adultery. Later, we see Him explaining the freedom He offers vs. a life of "slavery to sin". Finally, we see the Lord really ruffling some feathers (verse 48 and 57-59).
What jumps out at you?
I am always struck by the foolish statement the leaders make in verse 33 - "we are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone." What? Egypt..Joseph...Moses...parting the sea? What happened to all that?
ReplyDeleteI've memorized verses 34 and 35, as I'm a big fan of the idea of our status as children of God through Christ. So when Jesus explains that a slave has no permanent status in a family, but a son belongs to it forever...yeah, I like that a lot.
John Y.
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered what Jesus was doing by writing in the dirt; was he writing words, was he doodling, what was he doing? I find it interesting that the author(unknown since this part is not in all of the Greek manuscripts) points out that Jesus wrote on the ground not once, but twice, and didn't tell us WHAT He wrote on the ground. My strongest thought on this matter is that He is showing the crowd that he is not looking at them so they don't feel the pressure of admitting they have sinned.
The other portion of this chapter that sticks with me is the end where Jesus seems to get fed up with the Jews at their disbelief in who He is, that he says "Very truly I tell you,before Abraham was born, I am!" When I read that part, I get the sense that Jesus used a powerful voice to tell them "I am!" Just like God told Moses to tell the Israelites "I AM" sent you in Exodus 3:14, I think the reference that Jesus makes here to himself in the old testament name of God makes the Jews think again about who Jesus really is.