What do you believe? Is God far off and we are just here to survive as best we can? That isn’t what Jesus taught. In John 8:31–32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”. He taught that the truth would set you free from slavery to sin. He also taught that being born blind wasn’t anyone’s fault, but it was an opportunity in John 9:3 “so that the works of God could be revealed in him”. The will of God, the power of God, is available to demonstrate miraculous change for good. Here is the question Jesus asked, in John 8:46 “If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me?” What miracle do you need? It says in Hebrews 11:6 “Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him”. So I ask again, what do you believe?
Many Believed in Him
If You Continue in My Word
John 8:31–38
We are given a gift, the gift of eternal life, the gift of forgiveness as it says in
Romans 3:24–25 being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins,
and now Jesus says to us, just as he said to those Jews who believed, in
John 8:31–32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
While we are immediately forgiven of our sin when we accept Jesus Christ, we are set free from sin when we “know the truth”. We may not have known it, but we were “a slave of sin” in John 8:34 but Jesus says in
John 8:36 So if the son sets you free, you will be truly free.
When we accept Christ, we are not only “born again” (see “born from above” John 3:3) and accepted into God’s kingdom but we are also sealed with the Holy Spirit who now is our teacher (guide) in
John 16:13 But when he—the Spirit of truth—comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak from himself, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will proclaim to you the things to come.
Abraham is Our Father
Before Abraham Was, I Am!
John 8:48–59
As Jesus was speaking to “the Jews”, and lets clarify here, he had spoken to those that “those Jews who had believed him” in John 8:31, but as the discourse continues, there were others in the crowd, and now ‘the Jews Refers to the religious leaders in Jerusalem. John often uses this label to categorize those who are opposed to Jesus and His ministry (e.g., John 5:16; 11:57). While the term can be used in a neutral or even a positive sense (e.g., 2:6; 4:22), the prevailing connotation with the expression is “unbelieving Jews.”’1
So, as Jesus is speaking to “the Jews” he says in
John 8:46 Who among you convicts me concerning sin? If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me?
and they respond in
John 8:48 The Jews answered and said to him, “Do we not correctly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
These people are in self-defense mode. They are not seeing the power of God manifested before them. They are not hearing the truth of the words Jesus is speaking, they are rejecting him to preserve their religious thinking. They accuse Jesus saying twice you “have a demon” in John 8:48 and again in John 8:52 then they say in
John 8:53 You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, are you?* And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself to be?”
Jesus was born, not as every other man, but of a virgin. He took on flesh and blood walked among us. John’s gospel opens with these words in
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, and the world did not recognize him.
and now, Jesus is speaking the truth to them and they not only deny the truth but accuse Jesus of having a demon. The truth though is in
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am!”
That the Works of God Could be Revealed
John 9:1–12
After his encounter with “the Jews”, in
John 9:1 And as he went away, he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples were with him and asked a question that exposes what they believed, and it is a common misconception. They asked in
John 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?”
It is true that sin can be the cause of sickness or disease, and we might rightly say that sin is the reason there is any sickness or disease. But the common misconception is that there is a one to one correlation between an individuals sin and the sickness or disease in their life. As Jesus explains, there is just sickness and disease in the world and it is not God’s judgment on someone that it is there in
John 9:3 Jesus replied, “Neither this man sinned nor his parents, but it happened so that the works of God could be revealed in him.
This is what Jesus came to do and the way he introduced his work in the earth in
Luke 4:18–19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send out in freedom those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
Then Jesus acted and “smeared clay on his eyes” in John 9:6 and sent the man to “wash in the pool of Siloam” in John 9:7 and the man “came back seeing” in John 9:7. We often think that miracles just happened, but they always begin with some action by word or point of contact. Then, there is a point of obedience, and action in faith believing as this man went and washed. And then there is the manifestation of something new, a miracle, a blind man sees.
As much as we want a formula, it is necessary for us to listen, and hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit and then do whatever he says. Would you spit in the dirt and rub it on someone’s eyes? I think few would. Even more though, are you listening to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying?
They Were Afraid of the Jews
John 9:13–23
Although I Was Blind, Now I See!
John 9:24–34
Study Verses
- John 8:31–38 If You Continue in My Word
- John 8:48–59 Before Abraham Was, I Am!
- John 9:1–12 That the Works of God Could be Revealed
Today’s Reading
- John 8:21-59
- John 9:1-34
References
- 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Jn 1:19). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
