John 8:31-59

This next discourse between Jesus and those who claim to believe in him causes another upset as Jesus sets out the conditions for being a disciple. Obedience to his teachings, he tells them, will set them free from sin. As descendants of Abraham, they believed they automatically inherited the Kingdom of God, and were incensed by the idea that they were or had been slaves. Given Israel’s history of enslavement and the current Roman occupation this seems bizarre. Jesus wants them to understand that their nationality as Abraham’s children means little if they don’t love God or him, or follow his teaching. This difference is pressed home by Jesus’ statement that they behave more as children of the devil than of Abraham. No wonder they are upset with him!

Jesus tells them he is not doing this for his own glory, his motivation is to speak truth, and God will honour him. The Jews continue to misunderstand, taking as literal his references to spiritual life and death. Finally, Jesus tells them ‘Before Abraham was born, I am’. ‘I am’ (ego eimi) makes him one with God. The penalty for this is stoning, but Jesus is hidden from them. His time has not yet come.

The Jews in this passage sound a little like those who used to claim they were Christians because they lived in a ‘Christian’ country. Discipleship is a product of following Jesus and requires a definite decision to act on his word, it is never the product of a passive acquired inheritance.

Response: Choose a word, phrase, idea or action that strikes you as significant at this moment in your life and spend a few minutes reflecting on it.