Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They replied to him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have not been enslaved to anyone at any time. How do you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus replied to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. And the slave does not remain in the household forever; the son remains forever. So if the son sets you free, you will be truly free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are seeking to kill me, because my word makes no progress among you. I speak the things that I have seen with the Father; so also you do the things that you have heard from the Father.” (John 8:31-38)

Chapter eight opens with Jesus going to the Mount of Olives (after the chaos of the Temple at the end of chapter seven) and staying there all night. In the morning, He returned to the Temple and so did all the people. So He sat down and taught them. Then the Pharisees brought a woman who they had caught in the act of adultery (by Law, both male and female parties are judged – Leviticus 20:10). How they could do this without knowing it was about to happen is beyond me. It seems like someone must have been complicit. Those who committed adultery were to be stoned, so they were demanding Jesus agree with them. Jesus said that the woman should be condemned by whomever had not committed any sins themselves. They all walked away. In the end, only Jesus remained. He did not condone her lifestyle or sins. He told her that He wasn’t going to condemn her (John 3:16-17), but she should get up and go AND sin no more.

Jesus told those around Him (everyone there, this wasn’t toward the disciples but the general populace) that He was the Light of the World (Genesis 1:3-5; John 1:1-5). Whoever followed Him would not walk in darkness, but the light (Colossians 1:13). Jesus told them He was going away and they would not be able to follow Him. He would go to His Father and they wouldn’t be able to find Him. They didn’t understand. They asked Him who He was, but didn’t understand the answers. Jesus told them He only did what the Father showed Him to do. He told them that if they remained in His Word, they were His disciples. They would know the truth and the truth would set them free. Jesus also admitted that the reason they were out to kill Him (the religious elite, not the general populace) was because His Word had no place in them. Jesus told them that if God was their Father they would love Him. They immediately accused Him of being a Samaritan (huge insult to a Jew in that day) AND possessed by a demon. Jesus told them that He honoured His Father and did NOT have a demon. That whoever kept His Word would never see death (True death. Spiritual death. The opposite of eternal LIFE – relationship with God). They assumed He meant physical death and decided that was proof He was demonized because Abraham died and there was no way He was greater than their patriarch Abraham. Jesus told them that He wasn’t glorifying Himself, but the Father., He told them Abraham rejoiced to see (prophetically) Jesus’ day and DID see it gladly (God is God of the living, not the dead – Matthew 22:32). They told Jesus that He was still young. How could He have seen Abraham? Jesus told them that before Abraham was born I AM. They picked up stones to stone Him to death, but Jesus walked through the crowds and out of the Temple. He passed by through their midst and they could do nothing (John 10:18).

Chapter nine starts as He was passing by (not yet out of the Temple, presumably), chapter nine opens. Jesus saw a blind man. The disciples wanted to know whose sin had blinded him. His own or his parents? Jesus told them that individual sins had nothing to do with it (Which is truth. Not every sickness is because of personal sin.). Jesus went to the man, made mud, and anointed the man’s eyes with it. Jesus told him to wash it off in the Pool of Siloam – which was across the city. The man acted on his trust in Jesus, went to the pool, washed it off, and regained his sight. He was overjoyed. Word spread and he was brought before the Pharisees. Now at this point they were so opposed to Jesus that they were excommunicating those who said Jesus was Messiah, which would disconnect them from the community and prevent them from participating in the Temple services (which was required prior to Jesus’ sacrifice in order to have sins covered). They questioned him and then questioned his parents and then questioned him again and then kicked him out because they didn’t like what he said (implication is that they excommunicated him). Outside, he ran into Jesus who had sought him out. Jesus asked him if he believed in the Son of God. The man said who is he? Jesus said it was Himself. The man believed and worshipped Him. Some Pharisees heard what Jesus was saying about blindness (to Jesus being Messiah) and gaining sight (by believing in Jesus) and challenged it.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Disciples, Jews

Key Verse(s): John 8:31-38; 9:24-34