Devotional - John 8:48-59 - Deliberate Misunderstanding

Passage To Study:

John 8:48-59

[48] Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” [49] Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. [50] “And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. [51] “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” [52] Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ [53] “Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?” [54] Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. [55] “Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. [56] “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” [57] Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” [58] Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” [59] Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by

What are the facts of the passage?:

(Verse 48) - The Jews continue their insults calling Him a Samaritan and saying He was demon-possessed.
(Verse 49-51) - Jesus denies that He has a demon, saying that He honors the Father and they dishonor Him. He says that He is not seeking His own glory, and that anyone who keeps His word shall not see death.
(Verse 52-53) - They Jews react badly and rage about His relationship to Abraham trying to pit him against Abraham and the Prophets.
(Verse 54-55) - Jesus says that they do not know the God they profess to serve but that He does know Him. He says He cannot lie and profess that which is untrue. He does know God and will keep His Word.
(Verse 56) - Jesus says that Abraham would have been glad to see Jesus' day. He says that Abraham did, in fact, see it!
(Verse 57) - The Jews scoff at Christ's assertion.
(Verse 58) - Jesus speaks of His pre-existence as the Great I Am!
(Verse 59) - The Jews are enraged and take up stones to kill Him - but Jesus hides Himself and steals away.

What do those facts mean?:

Once again we see the Pharisees in rare form. It it plain to see that they have their opinion and that they are not interested in hearing anything that in any way contradicts that viewpoint. This is what the Bible frequently calls ''hard-heartedness". See it plainly displayed in all of its glory!

They were not open to instruction.
They thought far more of themselves than they ought to have thought.
They were defensive.
They were antagonistic and became aggressive.
They resorted to character assassination.
They ignored the obvious truth of what Jesus said.
They entirely denied any truth in His words at all.
They ignored the supporting testimony of His miracles.
They tried to marshal others in support.
They fell back on clichéd argument.

These are all marks of those who are bankrupt of any real integrity and is typical of those who know they are wrong, but yet all unwilling to yield to what is true for whatever reason. Sadly, the world is full of such people masquerading as religious people. Such people are deliberately wrong and are simply using the trappings of religion to advance some cause or agenda of their own.

How do those facts apply to my life?:

I need to take care that I am not in such condition, ever. I need also to recognize that such people exist and that they are, largely, unreachable. To contrive to strive with them as ol they can be won over is futile and little short of beating my head against a brick wall.

What should I do in response?:

I need to do what Jesus did to such people. He spoke plainly to them and minced no words. The only hope, if there is any at all, is that the truth might shock them into thinking. Thru is also the possibility of there being one or two in their midst (like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea) that are claimable.

Day

Deliberate Misunderstanding