John 8:46-59 (NRSV)

Which of you convicts me of sin?  If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?  Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God."  The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.  Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge.  Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death."  The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, 'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'  Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, 'He is our God,' though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word.  Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am."  So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Again, we leave our weekly progression through Mark and we take a detour into the Gospel according to John.  Today we are faced with Jesus being confronted again by the “Jews” who wish to convict him of blasphemy.  The daily lectionary repeats the exact reading that we heard on February 11, 2012; give or take a verse.  The idea that gets my attention today is that they call Jesus a Samaritan, which is ironic because Samaritans do not believe in the resurrection (and Jesus rises from the dead).

The questions continue about the identity of Jesus, and about where his power and abilities come from.  They have now come to the conclusion that Jesus must have a demon.  Jesus tries to explain that his abilities and his glory comes only from God, and that God is the source of all and the judge of all.  Jesus tries to explain his connection to God by telling them that he was before Abraham.

The call that I hear today is “be a keeper of the Word.”  Jesus says that whoever keeps his word will never taste death.  Therefore, everlasting life is the reward of being a “keeper of the Word.”  How do we keep the Word of God, which we know to be Jesus the Christ?  We keep him in faith and practice.  We keep him in trust for others.  To be keepers of the word, we need to be a sharer of the word.  In order to do this, I suggest that we live as St. Francis suggested, “preach the Gospel at all times.  When necessary, use words!”

John 10:31-42 (NRSV)

The Jews took up stones again to stone him.  Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?"  The Jews answered, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God."  Jesus answered, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'?  If those to whom the word of God came were called 'gods'-and the scripture cannot be annulled-  can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, 'I am God's Son'?  If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me.  But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."  Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.

He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there.  Many came to him, and they were saying, "John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true."  And many believed in him there.

Blasphemy…  So, the “Jews” claim that Jesus is guilty of blasphemy.  He isn’t guilty for the works he has performed, but they say he is guilty of irreverence or impiety to God.  They thought Jesus was making himself God.  Little did they know what they were up against.  Nevertheless, they once again reach for the stones.

Jesus lets the works testify to who he is, and that he does them only by the power that has been bestowed upon him by God.  He is the one that God has made holy and sent into the world, yet he is not believed by the religious powers.  Jesus reminds them of the prophets (the ones to whom the word of God came), and how the prophets were treated.

Escaping arrest, Jesus slips away across the Jordan river, to where his ministry began – where he was baptized.  People still came to him, testifying to the signs, and believing everything that John said about him.

The Pharisees and scribes (the Jews) who challenge Jesus continue to feel the pressure of their own creation.  Jesus is upsetting the apple cart, and making life difficult for them.  However, Jesus has done nothing wrong but continues to be blamed with trumped up charges and false accusations.

The call I hear today is be who you are.  Jesus is just being who he is – God.  We are not God and shouldn’t try to be God.  I feel that the leaders are challenged because they think that they have the only path to God, and therefore get to control who comes to God and how.  Jesus provides the true way to God, through belief in him.  Only if we are true to who we are can show others the way to God.

We are working hard at putting together our Lenten series at Trinity called “Outward Signs.”  In this series, small groups will discuss what it means to be an visible sign of Christ in the world.  This takes the church gathering beyond the 4 walls, and puts it in the context of the world.

John 8:47-59 (NRSV)

Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God."  The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.  Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge.  Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death."  The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon.  Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, 'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'  Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?  The prophets also died.  Who do you claim to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, 'He is our God,' though you do not know him.  But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word.   Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"   Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am."   So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.



“They picked up stones to throw at him.”  I think that Jesus has finally reached a point with the leaders that he had no other choice other than to hide and then duck out.  The continued dialogue upsets the Jews to the point of accusing Jesus of having a demon.  They also call him a Samaritan, which is understandable because the Samaritans thought they were the true keepers of the Abrahamic religion prior to the Babylonian exile.

In the past few days, the readings have been leading up to this scene. The Jews (notably the Pharisees and scribes – the leaders) who want to trap Jesus on one side, and Jesus preaching and teaching and offering a new way to everlasting life on the other. The leaders of the community have their authority put into question. 

Jesus thwarts the Jews with his claim to be from God.  They don’t believe him and continue to challenge him bringing up Abraham and the prophets.  Jesus infuriates them by telling them that he was before Abraham.  This leads to the threat of the stones.

The call today is to be firm in our faith; be not only hearers of the word but doers.  Jesus is the perfect teacher and does not base his claims on what he says but on what he does (healing, forgiving, teaching).  The word of Jesus is the word of God and gives life and power to those who believe.  Jesus shows us the way that leads to truth and holiness.  And he anoints us with his power to live the gospel with joy and to be his witnesses in the world.  Are we doers of God's word, or hearers only?

John 8:1-11 (NRSV)

… Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.  The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.  Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  Now what do you say?"  They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.  When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."  And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.  When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.  Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, sir."  And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."

“He bent down and wrote on the ground.”  I realize that we are all in different places.  Our thinking and reading these reflections are through the different lenses of our own experience.  I think that the sentence about him writing on the ground jumps out because, to me, it doesn’t otherwise belong.  Why did he write on the ground?  Why is it important to mention?

I would like to make the suggestion that Jesus gives us the image of a challenge, as if he were drawing a line in the sand saying, “Let anyone among you who wants to stone her come cross this line – and then you will deal with me!”  We can almost see the Jesus meek and mild puff out his chest for a minute and get tough in order to protect the woman.  It must have worked, because everyone dispursed and none were left but her and Jesus.

At the beginning of the passage, I want to yell out, “It’s a trap, Jesus…  don’t answer them!”  When the woman is brought to him, it's one of their schemes that they use in order to trap Jesus.  It's a catch-22.  He is doomed either way.  The Pharisees are keeping the letter of the law rather than the intent of the law.  They want to trick Jesus into going against what is prescribed in the law of Moses, but Jesus uses this opportunity to teach them in a very simple way that the complete law is intended for all – and that all fall short of keeping the law.  It obviously works, because they all leave.  Instead of condemning another, they turned the condemnation inward and started to think of their own sin.

We, like the Pharisees are quick to condemn and judge the way others act, rather than first look at ourselves.  I think that our call today is to be introspective of our outward actions.  Examine ourselves, prior to accusing another.  Without condemnation, but with forgiveness and guidance, Jesus offers the accused woman another chance.  Are we quick to condemn, and want to immediately pick up the stone and right the world, or do we come from a place of forgiveness – having first forgiven ourselves and then extending that forgiveness to others – and offering guidance rather than condemnation?