They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father." They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are indeed doing what your father does." They said to him, "We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 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."
My initial thought surrounds Jesus’ statement, “there is no place in you for my word.” Jesus continues to banter with the Pharisees and scribes who don’t understand what he is trying to tell them. They seem like they aren’t even trying to understand.
Jesus continues to explain his identity in this passage - and how his word is from God and contains truths that not everyone understands (especially the scribes and Pharisaic leaders). This his because of who he is. The leaders are quick to assert their Abrahamic heritage, claiming their inheritance of God’s favor as God’s chosen people. Jesus is aware of the schemes to trap him and kill him and in turn points out that the leaders have no idea what it means to love God, because they do not love him. He then compares them to children of the devil. The lies about Jesus and deception has clouded their minds and made them unable to comprehend the truth that is right in front of them.
I feel that our call today is trust. Trust in Jesus to lead the way; trust in his truth; trust in his leadership and his teaching. Trust that he is God that came to reconcile the world. If we are receivers of Jesus’ words with an open mind, and let them resonate in our soul, then we uncloud our minds and hear the word of God.
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