March 6: Authenticity
John 8:48-59 TNIV from Biblegateway.com
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Devotional Comments:
“…whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
It is clear that the Jews did not understand Jesus’ claims about himself nor his teaching. They thought Jesus was talking about their physical mortality.
If we come to believe Jesus to be “the way, the truth and the life”, we know that following him and obeying his teaching brings life to our current lives and not a ‘”life of death” so many people experience.
It is said that the best way to identify counterfeit money is to study real money. If we can identify what is authentic, it will be easier to notice something false. The interesting thing for us is that in order to obey his word, we must know what it is. When we read and study scripture, we learn what his words are so when other words come to us, we know they are not from Jesus. These other words can lead us astray and the only way to recognize these false words is to know the truth.
False words can bring death, however obedience to Jesus’ words always brings life.
Leslie Kallen
Pray for the ability to distinguish the difference between truth and lies in your life.