John 8:33-40 - Children of Abraham

John 8:33-40

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's offering, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is that You say, "You shall become free?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 And the slave does not remain remain in the house forever, the son does remain forever. 36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham's offspring; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father." 39 They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do." 

Message: Children of Abraham

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)." 

What the Lord is Saying: The Lord delivered thoughts yesterday that we have come to view as the mark of a true discipleship and that was the idea that we need to abide in His word and in the process of doing this we will be made free by this truth. The first response often would be someone saying, "I did not realize I was lost." As my friend and I would often share with people at the mall it was with the premise that people did not know they were entangled by sin. In order to hear the Good news of Jesus, there needs to be some sort of realization that a person has a need for this. Today, very often in our population, people are not looking to God for help or guidance or even seeing God as someone they need. Perhaps, this was the mood of some listening to Him at this time. Especially Jewish officials who believed they already had what they needed. 

And so in this passage Jesus is helping the hearer see that the problem they have is that "everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin." That is a key message. What makes us need to be set free is that we are sinners and we need to get freed from being a slave of sin. And we are slaves simply because we sin. Jesus states in verse 35 and 36 that because someone is a slave to sin they do not dwell with Jesus in his forever house. But the Son can make you free. Believing in Him with a belief that will then abide in His Word - this will then be a person that is free indeed. Thus, the salvation message is one of freedom. 

Jesus often responds to their claim that they do not have a problem of being entangled or being a slave because they are of the offspring of Abraham. The Jew makes this common claim that because of their tradition and because of being grafted into the line of Abraham as a Jew that because of this they are not lost. The traditional idea among the rabbis was that the descendants of Abraham were in a higher position spiritually from others. Jews did not seem themselves as being in bondage to wickedness like the Gentiles. 

Most plainly Jesus responds that if they are truly of the offspring of Abraham then why are they seeking to kill him because like Abraham who did the deeds of God, Jesus is the same. Jesus is doing the deeds of God. These deeds are in response to what the Father has told Him to do. He has heard directly from God, something Abraham does not have. Jesus is from the father and He speaks to an audience that is to believe in Him, abide in His word and in doing this they will be set free. We are only set free by the Free One - Jesus Christ. 

Summary: Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. To be free like Abraham is to be a servant of Christ. 

Promise: When we move from being enslaved by sin to being a slave of Christ, then are empowered to serve Him, abiding by His word, being set free through the deeds of God. 

Prayer: O God, you are good and you have freed me from sin. I have freedom in you Jesus. Thank you for giving me that recognition that I am a sinner and can only be freed by You. Bring people to salvation, on the street in which I live, at the place in which I work, throughout this land. Help people to see that they cannot hold onto an allegiance simply and that there life needs to be changed from the inside/out. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's. 

My Utmost for His Highest - April 26th - The Supreme Climb

He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” - Genesis 22:2

    Character determines how a man interprets God's will (cf. Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God's command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this tradition behind by the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditions that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs to be got rid of, e.g., that God removes a child because the mother loves him too much--a devil's lie! and a travesty of the true nature of God. If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of wrong traditions about God, he will do so; but if we keep true to God, God will take us through an ordeal which will bring us out into a better knowledge of Himself.

 
    The great point of Abraham's faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter to what belief he went contrary. Abraham was not a devotee of his convictions, or he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you straight through every barrier into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself; but there is always this point of giving up convictions and traditional beliefs. Don't ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did --"I will do anything, I will go to death with Thee. (Luke 22:33)" Abraham did not make any such declaration, he remained true to God, and God purified his faith.

- From Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" - Classic Edition

Highlights and Underlines are courtesy of Mom from her print edition. 

 

Mark 7:9-13 - Making Void the Word of God

Mark 7:9-13
9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’; 11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

Message: Making Void the Word of God

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - At the beginning of Chapter 7, Mark pauses a moment in his gospel to bring attention to the Pharisees and their attack on Jesus for doing things that are contrary to the laws and traditions they have followed. Jesus permits his disciples to eat without clean hands. Here, Jesus is speaking of the importance of a heart change. I don't think he is diminishing the importance of keeping oneself clean, but he is emphasizing that we all need to make sure that we don't get caught up in rules and outward appearances and forget the real issue: the motive of one's own heart.

As he speaks to the Pharisees, trying to get them to think about the heart, He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition." Ouch. That hurts. But, this is the crux of what Jesus is communicating. The problem with these religious people is not just that they kept certain traditions, but they elevated them above the commandment of God. The commandment of God became almost secondary.

The rabbinic traditions are many, but they are not wild notions but rather further clarifications to situations that are not clearly expressed in the Bible, thus it is an attempt by man to further apply truth to all situations. I call this abiding by the oral law which is something very common in many religious groups. Purgatory is one of those oral laws, as well as exalting certain leaders of a faith as saints. These are ideas not mentioned in scripture and yet they are exalted to a level equal of scripture.

Here is an interesting example, taken from the pages of TableTalk on May 17, 2016:

Judaism’s system of kosher laws is a classic example. (Modern Judaism is based more on the traditions of the rabbis than on the Old Testament.) Exodus 23:19; 34:26; and Deuteronomy 14:21 all say, “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.” Over time, the kosher law that milk and meat products should not be eaten together developed out of a desire to keep the commandments of these passages. After all, if one never puts meat and milk together, one will certainly never boil a young animal in its mother’s milk, even accidentally.

What the Jews did and just the Jews but many religions is develop a code of conduct based upon the law, providing more detailed requirements for keeping that law. There is a commandment in scripture that says, "Do not be unequally yoked." What I see from that is parents then defining that their children can never be around non-Christians as they are growing up. Or even the command to "train up a child in the way he should go" means that children need to be educated only in the home and not by the public school systems.

Now, the idea to only have your children date Christians or only be around those that are the opposite sex is not a problem in itself and yet we are also commanded to go into the world and preach the gospel, which means being around non-Christians is necessary. Thus, if one command leads to breaking another command, then there is a problem. 

And so, what Jesus does is more clearly offer an example of that which he is speaking, namely, the exalting of tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

The Corban rule was a practice of deferred giving. One could often simply say the word Corban and it inferred that something had been pledged to the temple or church. It allowed individuals to deed property or other gifts, then after they die, they become the property of the church. This is not a bad thing and speaks to the idea that when we die, we should be transferring our possessions to be used by the next generation. But the concern that Jesus brings up is that some people were neglecting their responsibilities to elders, their own father or mother. It was commonly understood that just as parents take care of their children, children take care of their parents later in life. Perhaps these parents had a monetary need or a need of property, but rather than caring for the parents and providing them what they need, they believe that since they have previously identified a material possession as Corban then it was obligated already. It was holding on to one law at the expense of another obligation.

I think church people have a tendency to do this, perhaps in more simplistic ways, feeling like they must hold to one obligation, like attending church, when maybe there is a person in need that they could minister to, but they don't, because they feel they must get to church. And do we also hold onto our possessions, for a rainy day, saving riches that we have purchased and set aside, rather than helping someone out now that needs it. We get obsessed with our personal retirements and protecting ourselves in the future when there are people with real needs that we could help now. Thus, we elevate our own personal needs or personal obligations over real needs the Spirit could be drawing us towards. 

Summary - Jesus is confronting the Pharisees. While they are concerned Jesus is neglecting their traditions, Jesus is concerned with their heart and why they are doing what they are doing. Is it really motivated toward God and the things of faith or do we get sidetracked on doing things for God that we neglect the people God has placed in our lives? Do we get obsessed with ensuring that are right with God that we then neglect people?

Promise: We too can be obsessed with good but optional things (like giving extra gifts to the temple) in a a way makes us break God's law, shifting our priorities from only to God to remembering its about God and the people he has placed in our lives.

Prayer: O Lord, my Lord, my King, the Only One. I do want to honor You. Help me to not sacrifice people that you have placed in my life because I somehow think that it is more important to worship You because I am concerned that if I don't then you will reject me. I need to listen to Your Spirit in my life at all times, being sensitive to areas that you have called me, being sensitive to the people that you have placed in my life. Help me Lord. I need your help and strength and leading.