Tag: I AM

Arrest – 14th Nissan Night

Please read Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52,
Luke 22:47-54 & John 18:2-12

While Yeshua was still speaking, here came Judah, one of the Twelve, and with him a big crowd with swords and clubs, from the ruling kohanim and elders of the people.  Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The One I kiss, He’s the One—seize Him!’ And immediately Judah drew near to Yeshua and said, “Shalom, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
“Friend,” Yeshua said to him, “do what you’ve come to do.”
Then they came up and threw their hands on Yeshua and seized Him.  
Matthew 26:47-50 TLV

And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 
And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 
And they laid hands on him and seized him.  Mark 14:43-46 ESV

While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was coming ahead of them, and he approached Jesus to kiss Him.
But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Luke 22:47-48 LSB

Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often gathered there with His disciples. Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
He said to them, “I am He.”
And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?”
And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” in order that the word which He spoke would be fulfilled, “Of those whom You have given Me, I lost not one.”   John 18:2-9 LSB

The arresting party most likely consisted of Temple police dispatched by Caiaphas, the high priest, and supported by a Roman cohort under its commanding officer. Cohort in ancient Rome was an organisational structure of soldiers, typically made up of six centuries of 80 men each (about 480 men).  In the classical period, cohorts formed the primary administrative structure of provincial Roman armies and were garrisoned in provincial bases or outposts. In Jerusalem they were garrisoned in the Antonia Fortress which was on the north-west corner of the Temple mount, stood 115 feet high, overlooked the Temple and had a secret passage to the Temple so soldiers could quickly dispel any “trouble” that might erupt in the huge gatherings of Jews there during the feasts. Cohorts had a standing military police force which was deployed to ensure order in the city or region.  They were also part of the Roman judiciary system, ensuring the enforcement of laws and ensuring a peaceful civil society.

Pontius Pilate had entered Jerusalem just a few days before, with much pomp and ceremony and legions of chariots, horses, and foot soldiers, dressed for battle and armed with swords and spears to remind the pilgrims that Rome ruled over them with unbeatable force. He would have been told of the other procession into Jerusalem with a man riding a donkey and the crowds of peasants and pilgrims welcoming Him like a king, and been relieved when that fizzled into nothing after He entered the Temple. His soldiers, looking down into the Temple from the Antonia Fortress, would have reported the commotion that same man made in the Temple the following day as He turned over the money changer’s tables and chased the animals out of the Temple courts. No doubt the question of how much of a threat did this man pose to civil order would have been in the discussions between Pilate and the chief priests shortly after his arrival. Roman governors relied heavily on their locally appointed leadership to help quell any unrest and collaborate in identifying and disposing of any threats to civil order. No doubt the need to dispose of this Man in a way that didn’t insight the multitude to riot was discussed – with the chief priests warning of what would ensue if Roman soldiers invaded the Temple to capture Him, rendering it ceremonially unclean and thereby ruining their Passover celebrations. A plot was formed to have Him arrested away from the Temple, and out of site of the crowd. Thus, Pilate put a cohort of soldiers at the chief priest’s disposal to ensure there was no civil disorder when the arrest was made at what would otherwise have been an inconvenient hour. Having the Temple police, rather than the Roman soldiers, lead this expedition and a Jewish trial find Him guilty before being handed over to Rome were all ways of minimizing the risk of a popular uprising among the people. The chief priests needed Rome to perform the execution, and Rome needed the chief priests to initiate the process so as to avoid inciting a riot. There wasn’t much time before the official Passover celebration, Pilate would be at their disposal to ensure this matter was dealt with expeditiously. A few of the soldiers likely went into the garden with the temple police, and the rest surrounded the garden to ensure no other groups could come to the aid of their target.

Yeshua had prepared Himself for this moment and stepped forward to meet His persecutors. His reply “I am” (“He” is added by the translators) is reminiscent of God’s response in Exodus 3:14: Say this to the people of Israel: “I am (ehyeh) has sent me to you.” So powerful was this declaration that the armed crowd drew back and fell to the ground. How easy it would have been to overcome them with divine power, but Yeshua had already surrendered Himself to the coming horrors. He allowed Himself to be bound and to be led away by the servants of the Sanhedrin; but He showed them, and us, that had He so willed, they would have been powerless against Him.

For now, Yeshua’s concern was simply to protect those with Him: “let these go their way.” This was no small feat, as the fate of those who followed other Messianic figures during Pilate’s reign attests to. In 36 A.D. a group of Samaritans followed one whom they believed was Messiah, Dositheos, up their holy mountain, Mt. Gerizim, to dig for some sacred vessels which he said Moses had buried there and Pilate ordered some of his legionaries to Mount Gerizim, who preceded to massacre the Samaritans. So great was the carnage that Pilate was recalled to Rome and vanished from history. Peter’s impulsive action threatened inciting a similar massacre in response, but also gave Yeshua more opportunity to display both His love and power. Miraculously, none of Yeshua’s followers were captured or killed this night and the Word He had previously spoken (John 6:39) “Of those whom You have given Me, I lost not one” was amazingly fulfilled.

And suddenly, one of those with Yeshua stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and he struck the kohen gadol’s servant and cut off his ear.
Then Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.  Or do you suppose that I cannot call on My Father, and at once He will place at My side twelve legions of angels?  How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”
At that hour Yeshua said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, to capture Me as you would a revolutionary? Every day I sat teaching in the Temple, and you didn’t seize Me.  But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples fled, abandoning Him. Matthew 26:51-56 TLV

But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.  
And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?  Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”  
And they all left Him and fled.
And a young man followed Him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
Mark 14:47-52 ESV

And when those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.
Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber? While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not stretch out your hands against Me, but this hour and the authority of darkness are yours.”
Now having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest, but Peter was following at a distance. Luke 22:49-54 LSB

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the kohen gadol, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant’s name was Malchus. 
So Yeshua said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath! The cup the Father has given Me—shall I never drink it?”
Then the band of soldiers, with the captain and the officers of the Judeans, seized Yeshua and tied Him up. John 18:10-12 CJB

In the upper room Yeshua had said: “whoever has no sword ( μαχαιρα machaira) should sell his garment and buy one,” (Luke 22:36) and the disciples had found two swords there to take with them. The noun μαχαιρα (machaira) denotes a slaughter-knife, a large knife used for killing animals and cutting up flesh; a short sword or dagger mainly used for stabbing; (figuratively) an instrument for exacting retribution. “Machaira” is the word used in Matthew 10:34 when Yeshua said: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword (machaira)”; in Matthew 26:47 describing those who had come to arrest Yeshua: “a large crowd armed with swords (machaira) and clubs, sent from the chief priests“; and in Yeshua’s prophesy about the coming destruction of Jerusalem: “They will fall by the sword (machaira) and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations.” The two machaira, “Lord, look, here are two swords” (Luke 22:38) may well have been what Peter and John had used to slaughter and cut up the lamb when preparing their Passover meal that night. Passover was the one festival each year where the heads of families, rather than the priests, slaughtered the required sacrifice. Now Peter was using his machaira in a vain attempt to slaughter the High Priest’s servant, but he was not the lamb of God who was to die to take away the sins of the world. How easy it is, after hearing what God is saying to us, to assume that would mean actions which He never intended.

Peter wasn’t the only one who thought they must have brought the swords in order to strike in defense of their Master. Luke lets us know that the question: “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” came from the group of those with Yeshua, not only Peter. He was just the first to act.

The Lord’s rebuke was quick and sharp: “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.  Or do you suppose that I cannot call on My Father, and at once He will place at My side twelve legions of angels?  How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” Peter’s great act of courage was a futile, meager effort that did nothing but put them all in danger. In comparison, Yeshua could command twelve legions of angels to defend Him. John tells us that a Roman cohort (480 soldiers) had accompanied this crowd to ensure any resistance would be instantly squashed, but this was nothing compared with the twelve legions (a legion was ten cohorts – ie 4,800 warriors), so about 58,000 angels, who were ready to stand by Yeshua’s side.

Then, in an act which both expressed love for His enemies and provided protection for His talmidim, Yeshua reached out and miraculously healed the ear of the High Priest’s servant. All evidence of Peter’s violent act was gone, and the only way to charge him for it would be to admit what a wonderful miracle Yeshua had done, undermining their case against Him.

With Yeshua refusing their ‘help’ in attacking His captors there was nothing for His confused disciples to do but flee this heart-wrenching scene. The only one to bring peace and calm to that situation in the garden was tied up like a common criminal as He was arrested and led away. We can find it easier to fight for Christ than to die for Him.

Then Mark adds an intriguing detail: And a young man followed Him, with nothing but a sindon (linen cloth) about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. An unnamed young man kept following Yeshua after all the apostles had fled. As Gethsemane was a walled garden with Roman soldiers likely stationed at the entrance, their fleeing was probably just to hidden places in the garden, from which they may have witnessed this strange event. Some of the most dedicated followers of Yeshua (e.g. the woman who anointed His head, this young man who kept following even after the apostles had fled) are left unnamed in the scriptures. This has led to much speculation by scholars and preachers over their identity, but maybe it’s not their identity that God wants us to focus on but their act of dedication. It doesn’t take an important, big named person, known to everyone, to do something of significance for Jesus.

The sindon (σινδόνα) was of fine linen cloth, which was made in Sindh, Pakistan and in Ἰνδός India. Such fabric was often used for fine garments, and to wrap dead bodies. Indeed, Yeshua‘s lifeless body would be wrapped in such after his crucifixion. This young man was probably wearing it wrapped around his waist to cover his nakedness. Mark describes the young man in question as a νεανίσκος neaniskos, meaning he was in the prime of his life, perhaps 15 to 25 years old, so the same age as Yeshua’s talmidim. Mark also tells us that this young man συνηκολούθει “was following” Yeshua, the term implied following as a talmid. But this young man, eager to keep following Yeshua even after others fail Him, was seized by those who had come to arrest Yeshua and in His desperate escape also falls into shame as he flees naked, having left behind his sindon in his captor’s hand. Like Peter, this unnamed youth’s act of courage is quickly stripped away and replaced with shame. Mark displays this naked runaway as symbolic of the total abandonment of Yeshua by all.

This fleeing nakedness, mentioned twice, points to the shamefulness of the disciples’ abandonment. There is only one other instance of “sindon” in Mark’s Gospel, it is in reference to the burial shroud of Yeshua (15:46). There, as with the story of our naked runaway, “sindon” occurs twice. Likewise, the word for “young man”, neaniskos, is only used twice in Mark’s gospel – here and after Yeshua‘s resurrection when the women saw a neaniskos clothed in a robe of brilliant white “leukēn“, just as Yeshua’s garment had been during His transfiguration. In utterly shameful circumstances, the disciple is stripped of the “sindon” he wore, and following an equally degrading crucifixion, a “sindon” becomes Yeshua’s burial shroud. Symbolically, Yeshua gets the garment of shame from the neaniskos and in exchange, the “brilliant white” garment Yeshua wore at his transfiguration now covers a neaniskos who makes the announcement at the empty tomb (16:5). This literary device symbolises the runaway neaniskos’ garment of shame in Mark 14 becoming Yeshua’s in Mark 15; and Yeshua’s garment of glory in Mark 9 becoming the neaniskos’ in Mark 16. Thus, Mark illustrates the shame of our failures being exchanged for the brilliance of Yeshua’s glory.

Reference List

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In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

* Why did Jesus rebuke Peter?
* How did Peter end up acting contrary to what Jesus wanted him to do?
* Comment on the statement: “it easier to fight for Christ than to die for Him.”
* What’s the link to Pakistan or India?
* How did the exchange of our sin and shame for Christ’s righteousness and glory begin?

I AM – Truth and Freedom

Please read John 8:21-59

Again He told them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin — where I am going, you cannot come.”  
The Judeans said, “Is he going to commit suicide? Is that what he means when he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”  
Yeshua said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.  This is why I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not trust that I AM [who I say I am], you will die in your sins.” John 8:21-24 CJB

“Again” indicates that there was an interval between Yeshua’s last words and this discourse, but gives no indication as to whether that interval was minutes, hours, days or weeks. Certainly, it was long enough for His last words to sink in: “You know neither Me nor my Father; if you knew Me, you would know my Father too.”

It was just six months until Yeshua would be crucified as the ultimate act of their rejection of His teaching and of Himself. He could feel the pressure mounting, already many of the leaders were plotting to have Him killed and it was only divine intervention staying their hand. So there was a certain urgency in His teaching, these people needed to see the reality of what was soon to take place if they were to be saved from dying in their sins.

Where was Yeshua going? He was returning to the Father, He was going to sit at the Father’s right hand. “which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Ephesians 1:20-21 NASB. “…through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” 1 Peter 3:21b-22 NASB. This is where Yeshua was going, and we cannot go there with Him unless we believe in Him.

In verse 21, and then twice in verse 24, Yeshua tells them they will die in their sin – (Gk) hamartia = having forfeited God’s approval because of missing His mark; failing to hit the target of obedience to God; every decision not of faith, not inspired and empowered by God; being in the condition of estrangement from God. In verse 24 Yeshua makes it plain that the core of their sin is unbelief – all those who refuse to believe what He says or who He is have, by that unbelief, rejected God and thereby forfeited His approval, regardless of how hard they may work at religious practices. Religious, or ‘spiritual’, activities are no substitute for believing and obeying God.  

Importantly, Yeshua equates Himself with God by speaking of Himself as I AM. Unless we believe that Yeshua is I AM יהוה we will die in our sins.

We first encounter this name for God in Exodus 3:14 when Moses asks God for His name and God replies: (as translated into English) “I AM WHO I AM (Hebrew: Ehyeh asher Ehyeh – which also translates as “I will be what I will be”) … tell them I AM (Hebrew: YHWH – known as the tetragrammaton because of the 4 letters) has sent me to you”. Yahweh is the third person version of Ehyeh, which is first person. In the postexilic period the Jews, for reverence reasons, did not pronounce the name YHWH but substituted for it the word adonai (lord), and in written form attached these vowels to the tetragrammaton. The resulting misguided pronunciation of the name Yhwh as the three-syllable word, Y[J]ehovah, continued in English Bible translations until early in the twentieth century. Evidence from Greek usage in the Christian era points to the two-syllable pronunciation, “Yahweh.” In giving this name for His people to call Him, God conveyed His dominion over all things, the source of His power, and His eternal nature: I AM. He is the self-sufficient, self-sustaining God who was, who is, and who will be.  

 At this, they said to him, “You? Who are you?”
Yeshua answered, “Just what I’ve been telling you from the start. There are many things I could say about you, and many judgments I could make. However, the One who sent Me is true; so I say in the world only what I have heard from Him.”  
They did not understand that He was talking to them about the Father.  So Yeshua said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM [who I say I am], and that of Myself I do nothing, but say only what the Father has taught Me.  Also, the One who sent Me is still with Me; He did not leave Me to Myself, because I always do what pleases Him.”
Many people who heard Him say these things trusted in Him. John 8:25-30 CJB

The religious leaders in the temple ask the question “You? Who are you?” in the tone of scorn. The pronoun is the emphatic word and the phrase was in frequent use to express contempt. He had said, “I AM;” but they do not accept His divinity so they are attempting to draw from Him some definite statement that they can use as technical grounds to charge Him with blasphemy. Yeshua affirms His identity without falling into their trap: “Just what I’ve been telling you from the start.” All of His teaching points to who He is – the light of the world, the way the truth and the life, the Son of God, the great I AM – and unless we are willing to believe who He is we forfeit God’s approval and will die in our sin.

Yeshua’s reference to Himself as “the Son of Man” alludes to Daniel 7:13-14:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

The title “Son of Man” thereby encompasses both Yeshua’s humanity and His divinity as the One who has everlasting dominion and is to be worshipped by all peoples. The Jewish pseudepigraphal writings of 1 Enoch and 4 Ezra give evidence of the understanding of the Jews of that time, presenting ‘the Son of Man‘ as an individual and a messianic figure, so Yeshua’s use of the term would have been clearly understood by His Jewish audience.

Yeshua generally used the term Son of Man when explaining His authority in terms of the humiliation, suffering and death He was to suffer in giving His life as a ransom for us. Likewise the phrase “lift up” – (Gk) hypsoo = to raise high, elevate, exalt – refers both to Yeshua’s crucifixion, and beyond that to His glorification. Those who were looking for a conquering Messiah could not comprehend that the Son of Man was given the authority, glory, sovereign power and an everlasting dominion of Daniel 7:13-14, only after such had been earnt through the sufferings of Isaiah 53. Our Messiah’s suffering and glory are intertwined.

We are called to follow in His footsteps: And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ–if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:17).

Many of the people who heard Yeshua say these things about Himself believed in Him, put their trust in Him. They had taken the first step but such belief is not the fullness of what God requires. So, now Yeshua addresses these ones who had believed in Him, instructing them on what it takes to be His talmid (disciple).

 So Yeshua said to the Judeans who had trusted him, “If you obey what I say, then you are really my talmidim, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free .”  John 8:31-32 CJB

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed in Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know (γινώσκω) the truth, and the truth will make you free ( ἐλεύθερος ).” John 8:31-32 NASB

What does it take to be Yeshua’s talmid (disciple)? It is more than just believing in Him. Even the Devil believes that Yeshua is the Son of God (He also drove out many demons, but He would not let the demons speak because they knew who He was (Mark 1:34). Moreover demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah (Luke 4:41) ). Many of the Judeans listening to Yeshua teaching in the Temple that day had come to the point of believing in Him, but that alone is not sufficient. Yeshua addressed them, and all those who likewise today claim to believe in Jesus but want to keep living for themselves. To be Yeshua’s talmid requires that we obey what He says, that we abide in His word, that we live in His word, that we remain in His word, that we stand in His word, that we stay in His word. This is so much more than just saying that we believe Jesus is Lord, it requires a total life commitment that brings all we think, say and do into line with His word. If we do not obey Yeshua, He is not our Lord and we are not His disciples.

When Yeshua spoke of knowing (γινώσκω) the truth, He was not talking just about head knowledge. The Greek word used in scripture, γινώσκω, ginōskō, refers to knowing through personal experience, it is the kind of knowing that comes from an active relationship between the one who knows and the person (or thing) known. What sets us free is not just knowing some facts about Jesus, but personally knowing (being in intimate relationship, united as one with) the One who is the truth.

ἐλεύθερος – eleutheria (translated as free; one who is not a slave; one who ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted; one who is exempt, unrestrained, not bound by an obligation; released from confinement or distress or physical sickness; liberated from political domination and oppression; especially: a state of freedom from slavery)- was an ancient Greek term for, and personification of, liberty. In NT times ἐλεύθερος was used literally of becoming a Roman citizen, something that slaves were not allowed to do. These religious Jews in the temple knew that Yeshua’s invitation was not to Roman citizenship but to citizenship in the kingdom of God. Instead of rejoicing in this invitation, they riled against it because their hope and identity was placed in their ethnicity, in being descendants of Abraham.

They answered, “We are the seed of Avraham and have never been slaves to anyone; so what do you mean by saying, ‘You will be set free’?” 
Yeshua answered them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin.  Now a slave does not remain with a family forever, but a son does remain with it forever. So if the Son frees you, you will really be free!   John 8:33-36 CJB

Instead of rejoicing in the hope of being made free, these ones who said they believed in Jesus refused to acknowledge their bondage. Like so many who are enslaved by sin, these Judeans in the temple refused to concede their lack of freedom. It was a matter of personal pride. It was a matter of identity – they were God’s chosen people. It was a matter of accepted doctrine – all Jews were part of God’s household. It was a matter of ethnicity – they were descendants of Abraham and had never been disqualified (put out of the camp of Israel) by slavery.

These were ones who had believed in Him, yet Messiah knew their hearts that they were not willing to live His teachings. Like those today who call themselves “Christians” but reject God’s commands on how they should live, not willing to submit to His lordship over their lives. Belief that does not result in obedience is not discipleship. Belief that rejects the demands of obedience will quickly expose itself as murderous unbelief when challenged. So it was that at Yeshua‘s challenge to a life of obedience they responded very defensively, even ridiculously as their national pride rose to the fore, claiming while in the shadow of the Roman garrison that they had never been slaves to anyone.

I know you are the seed of Avraham. Yet you are out to kill me, because what I am saying makes no headway in you.  I say what my Father has shown me; you do what your father has told you!”
They answered him, “Our father is Avraham.”
Yeshua replied, “If you are children of Avraham, then do the things Avraham did!  As it is, you are out to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Avraham did nothing like that! You are doing the things your father does.”
“We’re not illegitimate children!” they said to him. “We have only one Father — God!” 
Yeshua replied to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me; because I came out from God; and now I have arrived here. I did not come on My own; He sent Me.  Why don’t you understand what I’m saying? Because you can’t bear to listen to My message.  John 8:37-43 CJB

The Jews believed that being descendants of Abraham made them part of the household of God. Yeshua directly challenged this. He affirmed that they were Abraham’s seed (descendants) but disputed that this made them Abraham’s “children” – part of God’s household of faith. Our ‘father’, the one whose spiritual heritage we carry, is the one whose actions we do. Their actions, that which they were to do, would make a lie out of their claim to be Abraham’s children and their claim to be God’s children. The problem was that what Yeshua said made no headway in them / His word had no place in them / there was no room in their hearts for His word. Their hearts were full of opinions, beliefs and passions that were contrary to Yeshua’s word, and these are what defined them in His sight, not their earthly heritage.

You belong to your father, Satan, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. From the start he was a murderer, and he has never stood by the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is speaking in character; because he is a liar — indeed, the inventor of the lie!  John 8:44 CJB

Yeshua’s assessment was that they were filled with the nature of Satan and so belonged to him and desired what he desired. Thus He described the awful state of unregenerate men. “From the start he was a murderer” — It was through Satan that Adam transgressed; in consequence of which death entered into the world, and slew Adam and all his posterity. This was the sentiment of the Jews themselves. In Sohar Kadash, the wicked are called, “The children of the old serpent, who slew Adam and all his descendants.” 

Every thought they had that stood against Yeshua’s teaching was a lie from the father of lies. Every thought we have that contradicts Jesus’ teaching is a lie from the father of lies. Yeshua is the Word of God. Yeshua is the truth and speaks only truth. If they could not believe and take to heart what He was saying it was because they had believed lies from Satan that had become entrenched in their hearts and minds. The choice was stark – believe truth or lies, believe Yeshua or Satan.

But as for me, because I tell the truth you don’t believe me. Which one of you can show me where I’m wrong? If I’m telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?  Whoever belongs to God listens to what God says; the reason you don’t listen is that you don’t belong to God.” John 8:44-47 CJB

Those who have believed lies cannot accept the truth. Hence the call from both Yochanan the immerser and Yeshua Hamashiach to “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17).  “Repent” in the New Testament is the Greek word metanoia, which literally means “to change the mind.” They, like us, had been thinking one way and needed to think the opposite way to be able to believe the truth Yeshua was telling them. Repentance is a change in the way I think that leads to change in the way I live. When you really change your mind about something, it’s going to change the way you think about it, talk about it, feel about it, and act concerning it. True repentance is more than just a mental game. Repentance is a decisive change in direction. It’s a change of mind that leads to a change of thinking that leads to a change of attitude that leads to a change of feeling that leads to a change of values that leads to a change in the way you live. It was to such repentance that Yeshua was calling these ones who had begun to believe in Him.

The Judeans answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying you are from Shomron (Samaria) and have a demon?”  John 8:48 CJB

They were unwilling to repent, or even acknowledge their need of repentance. They had more confidence in their own rightness than in their messiah. To avoid repenting they turned on Him and started arguing and verbally attacking Him.

Yeshua replied, “Me? I have no demon. I am honoring my Father. But you dishonor me.  I am not seeking praise for myself. There is One who is seeking it, and He is the judge.  Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever obeys My teaching will never see death.”
The Judeans said to him, “Now we know for sure that you have a demon! Avraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever obeys my teaching will never taste death.’ Avraham avinu died; you aren’t greater than he, are you? And the prophets also died. Who do you think you are?”  John 8:49-53 CJB

Once again it came back around to who Yeshua is, what is His real identity? This is the core question we have to answer.

Yeshua answered, “If I praise myself, my praise counts for nothing. The One who is praising me is my Father, the very One about whom you keep saying, ‘He is our God.’ Now you have not known Him, but I do know Him; indeed, if I were to say that I don’t know Him, I would be a liar like you! But I do know Him, and I obey His word.  John 8:54-55 CJB

Avraham, your father, was glad that he would see My day; then he saw it and was overjoyed.”
“Why, you’re not yet fifty years old,” the Judeans replied, “and you have seen Avraham?” 
Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! Before Avraham came into being, I AM!”  John 8:56-58 CJB

They had asked in scorn if He were greater than their father Abraham (John 8:53). .His words have shown that He was. He now, with the thoughts of John 8:39 still present, contrasts the exultation of Abraham whom they claimed as father, when he saw from afar the Messianic advent, with their rejection of the Messiah who is actually among them.

Yeshua is, always was, and always will be, God – “I Am”. Such a proclamation is either the most essential truth or a terrible blasphemy. Refusing to believe Him, they decided that it was the latter.

At this, they picked up stones to throw at him; but Yeshua was hidden and left the Temple grounds. John 8:59 CJB

It was not God’s time yet, nor was this the way prophesised for Him to die, so once again Yeshua slipped away from a murderous crowd angered by His proclamation of truth that they were unwilling to hear.

Reference List

1. HELPS Ministries. The Discovery Bible. [Online] https://thediscoverybible.com/.
2. Stern, David H. Complete Jewish Bible (CJB). 1998.
3. Coffman, James Burton. Coffman Commentaries on the Bible John 8. Study Light. [Online] [Cited: November 27th, 2021.] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bcc/john-8.html.
4. John 8:8-15 Commentaries. Bible Hub. [Online] [Cited: November 27th, 2021.] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/8-15.htm.
5. Guzik, David. John 8 Bible Commentary. Enduring Word. [Online] [Cited: November 27th, 2021.] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-8/.
6. Henry, Matthew. John 8 Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible. Bible Study Tools. [Online] [Cited: November 27th, 2021.] https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/john/8.html.
7. Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown. John 8 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Bible Study Tools. [Online] 1871. [Cited: November 27th, 2021.] https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/john/john-8.html.
8. Mounce, Bill. γινώσκω. Bill Mounce – For an Informed Love of God. [Online] [Cited: December 11th, 2021.] https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/ginosko.
9. —. ἐλεύθερος. Bill Mounce – For and Informed Love of God. [Online] [Cited: December 11th, 2021.] https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/eleutheros.
10. freedom in the ancient world. Oxford University Press. [Online] [Cited: December 11th, 2021.] https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110810104937413.
11. Culture and religion. Britanica. [Online] [Cited: December 11th, 2021.] https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome/Culture-and-religion.
12. Commentaries John 8:44. Bible Hub. [Online] [Cited: January 1st, 2022.] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/8-44.htm.
13. Verrett, Bethany. Why Does God Call Himself “I Am that I Am”? Bible Study Tools. [Online] November 1st, 2019. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-does-god-call-himself-i-am-that-i-am.html.
14. The Meaning of “Son of Man”. Redemption Seminary. [Online] [Cited: December 4th, 2021.] https://redemptionseminary.org/redemption-blog/son-of-man.
15. John 8:37. BIBLE REF. [Online] Got Questions Ministries. [Cited: January 1st, 2022.] https://www.bibleref.com/John/8/John-8-37.html.
16. Verse-by-Verse Commentary John 3:37. Study Light. [Online] [Cited: January 1st, 2022.] https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/8-37.html.

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

*What has God taught you as you have meditated on these words of Christ?
* How would you describe who Jesus is and why it is important to believe in Him?
* What does it take to be a disciple of Jesus?
* How would you describe the state of someone who believes in Jesus but has no interest in reading the Bible or obeying His word?
* The Jews put their trust in being Abraham’s children for their salvation. What do people in your area trust in?