On Line Bible Study - For the Week June 18-24, 2012

Lesson 541

John 8:31-59

The key verse we are looking this week is John 8:39   "Our father is Abraham," they answered Jesus.  Jesus replied, "If you are really Abraham's children, you would be doing works worthy of Abraham."

This section takes us deeper into the controversy that existed between Jesus and "the Jews".  This section begins by telling us that Jesus was speaking to those Jews who had believed him.  Did they "believe" him, or "believe in him"?  There is a difference.

The unifying factor in this section is "Abraham".  Father Raymond Brown points out in his commentary that it is easy to assume the privilege of being "chosen" and forget the responsibilities that go along with it.  At the risk of sounding cliche, isn't one of religion's selling points that it helps us take stock of our responsibilities toward God and toward each other?

Jesus is calling them out for making a claim on one hand, but behaving in ways that invalidate the claim they make for themselves!  The conversation will get sticky as accusations are exchanged between Jesus and the people regarding their real father - is it God, Abraham, or the Devil?  The accusations are only thinly veiled!

Our "father" - that is, the genetic seeds within us that determine our actions - has to be faced.  Does our religion offer us more a sense of comfort than a call to action?  Does our "faith" in Jesus look more like a security blanket than a willingness to risk it all for Jesus' vision of the kingdom of God?  Abraham didn't try to kill the messengers that were sent to him.  Abraham stepped out again and again with faith in God - a faith that was stronger than his ties to family or home, and yet a faith that enabled him to love family and home in ways he might never have imagined.

As Jesus engages these Jews who "believed him", I can see Christ engaging Christians who claim that he is our "lord".  Who - or what - is our "lord" - really?  Look at your life, ask yourself the question, and proceed accordingly!