John 8:12-30
Timing can be everything when it comes to truth. But, I don’t think that there ever would be a right time for the religious leaders to hear this next truth that was spoken by Jesus. His words were a direct confrontation to the lie. But, from what I know of Jesus he was never going to shy away from the truth.
He started with the words, “I am”. The same words used when the Voice had spoken to Moses in the Wilderness, “I am, who I am”.
Then he spoke about light and darkness and choosing between the two. In the midst of his response to the religious leaders he said this, “My truth lights up the world, darkness is its enemy. Follow me and the lie will be clearly seen and the truth will set your life free”.
The religious leaders went straight for the jugular when they heard Jesus say this. They had no time for Jesus because he was clearly directing his comments at them and the lies that they were leading the people into. Without saying it directly he had clearly identified that they were speaking lies.
The next challenge was about Jesus’ authority. But, Jesus again gave them the perfect response. He knew that true authority comes from who a person is and their character, both gifts from God. Authority is not from a self constructed version of truth that seeks only to hear its own perspective.
Jesus said to them in very clear terms, “My statements are true. I am the Flesh, speaking with the Voice and the Breath. This is more than enough to hear truth. Lies can seek to fabricate truth but the truth will always be evident in who a person is”.
This obviously confused the leaders. They asked a stupid question the answer that they of all people should have known the answer to. “Who is your Father?”
They clearly didn’t realise how much the lie had infiltrated every part of their thinking. They had stopped hearing the Voice for a long time. Even when the Voice had spoken in past ages they never obeyed. Now when in the presence of truth the way to truth was obscured. They were living in a prison of their own making.
Jesus was not afraid for himself when making these statements to the religious leaders. I could see that they wanted to punish him because his presence was challenging the very foundation of their beliefs about the Voice.
The Flesh’s perspective on their predicament was very different to their own understanding. Jesus very clearly was saying that they were missing the secret that the Voice wanted to reveal through the Flesh. This very serious because their refusal to believe the truth was jeopardizing their own lives.
The leader’s lack of understanding became more evident as they argued with Jesus. “Who are you?” was their perplexed question.
Jesus answer challenged several hundred years of accumulated understanding that had drifted further and further from the truth. The lie that they believe made them believe that they were the way. But, Jesus very quickly challenged this. “I am the Voice, speaking in the flesh,” was his response.
In hindsight I know that the lie’s pull would bring them to want to destroy the truth. Jesus knew this already. He knew that this journey could only end one way, that there would be a battle between the lie and the Flesh. This battle would take Jesus to a cross just outside Jerusalem.