Who Is My Father?
John 8:31-59 (May 16)
I have three adopted children. I have had them since they were very small. I have been their mama and my husband has been their dad. There is no doubt that they think of us this way.
But every once in a while, their little brains (well...not so little anymore) get to thinking and they wonder about their bio parents. They will ask us if we know anything about their mother or their father.
Unfortunately, we know very little, so there is not much to tell. And while those moments are fleeting for them, I know those moments also bring about a little frustration, confusion, and maybe even a little sadness for the mother and father they will never know.
In today's scripture, we find a very confused group of people who are questioning who their father is. In their minds, it is Abraham.
Do you remember that song from Sunday School? Father Abraham had many sons. Many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you. So, let's all praise the Lord.
Jesus is telling these descendants of Abraham that they are prisoners to sin, and that the only way they can gain freedom is by knowing God, the Father.
These men don't feel like they are prisoners, so they argue with Jesus. (Poor Jesus, everyone is always arguing with him!)
Strangely enough, even some of these descendants of Abraham are trying to attack Jesus. They don't like what he is saying. (Hmmmm...what would the world be like if we all killed anyone who said something we didn't like? I'd be a goner for sure!)
They claim to be children of Abraham, but they don't follow his example. They get even more upset because they think Jesus is calling them illegitimate. "We aren't illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father."
But is that really true? Are they loving Jesus the way they should if God were truly their Father? Are they even listening to what he is saying? Jesus doesn't think so. Actually, he accuses them of being children of the devil. They do evil, they hate the truth, they lie. Yep...sounds pretty much like the devil to me.
But instead of accepting this truth, they turn the tables on him and call him the devil, accusing him of being possessed by a demon. (These guys just cannot handle anyone calling them anything but perfect.)
But let's keep in mind, (in small, very small, defense of these pitifully ignorant men), that all they are hearing seems so foreign to them. A man who says he is the Son of God...who says they will never die. A man who is telling them that they are so different from the earthly father they have claimed throughout the generations. A man who wants no glory for anything he does, but only wants the glory to go to God. A man who, being only in his thirties, claims to have seen Abraham.
Yes, this is all just a little too much for these minds to comprehend. What conclusion can they come to except that this man standing before them is demonic. And when we are faced with something we fear, we often lash out to protect ourselves, which is just what they did. They started throwing stones at him. (This time there was no bending down and writing in the sand. Jesus just simply disappeared and left the Temple.)
What is something that has seemed like "too much" for your mind to comprehend in this life? In what ways has the unknown seemed fearful and made you want to lash out? Can you sympathize with the doubt these men are feeling, even though they were given so much opportunity to believe?
Life is full of things that make us doubt. All around us are things that make us fearful or make us question. The blessing is that you and I, as believers, don't have to be afraid, even when we don't always understand. We just have to believe and trust in the One who knows all things.
We can rest in the assurance that, despite what we know about our earthly father (or in my kiddos' case, don't know), we have a heavenly Father who loves us.
Back to the song: My favorite part is this:
I am one of them, and so are you. So, let's all praise the Lord.
Yes, friends, let's not be like those sons of Abraham. Let's all praise the Lord!