39 “Abraham is our father,” they replied.

“If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 You are doing the works of your father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they declared. “Our only Father is God Himself.”

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!

46 Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Annie Davies

When I read this passage I am struck by the strong language in Jesus’s argument with the Jews who didn’t believe in him. The Jews are biological children of Abraham. Their understanding was that they are part of God’s family by birth. However, Jesus says in v44 that their father is the devil! The reason is that the Jews don’t accept Jesus’s message and are trying to kill him. Can you imagine suddenly being told you are not part of God’s family when you thought you were? And then being told your father is actually the devil? It’s even more shocking than the scene in Star Wars Episode V where the noble Jedi Luke Skywalker finds out his father is the evil overload Darth Vader!

As Christians we are saved through faith in Jesus, trusting that Jesus took our sins away when he died on the cross for us. We now have the amazing privilege to call God our Father! If God is our Father, verse 47 challenges me to reflect on whether I hear his word and do it. For example, I have been remembering that God loves all people, and his invitation of salvation extends to everyone. However, there are definitely people who I find easier to love than others. And there are people who I am more willing to try to develop a relationship with and share the gospel with than others. When I take my son to swimming lessons, there are other parents sitting around the pool watching their kids in the lesson. There are some parents who I sit next to and may try to engage in conversation, and others who I don’t really want to talk to as they may be from a very different ethnic background or have limited English. This passage challenges me to put aside any personal bias and extend God’s love and his gospel of salvation to all people.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annie is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.