⁵¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” ⁵² The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’⁵⁵ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ⁵⁹ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

John 8:51-59

Over and over, Jesus says to these people, “but you have not known him.” He was inviting them into a whole new way of relating to God the Father but they were all caught up on Jesus’s words.

In this section, Jesus calls Himself, ” I AM” which was the name that God gave to Moses, to tell the people of his day, when he was sent to deliver them from Egypt. Jesus is saying, I am the same I am. Everything we know – our lineage, heritage, history – can trip us up. Jesus wants to come and unite you to the Father but sometimes we let what we “know” to thwart what God wants to do in us.

Have you ever tried to control how you will relate to God?
How can you allow Him to teach you without shutting down?

Father, I trust your way more than my way. It can be scary as you begin to unfold the peices and parts of my life, reinterpreting my history and changing the way that I think. Yet, every time I have surrendered to the process, I have found myself more at peace and with more joy than I could have imagined. Have Your way in me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

All is grace,

Starla