This teaching follows Jesus' proclamation that He is the light of the world, the Son of God. He now speaks to the Jews who believed:
1) Abide in Jesus' word. Abide means to live, to stay. So, if we continue to believe, if we live in His teachings & obey them, then we will find freedom. Not earthly freedom, but spiritual freedom. Freedom from the bondage of sin. Why do we have to obey to be free? Isn't that a little harsh? No. Look - Obeying Jesus is simply listening to His Word - which is all about how to stay away from sin. You're not following a bunch of rules to prove you are worthy, you are following a set of guidelines that will keep you out of trouble. If Jesus created us, He knows what's best for us. If He knows what's best for us, then we should listen to His teachings. Or, we can go on listening to our own advice and the advice of other screwed up people. How's that working for you?
2) Get rid of your pride in your lineage. So they are descendants of Abraham. Having his blood flowing through there veins doesn't save them. Birthright does not make you immune from sin. Yet these people, and a lot of us think "I come from a good family. I'm part of the flock so hey that's good enough." Yet we run around making all sorts of stupid decisions. It's not about your lineage, it's about your choices. Who are you listening to now? Abraham was righteous because he believed. He had a relationship with God. The people who are talking with Jesus are claiming Abraham's relationship for themselves without actually having their own relationship. "Abraham was righteous, I'm his descendant; therefore, I am righteous too". It doesn't work that way - you yourself have to believe.
3) & now the crowd turns. They (and we) don't like to be told the truth. They get offended & defensive. I am really good at this. I don't like what I hear. I'm not ready to face the truth. I want to go on pretending that I am good, fine just the way I am. I don't want my faults addressed & I definitely don't want to work one them. So, I'll fire back. I'll deny what I previously said. I'll try to hurt you, to point out your faults, to take the focus off me. I will willfully refuse to listen to reason & I will purposely misunderstand your words, twisting them to make my point. Oh, nothing is new under the sun. People have reacted this way since God created us - look at Adam and Eve in the garden. But notice that Jesus does not get riled up. He doesn't start biting back. He simply continues to tell the truth. He meets their caustically thrown words with truth. Instead of seeing the truth in front of their eyes, rather than listening & growing, the people turn murderous. So Jesus departs.
Life is so simple, yet so hard. To grow, to believe, to trust requires self-examination. It requires the ability to say, "I am wrong. God, you are right. I need to change. And with your help I can." Jesus is God and He knows what is best for you. Are you ready to listen? Are you ready to abide?
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