John 8 Today!

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.

John 8:1-59 -
A Woman Caught in Adultery
1Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
4"Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 5The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?"
6They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!" 8Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
9When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?"
11"No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."
Jesus, the Light of the World
12Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
13The Pharisees replied, "You are making false claims about yourself!"
14Jesus told them, "These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don't know this about me. 15You judge me with all your human limitations, F36 but I am not judging anyone. 16And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone—I have with me the Father who sent me. 17Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. F37 18I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other."
19"Where is your father?" they asked. Jesus answered, "Since you don't know who I am, you don't know who my Father is. If you knew me, then you would know my Father, too." 20Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time had not yet come.
The Unbelieving People Warned
21Later Jesus said to them again, "I am going away. You will search for me and die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going."
22The Jewish leaders asked, "Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, 'You cannot come where I am going'?"
23Then he said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not. 24That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins."
25"Tell us who you are," they demanded. Jesus replied, "I am the one I have always claimed to be. F38 26I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won't. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is true." 27But they still didn't understand that he was talking to them about his Father.
28So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will realize that I am he and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak what the Father taught me. 29And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do those things that are pleasing to him." 30Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.
Jesus and Abraham
31Jesus said to the people F39 who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. 32And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
33"But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. "We have never been slaves to anyone on earth. What do you mean, 'set free'?"
34Jesus replied, "I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free. 37Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because my message does not find a place in your hearts. 38I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father."
39"Our father is Abraham," they declared. "No," Jesus replied, "for if you were children of Abraham, you would follow his good example. F40 40I told you the truth I heard from God, but you are trying to kill me. Abraham wouldn't do a thing like that. 41No, you are obeying your real father when you act that way." They replied, "We were not born out of wedlock! Our true Father is God himself."
42Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43Why can't you understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to do so! 44For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe me! 46Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me? 47Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the words of God. Since you don't, it proves you aren't God's children."
48The people retorted, "You Samaritan devil! Didn't we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?"
49"No," Jesus said, "I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father—and you dishonor me. 50And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God wants to glorify me. Let him be the judge. 51I assure you, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!"
52The people said, "Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say that those who obey your teaching will never die! 53Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Are you greater than the prophets, who died? Who do you think you are?"
54Jesus answered, "If I am merely boasting about myself, it doesn't count. But it is my Father who says these glorious things about me. You say, 'He is our God,' 55but you do not even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But it is true—I know him and obey him. 56Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad."
57The people said, "You aren't even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham? F41 "
58Jesus answered, "The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!" F42 59At that point they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself from them and left the Temple.
FOOTNOTES:F36: Or judge me by human standards. F37: See Deut 19:15. F38: Or "Why do I speak to you at all?" F39: Greek Jewish people; also in 8:48, 52, 57. F40: Some manuscripts read if you are children of Abraham, follow his example. F41: Some manuscripts read How can you say Abraham has seen you? F42: Or "Truly, truly, before Abraham was, I am."
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Journalin’
Usually in the Bible whenever a “woman” is spoken of, one can use it as a metaphor for the church. If this were the church, would it apply at all?
Has she sinned? Has she been found in adultery? (adultery defined as: being intimately related with one whom you are not in a lifelong committed covenantal relationship with) Does not the world, even the religious world, put the church in the forefront, interested in exposing her for who they see she is, with all of her mistakes exposed? Does not anyone who has a chance, seeing the wrongs she’s done as a whole, desire to throw stones at her, especially in the form of words and judgments? Does not the world, even the religious world, demand an answer from the Lord about this supposed perfect institution?
His answer, summed up: Whoever condemns one is also condemned, judge as you’d like to be judged, and with the same condemnation and severity, or forgive as the Lord forgives and you will also be forgiven.
Yes she has sinned, have we not also sinned? Remember the main ploy of sin and the main outcome of its fall is separation from God. The greatest to the least sin separates and tears at the fellowship God and man were meant to have eternally. Forgiveness bridges this gap.
Do we not want the gap filled in? Do we want it filled in between God and ourselves? What we want for ourselves we must also strive for, for others, we reap what we sow.
We must cry aloud for mercy for the church, who may have fallen from grace. Lord, have mercy on us. We must sigh and cry at the altars for the bride to be forgiven her trespasses and horrendous sins! Repentance of unmerciful judgments should be the order of everyday. God will judge the earth righteously, until then, we must cry out for mercy. Everyday, she could choose that day to be saved.
I noticed today Jesus says, If THEY do not condemn you, then neither do I….. What if, just what if, we let go and had mercy as He also has given us mercy; what if, she would then be free to worship Him and make the necessary changes, repent and sin no more? What if our pre-judgments have bound her to her sin, she cannot see her freedom, until we loose her with our forgiveness and let her go? What if?
If you knew Me (Jesus the Son), you would know My Father (God) also….We must know Jesus, to know God. Our Destiny is the Father, through the Son, there is no other way. Knowing is not acknowledging only, knowing is intimacy. Into me - He sees. His light is able to shine on any dark spot in me. I do not resist His light searching me out in hopes of finding the real me, inside of the real Him. I welcome the Light, the Light is the Truth I need. His Light shining is to save me.
I must know the Father, I must know His desire. I must know His Son, Jesus Christ. There’s no other pursuit worth living for as much as this one. To Know the Father by knowing the Son, so much that He can go anywhere in me at anytime in any place, ever. I am His and He is mine, eternally, we are family.
The highest agreement anyone can ever have is the agreement between and man and God in His word. If and man agrees with God’s word he is empowered by the spirit of God supernaturally. He connects with the realm of God’s powerful spirit.
Is it easy for man to agree with God’s word? No wonder it is so easily contested. I wonder why it is always up for debate? I wonder why we don’t just trust Him and live by faith in His words so easily? Spiritual warfare. Enemies know that if we were to just swallow every word from God, or trust God at His word, the world will change. So contestants are all about whispering in ears, saying, don’t just swallow that, don’t accept that so easily, don’t take that, hook, line and sinker. If you listen to those voices, you’ve missed hearing the most important voice of all, the voice of Your Father! Now you still do not agree with Him, at His word level, and there’s a huge lack in the power realm in our lives. Might consider agreeing with God’s word by faith alone. Flesh and blood cannot comprehend the power of the agreement of the word, reason steps in the way every time! Tear down reasoning’s, if they are destroying the power of God’s word alive in your life. 2 Cor 10:3-6 We’ve got the power to overrule our wills that rise up against God’s will.
If we only speak about God alone, the enemy will hear – “god”. We must share Christ Jesus as Lord, through the cross. If we do not share God the Father, through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, people will die in their sins.
When Jesus spoke of discipleship here, the religious immediately likened it to slavery. Jesus did not say slavery, but they did, which shows that that was what was in their hearts. Do you think one who feels discipleship is slavery, will volunteer? Disciple means disciplined learner, one who comes under the hand for guidance, and rule. A slave is taken, inflicted upon, a disciple is a volunteer. Maybe the disciple will do some of the same activities as a slave would, but the motivation is different. The source of value is different. One is taken, the other given, freely. The only difference may be hidden, inside of the heart. An outsider may not be able to see a difference outwardly, except they come closer to taste the attitude in the air.
It reminds me of offering time. Jesus watched two people giving, one gave a larger amount than the other. It was noted that the one who gave the smaller amount, by all outward appearances, she gave very little, but God through Jesus, who looked on the heart, saw she gave much more than the one who gave much monetarily. He looked at the heart.
How we feel in our hearts, is who or what we are serving. If we feel enslaved, we are enslaved. If we feel freed, we are freed.
Sin is sin, if we serve sin, then we say it is our father, by default. The default being, we do not serve God as Father, we are not submitted under His command, because we cannot serve two Masters, if we serve sin, we do not serve God as Father, just as whomever we agree with is where the power, or lack of power in our lives lie.

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Isaiah 58:12 Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities. NLT
Who are our children? When those who follow after us in example grow up and build, get a revelation and build, we’ll know we have children taught by the Lord. They can take whatever mistakes of the past, the past of their ancestors, the past of their own lives and make the miraculous happen, not allowing their world to be shaped by it, but use it to go on differently. That is true blessing carried out.