Stones, Liars, and Children of Whom?

Gospel of John Chapter 8

In this chapter we find Jesus in the temple courts when the teachers of the law and the Pharisees bring in a woman that has been caught committing adultery. They try to trick Jesus into "going against the law" in what he says needs to happen but instead he turns the tables on them by simply saying "let any one of you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her." Of course, on one could or did.
I think today we are too willing to cast stones, to see faults in others while turning a blind eye to our own.

 

In this chapter we also have a great discussion between Jesus and the Jews as they tried o determine just WHO Jesus was and whose children Jesus opponents were. This conversation goes back and forth for some time. Jesus states that they belong to their father the devil who is the king of liars. He also contends that they cannot hear what God says because they do no belong to God.

 

I paused to reflect on this part a bit because I can see a great similarity to today. I always thought (and still do in theory) that anyone can hear God's voice but then the more I think of it the more I'm convinced that people can turn a deaf ear to God, or tune him out or ignore him to such an extent that his whispers are no longer viable. That's not to say he stops trying but just that his voice is dead to those that choose to "worship" different things.

 

Remember the whole concept of good and evil as viewed as "becoming" and unbecoming. It's part of the process. As we "become" we are more in tune with God and we can "hear" his voice, his sense of direction, his suggestions more readily. Yet when people turn away from God and become engulfed in humanly desires or evil endeavors they are in the process of unbecoming and can no longer hear the sound of God's call. You don't have to be "bad" or "evil" really to cease to hear God. You can just be indifferent. Indifference can murder the spiritual self as readily as evil.

 

Hugs to all of you. I'll end with my favorite verse from John 8.

 

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12