Slices
Prepare
Honour Jesus now in prayer. Think of all he has accomplished for you. Give him praise and thanks.
Bible passage
Jesus’ claims about himself
48 The Jews answered him, ‘Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?’
49 ‘I am not possessed by a demon,’ said Jesus, ‘but I honour my Father and you dishonour me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.’
52 At this they exclaimed, ‘Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?’
54 Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.’
57 ‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’
58 ‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Explore
How do we respond when we are confronted with unpalatable truths? Do we weigh the comments with humble self-reflection, or do we lash out? The Jews responded with insults (v 48)! The Samaritans were of mixed ethnicity and worshipped on their own sacred mountain instead of in Jerusalem, so the Jews’ use of the word ‘Samaritan’ insulted Jesus’ Jewishness and implied he was a heretic. Jesus overlooks the personal attack but takes issue with the insult (v 49) that dishonoured the Spirit of God within him.
Jesus claims they should honour him because God the Father desires it (vs 50,54), because he knows God better than they do (v 55) and because he has power over death (v 51).
Each of these is shockingly audacious, but the statement that most riled his listeners was Jesus’ claim to precede Abraham and his use of the name of God in the phrase ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ (v 58; see Exodus 3:14). Jesus was effectively claiming to be God. For the Jews this was blasphemy warranting the death penalty (v 59), which only proved that Jesus, the true judge, had been right about them all along (vs 40,44)!
Respond
What do we do when people insult Jesus? Do we remind them of who Jesus claimed to be and why he deserves our honour, or do we keep silent?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 33,34; Luke 24
Pray for Scripture Union
Mission Enabler Lisa Jones is in the early stages of planning a Faith Guide holiday for the autumn. Faith Guides will bring groups of children aged 8–11 to experience a great time exploring and responding to Jesus though a range of activities. Pray that she will know God’s guidance.
