Scripture: John 8:12-20

Dispute Over Jesus' Testimony

What immediately caught my attention when diving into this passage was the verb “to know.” It is repeated over and over again. In verse 14: “… for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going to.” And again in verse 19: “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” This caught my attention because of the weight it carries in this passage. Answering the accusations of the Pharisees, Jesus seems to confront them with one of the most uncomfortable truths for anyone: thinking that you are following God just to hear someone tell you that you know nothing. As I thought about the accusations Jesus made, I started asking myself: Do I truly know where Jesus came from and where he is going? Do I know Jesus as he wants me to know him?

After a quick search of verses containing the verb “to know,” I discovered that God continually shows himself through mighty deeds and miracles again and again so that the Israelites might know who God is. (Exodus 6:7 and 16:12 are two of many examples.) God wanted the Israelites and the whole world to know that he was their God and there is no one like him. And I think it is the same way Jesus showed himself to the world in the greatest act of love history has ever seen: dying on the cross and rising from the dead again.
Though it might still have been a secret where Jesus came from and where he was going, not only to the Pharisees but also to his own disciples during that time, he laid it all bare in that one moment. Jesus finally tore the curtain allowing us full access to know God personally and to experience him one on one despite all our sins and shortcomings.

Thus God gave us the greatest sign that Jesus’ testimony is true. This means that the life he lived, and the message he spread are indeed worth living out, and that Jesus himself is worth living for.

So let us take time especially during Lent to reflect anew on the sign of the cross and catch a glimpse of eternity.

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)