The Gospel for Friday, February 13, 2004
John 8:33-47
They answered, ‘We are descended from Abraham and we have never been the slaves of anyone; what do you mean, “You will be set free?” ’ Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave. Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household, but a son belongs to it for ever. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free. I know that you are descended from Abraham; but you want to kill me because my word finds no place in you. What I speak of is what I have seen at my Father’s side, and you too put into action the lessons you have learnt from your father. They repeated, ‘Our father is Abraham.’ Jesus said to them: If you are Abraham’s children, do as Abraham did. As it is, you want to kill me, a man who has told you the truth as I have learnt it from God; that is not what Abraham did. You are doing your father’s work. They replied, ‘We were not born illegitimate, the only father we have is God.’ Jesus answered: If God were your father, you would love me, since I have my origin in God and have come from him; I did not come of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? Because you cannot bear to listen to my words. You are from your father, the devil, and you prefer to do what your father wants. He was a murderer from the start; he was never grounded in the truth; there is no truth in him at all. When he lies he is speaking true to his nature, because he is a liar, and the father of lies. But it is because I speak the truth that you do not believe me. Can any of you convict me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever comes from God listens to the words of God; the reason why you do not listen is that you are not from God. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. 1995, c1985. Doubleday: Garden City, N.Y.
A Study
Jesus here takes on his opponents by telling them that Abraham is not their father. Metaphorically, children do as their fathers show them, by example. Abraham -- the pious and obedient father of Israel -- extended hospitality to the "disguised messengers of God" (OBC commentary, Genesis 18) on their way to dispatch Sodom. These questionable descendents of Father Abraham, however, were attempting to kill God Himself before they had even heard him out.
And they were even trying to hide in their belief that the Law protected them from judgement -- and perhaps it might, had they obeyed it. But, of course, not only were they disobedient to the Law, they had also twisted and corrupted it in their temple practices and in their lives. They had used it in their most unholy alliance with their Roman occupiers, and now were attempting to quiet -- permanently -- the One Who could free them from their slavery to their own twisted creation.
Jesus then pointed out that they were from the true Opponent, the devil, who surely must have been their father. In counterpoise to his description of the likely actions of Abraham's descendants, he points out that the devil's descendants cannot tolerate his words of truth and that they were motivated only to do what their true spiritual father directed.
The evil one, the Opponent, had inserted himself into the Laws and rites directed by God, and men following the evil one had helped him to do so. Together, they corrupted what was pure, simple, elegant, and holy -- into something that was their creation, not the Father's gift. Perhaps the Law of God, as given, might have saved them, as they believed. But they had been listening to the Opponent for so long that they had lost the truth along with their birthright, their heritage, and their salvation.
A Reflection
And whose sons and daughters would He say that we are?
The opponents, with the Opponent's help, had turned a few laws into 248 "shalls" and 365 "shall nots."
Jesus turned them back into two very simple, easy-to-remember, easy-to-obey laws. "My yoke is easy, my burden is light."
And do we love God with all our hearts and souls and minds? And do we love our neighbors as we love ourselves?
What has the Opponent done to the Body of Christ? How has he helped men to create a body of religious cultic practice from those two commandments? Is this another cycle of sin, judgment, repentance and redemption? Where are we in the cycle, today?
6:15:39 AM 
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