Heart Affairs I

John 8:^17-18 “Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. ¹⁸ I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”

Please read John 8:14-18. Remember our discussion about the four witnesses? Interestingly, in this case, Jesus did not even bother with that. He just said, ‘You know what? My Word is true because I am not speaking My own words, I am speaking the Word of Him that sent me. And if you really want to go by your law, the One who sent me is here and He is saying the same thing. So, that makes two of us saying the same thing and in the mouth of two or more witnesses every matter is established.’ And they asked, ‘where is Your Father?’ In other words, we can only see You and You claim to be two, and that the other one is Your Father? So, where is He?

John 8:¹⁹ “…Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” Here, Jesus is pointing to the fact that He and the Father are inseparable. The Father and Jesus are one. The Word of God says in Heb.1:³ “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…” (KJV). Jesus is the express image of the invisible God; if God stood in front of a mirror, His mirror image would be Jesus. He is the image of the invisible God and He says, ‘if you see Me, you have seen the Father.’ Jesus was clear, He is the only way to the Father. Trash all the nonsense about there being many ways to God. Jesus says there is nothing like that. He says, ‘I and the Father are one; there is no other way to the Father but by  Me.’  He is the only credible person that has said so in all history.

Jesus did not leave it to guesswork, He was very clear. Growing up, I was pretty close to my dad and I remember how he would call me and say to me, ‘There are many routes to a market. To get to God, you can go through…” and he would name several deities. What did I know? I would just sit there, listen to him, and nod. Then Jesus found me, and I saw the light; I wish I could have told him that there is only one way, Dad, and His Name is Jesus. John 8:²⁵ “Who are you?” they demanded. Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be.” In fact, that phrase, “the one I have always claimed to be” (emphasis added), scholars say is the most difficult phrase to interpret in the entire scriptures. I do not know why but I read this verse in different translations and I discovered that their claim makes sense. The New International Version puts it this way, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied.” The Voice Translation puts it this way, “From the beginning of My mission, I have been telling you who I am.”

In other words, since you did not believe then, you are not about to believe now. Most times people ask God questions as though if God answers, they will believe. But God says, ‘I have told you then, and you are asking me the same thing now?’  John 8:²⁵ “Who are you?” they demanded. Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be..”

Prayer: Father, please give me a new heart, a tender and responsive heart, a listening heart. Please take away every stony, stubborn heart, in Jesus Name. Amen!