John 8

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Our Lord Jesus is the great “I AM”, the self-existing One, the Almighty God.

When Moses was still in Midian, God spoke to Moses from a burning bush, and He commanded Moses to lead His people out of the land of bondage and sufferings, Egypt, and into the land of freedom and abundance, Canaan.

When Moses asked God about His name, so that he could tell the people who had sent him to save them out of Egypt,

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’

Exodus 3: 14

In today’s chapter, He revealed to the people this fact, that He is the “I AM” who spoke to Moses and to Abraham.

Bible Passage: John 8

The Pharisees wanted to test Jesus, hoping that He would say things that they could use against Him, to accuse Him.

So, they brought Him a woman who was being caught in the act of adultery, and as the crowd gathered, something grew among the people… self-righteousness.

According to the Law, this adulterous woman was to be stoned to death. So the Pharisees and the crowd started to press Jesus for a verdict, thinking Jesus would agree with them to stone this woman to death.

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

John 8: 7

Jesus stood up, shined His Light into their hearts, and all their sins became obvious to them, then being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 8: 12

Indeed, when in darkness, one cannot see the things around him, and not even his own body. So we need light to help us to see things clearly, more so in regards to the things in our hearts and minds.

Jesus is this Light that is able to shine right into our hearts and minds, revealing the hidden things that we may have hidden due to our ignorance, lusts, and even pride.

Jesus did not agree to the stoning of the woman, for Jesus’ purpose of coming in the flesh was not to condemn but to save.

“For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

            Luke 9: 56

And only the Righteous One who judges righteously has the right to mete out punishments to the lawbreakers.

Have we ever fallen into self-righteousness and started to be judgmental about others’ shortcomings while we may be oblivious about our own sins?

Let us always allow the Light of Jesus to brighten every corner of our hearts, so that our hidden sins can be revealed to us, and so that we can repent before the Lord who is willing to forgive us.

In Moses’ time, “I AM” saved the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt, likewise today, “I AM” wants to save the people of the world out of the bondage of sin.

Jesus told the people,

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

John 8: 24

Everyone born into this world has sins, because our ancestor Adam sinned. But God, the great “I AM” took up flesh and became a Man to save man out of this bondage of sin.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.

Romans 5: 14 – 15

So it is only in Jesus Christ can we find this gift of the remission of sins, because He says,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”

            John 14: 6

May God bless us with diligence to always allow the Light of Christ to shine in us and through us, so that the lost sheep of God may see and be attracted back to His fold.

Shalom.