July 17
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IF YOU KNEW ME, YOU WOULD KNOW MY FATHER
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, 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. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. 16 But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” 19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” 20 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.– John 8:12-20
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The Pharisees were relentless in contradicting Jesus’ claim about being the Light of the world. They were constantly contesting how his testimony cannot be true because He is alone. They didn’t believe that Jesus was sent by God the Father and that He isn’t alone. Jesus reminded them that in their law, the testimony of two men were crucial for a testimony to be true. Yet, they could not accept what Jesus was saying. They still couldn’t fathom who His Father was. Once again Jesus tells them that they do not know where He is from or where He is going. He proclaims his deity to them when He said that if they knew Him, meaning if they believe in Him, they would also know His Father.
In this gospel account, Jesus declares that He is the light of the world. In other words, He is the only source of light here on earth. Without Him, darkness will prevail. He also invites us all to follow Him so that we will have the light of Life. Light and life go together. Darkness and death come as a package. Those who believe in Jesus will be given the light which will make them thrive in this dark and corrupt world. The Pharisees ignored the invitation to believe Him, instead, they raised another legalistic question about where Jesus could have possibly come from. They couldn’t get over the fact that someone who have never studied is much wiser than them. Jesus was a threat to their status and honor.
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REFLECTION
• How can unbelief hinder one from knowing Jesus and God the Father?