Vol. 21 No. 12 | March 25, 2019
John 8 opens with Jesus being incriminated by a group of opposing religious leaders. They were preparing to stone a woman caught in the act of adultery, using her as a reason to bring charges against him.
The chapter closes with those same leaders aiming their stones at Jesus instead. Jesus refused to bow down to their authority, continuing to claim He was the Son of God.
“That did it — pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple.” (John 8:59, The Message)
There is an underlying message woven into these scenes, and the Scriptures as a whole, that is easy to “miss.”
Don’t miss Him.
God wanted the man and woman to know, “I made you in my image. I am with you. I am for you. You are my crowning accomplishment. Don’t lose sight of me.”
Throughout the Old Testament, the message from the prophets to the people of Israel was the same, “I am with you. I will walk with you. I am Your Father and you are my people. Do not forget Me. Do not turn away from Me.”
And again in the New Testament: “God with us. I am with You. Don’t miss me.”
But they did miss Him. And we continue to make the same mistake today.
They missed Him when He showed compassion and mercy to the woman. And Jesus said to them, “You’re looking right at me and you don’t see me.” (John 8:19, The Message)
He later said, “Then he went over the same ground again. ‘I’m leaving and you are going to look for me, but you’re missing God in this and are headed for a dead end. There is no way you can come with me.’” (vs. 21)
Later he reiterated, “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms. I told you that you were missing God in all this. You’re at a dead end. If you won’t believe I am who I say I am, you’re at the dead end of sins. You’re missing God in your lives.” (vss. 23-24)
This week, I encourage you to pay attention. Don’t miss Him.
Don’t allow your intellect, knowledge, doubts, or confusion to cloud your vision. Don’t miss him in the mundane, or when you are struggling, or even when you are experiencing joy.
Because when we fail to see Him, to follow Him, we are sure to arrive at a dead end.
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