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“You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong
to this world, but I do not belong to this world. That is why I
told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe
that I AM, you will die in your sins.” John 8:23–24
Tensions were growing as Jesus gradually unveiled the deeper
reality of Who He is, while the Pharisees remained blind to the
truth, obstinate in their opposition. When Jesus said, “you will
die in your sins,” He was not speaking of a sin committed out of
weakness or confusion. He was speaking about the Pharisees’
fundamental and grave sin of refusing to accept Him as “I AM,” the
Messiah and Son of God.
Chapter 8 in John’s Gospel reveals this growing tension. In today’s
Gospel, Jesus becomes exceptionally clear about His messianic
identity, taking upon Himself the awesome name of Yahweh: I AM.
Chapter 8 concludes with Jesus stating, “You belong to your father
the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires” (John
8:44). This so angered the Jews that they tried to stone Him. Why
did Jesus agitate the Pharisees and others who refused to believe
in Him? It certainly wasn’t to be argumentative. The agitation came
from the truth He proclaimed about Himself and the Pharisees’ need
to believe in Him. He was unveiling His identity and inviting
people to believe in Him so they could receive the gift of eternal
life. The truth, however, that He was the Messiah, the Son of God,
and the great I AM, was more than the self-righteous Pharisees
could handle. Jesus’ divine identity did not fit into their
expectations of Who the Messiah would be. Furthermore, when Jesus
revealed the truth of Who He was with such clarity, the Pharisees
realized that much of what they believed about the Messiah was
wrong; that was hard for them to accept because they didn’t want to
change.
We have much to learn from the Pharisees. There are many things God
asks of us that are difficult to accept. First, within the larger
context of secular society, God’s pure and holy truth is often met
with resistance, ignored, or even dismissed outright. When
disciples of Christ live their faith openly and proclaim the full
message of the Gospel in the public square, they are frequently
attacked as judgmental, outdated, or disconnected from modernity.
Opposition to the Gospel manifests itself in numerous
ways—especially in academic institutions that push relativism,
secular news outlets that downplay or marginalize Christian values,
political parties that advance agendas contrary to the moral law,
bureaucratic workplaces driven by profit and power rather than
ethics, and even within our own families, where faith can become a
point of contention and division.
The broader societal context is not the only place God’s truth is
met with resistance. In each of our souls, God’s holy truth demands
total surrender to His will and obedience to His commands. God—the
all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving Creator of all
things—alone knows what is best for us. Holiness requires ongoing
conversion, change, and humble repentance. Rejection of God’s truth
leaves us angry and defensive, just like the Pharisees. Openness to
God’s truth demands change. As the old saying goes, “Change is the
only thing that remains the same.” Change is difficult, especially
when God’s pure light and truth reveal that we have walked down the
wrong path, believed lies, failed to love, and misunderstood the
Gospel and the demands that the great I AM expects of us.
Reflect today on the Pharisees and their fierce opposition to
Jesus. As you do, humbly consider any ways that you are obstinate
and unwilling to change. The only people in this world who do not
need to change are those who have already arrived at the perfection
of Divine Union, freed of every earthly sin and attachment to sin.
The rest of us still have a long road of conversion, purification,
and humbling repentance. Do not take the path of the Pharisees.
Eagerly run to the difficult and demanding truth God speaks to you
so that you will come to know God’s power and true identity in your
life, accepting Him as your Lord and Messiah.
My demanding Lord, You call me to perfection because You love
me. Because of my sin, I often resist the many ways that You speak
to me, trying to draw me into the full truth. Please open my heart
and remove all obstinacy so that I will willingly change so as to
ascend the glorious staircase toward Divine Union. Jesus, I trust
in You.
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