Witnesses

It's still the Feast of Tabernacles in our Coffee Break, and the "time has not yet come." I'm intrigued by how I'd always imagined all these spiritual discussions to have occurred in the final weeks of Jesus' life. How good I am at failing to read! (Great confession for a writer, right?) Anyway, Jesus has just failed to throw any stones, and now he's back inside the Temple, being questions in the Court of the Women...

(56) Light of the World

As the Feast of Tabernacles draws to a close, Jesus continues to debate with the Pharisees and officers of the church. Tabernacles reminds people of wandering in the wilderness, a time when light might have been important, and when the light of a pillar of fire had so recently guided them. Read John 8:12-20

1.       Read John 7:28-30, 8:20 The treasury was probably where the chests were placed for collection of money, in the “public” women’s court. It’s just outside where the Sanhedrin would have met. Who do you think was there to hear what Jesus said?

2.       Read John 8:12 What do you think of when you think of “the light of the world”?

3.       Read Proverbs 27:2, John 8:13 What’s wrong with bearing witness to yourself?

4.       Read John 8:14. Can you paraphrase this?

a.       Read Deuteronomy 19:15. Why would it be okay for Jesus to bear witness to himself?

b.      Read John 5:31-33. Who else has testified for Jesus? Do we testify? How?

5.       Read John 8:15-16 Does Jesus judge? How?

a.       Read Matthew 23:13a,15a,16a,23a, etc. What’s the difference between judging and saying?

b.      Read Matthew 7:1-3 Do we judge? How?

6.       Read Deuteronomy 17:6, John 8:17-18 When was more than one witness needed? What might this tell us about Jesus’ approaching death?

7.       Read John 8:19 The witnesses have to be available for questioning. What does Jesus’ answer tell us about God’s availability?

Jesus will soon head back to Galilee, as his “time” has not yet come. But first, John records more teaching in Jerusalem. Where do you think the other disciples might be at this time?

1.       Read John 8:21-22 (and John 7:33-35). Last time the listeners thought he might be heading into the Dispersion. This time they wonder if he’s going to kill himself. What has changed?

2.       Read John 8:23-24 What would “from above” mean to the listeners? Read John 3:13

3.       What would “die in your sins” mean to them? What does it mean to us? How do we interpret this verse?

4.       Read John 8:25 Has Jesus tried to hide who he is? What about when he told people to keep quiet? Do we always have to explicitly say who Jesus is in order to bear witness to him?

5.       Read John 8:19, 26-27 John clearly knows who is meant when he refers to “the Father.”  But the officials didn’t. How obvious do you think it was? Is it obvious to secular readers today?

6.       Read John 8:28-30, John 3:14, 12:32, Isaiah 52:13 What might lifted up mean?

7.       Read Psalm 8:4, 80:17, Daniel 7:13-14, Matthew 24:30 What does son of man mean?

a.       Does it matter that it might have more than one meaning?

b.      Do words and phrases often have more than one meaning? How important is context?

8.       Read Exodus 3:14 What does I am He mean? Would his listeners have understood? Would our neighbors?

9.       Why might Jesus’ words have led “many” to believe in Him? And how is believing in Him different from believing him?