{"id":2896,"date":"2021-10-15T14:43:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T22:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2896"},"modified":"2021-10-15T14:43:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T22:43:00","slug":"devotion-john-812-20-return-of-the-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2896","title":{"rendered":"Devotion John 8:12-20 Return Of The Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

John 8:12-20\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0<\/sup><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup><\/b><\/span>Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying,\u00a0\u201cI am the Light of the world;\u00a0the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.\u201d\u00a013\u00a0So the Pharisees said to Him, \u201cYou are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not\u00a0true.\u201d\u00a014\u00a0Jesus answered and said to them,\u00a0\u201cEven if I am testifying about Myself, My testimony is\u00a0true, because I know\u00a0where I came from and where I am going; but\u00a0you do not know where I come from or where I am going.\u00a015\u00a0You judge\u00a0according to the flesh;\u00a0I am not judging anyone.\u00a016\u00a0But even\u00a0if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone\u00a0in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.\u00a017\u00a0Even in\u00a0your Law it has been written that the testimony of\u00a0two people is\u00a0true.\u00a018\u00a0I am He who testifies about Myself, and\u00a0the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.\u201d\u00a019\u00a0So they were saying to Him, \u201cWhere is Your Father?\u201d Jesus answered,\u00a0\u201cYou know neither Me nor My Father;\u00a0if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.\u201d\u00a020\u00a0These words He spoke\u00a0in\u00a0the treasury, as\u00a0He taught in the temple\u00a0area; and no one arrested Him, because\u00a0His hour had not yet come.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThen Jesus again spoke to them, saying,\u00a0\u201cI am the Light of the world;\u00a0the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.\u201d<\/i>\u201d King David said of the Lord God \u201cFor you are my lamp, LORD; and the LORD illuminates my darkness.<\/i>\u201d (2 Samuel 22:29<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Jesus, the long sought after Messiah came into the world.\u00a0\u00a0The Apostle John, in his prologue to this Gospel, says of Jesus \u201cIn Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind<\/i>.\u201d (John 1:4<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Psalm 119:105<\/b>\u00a0says of the Lord \u201cYour word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0God the Father sent Jesus His Son to be the light, the Word of God to lights up the path and directs us back to the Father.\u00a0\u00a0It is Jesus who is the salvation who makes a way back to the Father.\u00a0\u00a0It is He that showed us, by His own being, who God was.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus said to see Him is to see God because He and the Father are one.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It the will and pleasure of the Father that we should return to Him as long lost reprobates and prodigals.\u00a0\u00a0(Luke 15:11-32<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Jesus came to proclaim God\u2019s truth to mankind.\u00a0\u00a0To see who was Jesus was to see who the Father was.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was to later say that those who have seen Him have seen the Father. (John 12:45<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0The world, since the fall, is a dark place and we do not see it as it is.\u00a0\u00a0It is not until a dark room has light fill it that one can see his surroundings as they are.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus lit up the dark places so that everyone can see God the Father. (John 14:9<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Jesus is the light that leads all who would come to the Father.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the Pharisees said to Him, \u201cYou are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not\u00a0true.\u201d\u00a014\u00a0Jesus answered and said to them,\u00a0\u201cEven if I am testifying about Myself, My testimony is\u00a0true, because I know\u00a0where I came from and where I am going; but\u00a0you do not know where I come from or where I am going.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The Pharisees, in general, couldn\u2019t jump from swamp to faith.\u00a0\u00a0They always thought with their minds and believed man-made traditions.\u00a0\u00a0They didn\u2019t know how to think spiritually.\u00a0\u00a0The first and most important thing to understand was that belief and obedience to Jesus was essential.\u00a0\u00a0But that came at the loss of control of their life and submitting to and obeying Jesus, which they were unwilling to do. The scriptures, over and over again, tell how the things of God are only understood as God reveals them. Now, in our times, the Word of God is truly revealed by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:10-14, John 14:26, 16:13, 15:26<\/b>) We yield to God and ask for understanding from Him that is a request that pleased God and He blesses. (James 1:5<\/b>)<\/p>\n

I wonder how many people in our world could say where Jesus truly came from and where He went to.\u00a0\u00a0Do they know where He is?\u00a0\u00a0But by the Spirit, we know.<\/p>\n

They celebrated the Festival of Booths which was a time God led them as a pillar of fire. (Exodus 13:21-22<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He was their light. This same Shekina glory later filled their temple (2 Chronicles 7:1)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cYou judge\u00a0according to the flesh;\u00a0I am not judging anyone.\u00a016\u00a0But even\u00a0if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone\u00a0in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The Pharisees accused Him of giving false testimony of Himself because they did not believe that He and the Father are one.\u00a0\u00a0If they had believed Jesus, then they would have understood, but because they did not believe Him, that means they also did not believe the Father, who testified of Jesus coming. All the things Jesus spoke of, including Himself, were words from the Father.\u00a0\u00a0So the words that they heard from Jesus were the Father\u2019s words and Jesus\u2019 words.\u00a0\u00a0Because of their hard hearts they couldn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in\u00a0your Law it has been written that the testimony of\u00a0two people is\u00a0true.\u00a018\u00a0I am He who testifies about Myself, and\u00a0the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>Jesus said it clearly to them now.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus told them that His Father also testifies about Him.\u00a0\u00a0So Jesus has two witnesses, both Jesus and the Father, which satisfies their requirement for two witnesses.\u00a0\u00a0The scriptures and the Father and Jesus testify of Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0A purposely blocked mind does not understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they were saying to Him, \u201cWhere is Your Father?\u201d Jesus answered,\u00a0\u201cYou know neither Me nor My Father;\u00a0if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0The Pharisees and hard headed people from then to now claim they know God but they do not.\u00a0\u00a0They reject God\u2019s word in whole or part and then say they know God while rejecting His Word and so thereby are calling Him a liar, or denying His omniscience.\u00a0\u00a0Those who reject His words, His Son and His Spirit reject God and those who reject God don\u2019t know Him.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus said if someone sees Him one has seen the Father, because they are one.\u00a0\u00a0So you cannot see and know Jesus without also seeing the Father.\u00a0\u00a0All believers should understand this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese words He spoke\u00a0in\u00a0the treasury, as\u00a0He taught in the temple\u00a0area; and no one arrested Him, because\u00a0His hour had not yet come.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0This scene had played out during the Festival of Booths and it is good to remember that as we read these verses.\u00a0\u00a0This festival celebrating God taking care of them as He freed them from the slavery in Egypt.\u00a0\u00a0When they were in the desert God led them a pillar of smoke during the day and a bright burning fire during the night. (Exodus 13:21-22<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0They didn\u2019t need candles because He lit up their camp. Later their temple was filled with the presence of God and so, as in the desert, the Lord their God was with them leading them. (2 Chronicles 7:1<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Then because of their sin the glory of the Lord left their temple.\u00a0\u00a0They light of God that once filled their temple had departed. (Ezekiel 10:18<\/b>) Now Jesus came and stood in the temple and the Light of God had returned.\u00a0\u00a0Yet the rulers had become blind and could not see the return of the Light.\u00a0\u00a0But some did.\u00a0\u00a0The symbolism of Jesus the Light that had led them safely through the desert was back, but because of the hardness of the heart, they didn\u2019t receive Him back.\u00a0\u00a0So sad, so very sad.\u00a0\u00a0May our hearts be pliable, are ears listening and our eyes open to see the movements of God in the world.\u00a0\u00a0Let our lamps be ready. (Matthew 25:1-13<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0May we be found loving the Lord when He returns. (Revelation 3:5<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0He is faithful and will reward those who remain faithful to Him. (Revelation 22:12<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has\u00a0shown you, Oh man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of you, but\u00a0to do justly, to love\u00a0mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.<\/i><\/p>\n

Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John 8:12-20\u00a0–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying,\u00a0\u201cI am the Light of the world;\u00a0the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.\u201d\u00a013\u00a0So the Pharisees said to Him, \u201cYou are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not\u00a0true.\u201d\u00a014\u00a0Jesus answered and said to them,\u00a0\u201cEven if I am testifying about…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspirations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2896"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2898,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions\/2898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}