March 19th, 2024

St. Barnabas Anglican Parish, Bluff. 
20.03, 24 

Today's gospel 
John 8:21-30

Again he said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.’ Then the Jews said, ‘Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.’ They said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

 *Some thoughts* 

This text,  invites us to trust and belief in Jesus Christ, that He is from above. 

Trust is a gift from God. Our prayer will help us to express our desires and to find what God wants for us. 

We must take time in  prayer to sit with Jesus, asking for the patience and trust we need to let truth be revealed.

In the text, His hearers were either unable or unwilling to understand his teaching up to this point. Jesus is still revealing His identity, but He is also exploring the identity of those He is addressing.
We cannot come to the knowledge of Christ without first of all understanding the truth of who He is, and the truth of who we are. If we do not know who Christ is, we will not value Him .

 *Let us pray* 

Lord help us to recognise who we are, so as to grasp the greatness of our need and dependance on You. 
You are the only answer to our needs. 
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Amen.