Hi, friends! Welcome back to Day 3 of our 12 Days of Grace. If you missed the first two days, it’s not too late to catch up. You can find Day 1 here and Day 2 here.
DAY 3 READING
We’re coming back to the book of John today, the New Testament, which records the life of Jesus: the teachings he did, the miracles he performed, and the doubt he encountered.
In today’s reading, we’re looking at Chapter 8, verse 12, but let’s get some context.
At this point, the Pharisees, the crowds, and Jewish leaders were having a hard time believing Jesus was the Messiah. They had this idea of who the messiah would be according to their teachings, which made it very hard for them to believe that Jesus was who he said he was.
But it doesn’t stop Jesus from his mission.
He knows people will doubt him, yet he keeps going because he knows who he is and what his mission is: He is from his Father, sent to die for our sins.
In Chapter 8, verses 1-11, we see the story of the woman who had just committed adultery. It’s where we see Jesus draw a line in the sand before the adulterous woman, telling the crowd, “Let any of you who is without sin be the first to the throw the stone at her.” (John 8:7) One by one, each member of the crowd walked away. When Jesus saw this, he told the woman, If none of them can condemn you, then neither do I.
The next line he tells her though is EVERYTHING: “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
He doesn’t tell her, “Yeah, your sin was no big deal. Glad I could help you from being stoned.” He tells her LEAVE YOUR LIFE OF SIN.
Why does Jesus get to tell her this? Because He knows who He is.
That’s where line 12 comes in. It’s a new section in the chapter titled, “Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony.”
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'”
Do you believe Him?
Jesus goes on to tell anyone and everyone he meets who He is, yet people find it hard to believe him. It still doesn’t stop him. He knows who He is, he knows where He came from, and He knows where He is going.
Little by little, people do start to believe him, but Jesus knows it’s not until his crucifixion that people will truly believe that his words are truth.
Later in the chapter, Jesus tells them, “If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31)
And the truth is this: He is the light of the world, sent to us and for us by our Father to never walk in darkness, but to have the light of life. Because if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (8:36)
Day 3 Challenge
Today, let’s go be the LIGHT OF LIFE. Let’s show people how much they are loved. Let people know they are seen and loved.
Give 5 sincere compliments and let your family know how much you love them, just like Jesus loved us.
Bonus challenge: read the rest of Chapter 8 in the book of John. Truth bombs are dropped left and right in that chapter, and it’s a good one.
Love and blessings to you, friends!
