August 5th, 20

Who We Are and Who He Is

Today’s readings are Habakuk 1 – 3 and John 8.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

“Who are you?” they demanded. (Jn 8:25 NLT)

They couldn’t make heads or tails of it.  They were fearful of who he might be and they were threatened by who he was claiming to be.  They were unable to see him for who he was. And there’s the irony.  It’s only when we can answer the same question about ourselves, that we will see him for who he is.  Who are you?  is the question.  And Jesus gives us the answer to who we are.

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I am he. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me.” (Jn 8:28 NLT)

Jesus tells us in this verse, that if you want to know who He is you’ve got to know who you are.  And who you are is the one who lifts the Son of Man up on the Cross. It was you and I who put him on the cross.  We are the ones he came to die for. It was our hands that put him on the cross.  We are the guilty ones.  He is dying on our behalf.  We are sinners that have been caught, like the woman who was caught in adultery. We’ve been caught and are worthy of condemnation, stoning and death.  This is who we are.  

He is the light of the world- the one who stoops down and writes words in the dust of your broken life: grace, forgiven, loved.

Are you having trouble seeing Jesus for who He is?  See yourself – a sinner saved by grace and nothing else; by a Savior that has come looking for you.  Every day He comes, ready to send you into a new day with the reminder that you are not condemned.  Instead, you are loved.

See yourself for who you are.  Understand who he is and what he has done for you and hear the words that he proclaims over your life every day:  Grace, Forgiveness, Loved.  

You are loved!