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Today’s discourse continues between Jesus and the religious leaders. In John 7:32, following his claim: “I AM the bread of life,” the religious leaders sent to have Jesus arrested. They try again unsuccessfully in 8:20 following his claim : “I AM the light of the world.” Jesus has made it clear that He and God the Father are united in action, judgement and authority. Pause with this. If I claimed that God sent me, and that I only do what He says, would you believe me? The religious refuse to believe him and are concerned that their constituents are believing in him.

John 8 allows us to experience the hostility of religion toward Jesus from 2000 years removed. It’s important to understand that Jesus isn’t contending against Judaism specifically, but making claims which undermine all religious authority to connect humanity to God. Jesus will later explain how he alone is the means by which all people gain experiential knowledge of God, proving he isn’t establishing another alternative religion, but revealing religion’s failure to bring any person to God. Jewish history bears this out with countless Christophanies (heel striking head, water from rock, serpent on staff, cleft of rock, manna, 4th in the fire, wisdom of proverbs, etc…).

Our cosmology and ontology are essentially christological. God’s name is identity and existence. Put these together.

John 8:38 sets up today’s discourse:

“I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

The religious mind upholds tradition claiming Abraham is their spiritual father. As blood descendants, many took pride in tracing their lineage back to Abraham and his sons. Then Jesus takes it further:

“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”

Jesus is revealing their desire to arrest and kill him. He sees the murder in their hearts. Let’s reflect on this. Every religion and tradition claims to be “The Right, Only True , or best one.” Each claims their god can beat up all the others. Isn’t religion just an outsourced path to God? As we identify with a religion, we latch onto its beliefs and receive its mark…its name…it’s image of ourself. If we derive a livelihood, or honor, or power from this over-identification, then we cannot escape looking down on others who don’t share our belief. This “heart” of religion is behind wars, genocide, and much evil. This is because it’s built not on unity and inclusion (Gospel), but on the lie of otherness and exclusion, proving that religion doesn’t know God.

“If God were your Father, you would love me…”(v. 42)

This sets us up to “hear” Jesus words:

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (v.47)

Let that soak in.

Religion is not of God.

Religion is not of God.

Religion is not of God.

Let me guess...your religion is different. Sifting through the scroll-sphere are influencers claiming to be Christ followers who do nothing but argue, debate, and articulate the deficiencies of other denominations, traditions, and convictions, serving as “company men” for their tribe. They wear ornate garments, or deliberately avoid them showing instead their tattoos, both high-church and low-church, traditional or otherwise, each using language intended to tug on our religious false self. If we aren’t careful, we’ll swallow their bait…along with its hook. Yet scripture continues to reveal that Christ following leads us out of religion, and into a faith unique to all comers… but most don’t believe this.

Unity & Diversity…NOT uniformity.

If we are following Jesus’ teachings, religion will call you a heretic, a demon, or threaten Hell.

“Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (v.48)

“Now we know that you have a demon!…” (v.51)

Consider this comment from a listener:

“I Have no desire to converse or dialogue with you, unless you “repent of the false gospel that you have deceived yourself into believing and turn to the true Jesus of the Bible.”

“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ⁵⁹ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”

This is another example of the confusion we saw last week. Religion is literally looking into their promised Messiah’s eyes and calling him a demon.

Confusion is their inability to see how His existence (his I AM-ness) existed in God prior to Abraham. Why else would all world religions bring tidings and gifts at his birth? (Matthew 2:1-2). Yet, as we apply this to our lives today, something else becomes apparent:

We treat others as if the life of Christ is not in them, we, just like the religious of Jesus day, fail to see, or refuse to believe that Christ is appearing in others. As James Finley put it:

“No spiritual life exists as such separate from life itself. There is only one life, and that is God’s life which He gives to us from moment to moment, drawing us to himself with every holy breath we take.”

The epiphany of Thomas Merton at 4th & Walnut in Louisville, Kentucky in 1958 showed him just this realization, namely:

“There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.”

Today pastors and so-called Bible teachers are staring once again into their Messiah’s eyes, denying His existence, existing as each person’s existence. All religion sees is the sin of the world, the superficiality of our temporary costumes and masks. It makes no attempt to see the Light of the World, shining in the “I AM-ness” that Christ Jesus as the first born made possible for each of us (Colossians 1:15-23). And worse, our world now identifies as the “scarlet letter” branded upon them by religion and the two live in hatred, pride and war with their brother.

The reason modern religion cannot hear nor see the words or works of God, is that they are NOT of God.

If we believe that prior to Abraham, Jesus co-existed in and as God, then our confusion will give way to the experience of Christ, living in and as our very life. That is the design of love and grace which make this a reality for everyone. That’s true salvation, and after 2000 years, we now know for certain that salvation comes by no religion, but by awakening to find ourselves hidden in Christ and found in God.