The Vine: John (Chapter Eight)

In today’s edition of The Vine, a spin off of the Sunday Branch feature, my notes refer to John 8 (Amplified Version).

John Archive

John 1
John 2
John 3
John 4
John 5
John 6
John 7

Everything Jesus touched hit the mark. He did what He said He would accomplish. Are you working towards hitting your mark? God’s hand is on you at all times. You are equipped to complete your mission.

Reflect on yourself and be more hard on yourself than with others. Challenge yourself to be diligent. Be favorable with people, show compassion, and restore the weak with a spirit of meekness rather than being harsh. Show people the love of God. We should be restrained from throwing stones (unforgiveness, guilt, condemnation, fear, etc…).

Verse 1-5 Notes:
They are trying to set Jesus up. The Pharisees are being slick. The day before, they called Jesus a liar, etc… and now they are calling him, “Savior.”

Verse 6 Notes:
Jesus stooped down and wrote something (we don’t know what He wrote). He’s willing to get down and dirty for us. God will write on the tablet of your heart but when He’s ready, the spirit of God will stand up and you had better pay attention when He does.

Verse 8-9 Notes:
Read Leviticus 20:10 and note how here in John 8:3, the people only grabbed the woman. They were so busy trying to set Jesus up that they didn’t present the case right. Jesus ended up turning the accusations on the accusers. And then they left! The oldest person left first. Probably because they knew that they had sinned more than the others and knew God and what He stood for and knew that He was about to expose them. I love that phrase, “conscience-stricken.”

Verse 11 Notes:
Jesus asked, “Who condemned you?” and the woman answered, “No one.” That’s right. No one did because Jesus is the only one who can and He didn’t! By saying “No one,” she acknowledged who Jesus was and that He was present.

Jesus was always trying to save the Jews but He also saved the life of this woman. Jesus is merciful. He was the only one qualified to throw the stone and He didn’t.

Verse 12 Notes:
Sun = natural light
Son = spiritual light

Verse 14 Notes:
They’re not on His level.

Verse 15 Notes:
You wouldn’t know a spiritual flea if it jumped up and attacked you.

Verse 19 Notes:
What a sarcastic bunch.

Verse 21 Notes:
Jesus’s chosen people were going to die if they didn’t believe.

Verse 22 Notes:
The Jewish people were being antagonistic. They were blinded. So busy hoping for what they thought they could count on seeing rather than the boundless blessings that awaited them. The word is clear but people want to believe what they want to believe.

Verse 28 Notes:
Jesus is saying that when they lift him up on the cross, then they will know that everything He said was true. He’s saying that after He physically dies (and rises), they will know that all this time He was who He said He was.

Verse 32 Notes:
Set free is to be released.
Make free is to be completely out of bondage.

Verse 33-34 Notes:
These suckers were banking on being Abraham’s descendants to say that they were righteous and that they weren’t in bondage. But they were enslaved to their own disbelief. They’re captors of themselves. Sometimes we enslave ourselves to the “sure thing” in life. (Ex. Moses’ people saying that they’d rather go back to bondage than be free when there was nothing to eat. Moses led his people out of captivity. Jesus truly leads us out of captivity. If we believe and accept this gift.)

Verse 37 Notes:
They’re so far from the word of God and so blind that they’ve changed allegiances and don’t even know it. (See verse 52-53 too.)

Verse 41 Notes:
They were saying that they weren’t like Jesus, born from Mary, basically calling him a bastard. The mouths on these guys!

Verse 48 Notes:
The Jewish people called Jesus a Samaritan. That was a jab back then. Or at least an attempt at one. Satan will always try to attack your character.

Verse 51 Notes:
Spiritual death is eternal.

Verse 52-53 Notes:
They made Abraham and the prophets their God. No idols above God. No idols period. God and God alone.

Tomorrow…John 9.