Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 69.
jesus spoke to the people once more and said, I am the light of the world.
If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness because you will
have the light that leads to life.
The Pharisees replied, you are making those claims about yourself.
Such testimony is not valid.
Jesus told them These claims are valid, even though I make them about myself, for
I know where I came from and where I'm going, but you don't know this about me.
You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone, and if I
did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone.
The father who sent me is with me.
Your own law says that if two people agree about something,
their witness is accepted as fact.
I am one witness and my father who sent me is the other.
Where is your father?
They asked.
Jesus answered.
Since you don't know who I am, you don't know who my father is.
If you knew me, you would also know my father.
Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of
the temple, known as the Treasury, but he was not arrested because his
time had not yet come later, Jesus said to them again, I am going away.
You will search for me, but will die in your sin.
You cannot come where I am going.
The people asked, is he planning to commit suicide?
What does he mean?
You cannot come where I am going.
Jesus continued.
You are from below.
I am from above.
You belong to this world.
I do not.
That is why I said that you will die in your sins for unless you
believe that I am who I claim to be.
You will die in your sins.
Who are you?
They demanded Jesus replied, the one I have always claimed to be.
I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won't for, I say
only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful,
but they still didn't understand that he was talking about his father.
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.
And the one who sent me is with me.
He has not deserted me for I always do what pleases him.
Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, you are truly my disciples.
If you remain faithful to my teachings, and you will know the
truth, and the truth will set you free.
But we are descendants of Abraham.
They said, we have never been slaves to anyone.
What do you mean you will be set free?
Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.
A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son
is part of the family forever.
So if the son sets you free, you are truly free.
Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham, and yet some of you are
trying to kill me because there's no room in your hearts for my message.
I am telling you what I saw when I was with my father, but you are
following the advice of your father.
Our father is Abraham.
They declared no.
Jesus replied for if you were really the children of Abraham,
you would follow his example.
Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the
truth, which I heard from God.
Abraham never did such a thing.
No, you are imitating your real father.
They replied, we aren't illegitimate children.
God, him himself is our true father.
Jesus told them, if God were your father, you would love me because
I have come to you from God.
I am not here on my own, but he sent me, why can't you understand what I'm saying?
It's because you can't even hear me.
For you are the children of your father, the devil, and you love
to do the evil things he does.
He was a murderer from the beginning.
He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him When he lies,
it is consistent with his character for he is a liar and the father of lies.
So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe me.
Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin?
And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me?
Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God, but you don't
listen because you don't belong to God.
The people retorted use Samaritan Devil, didn't we say all along
that you were possessed by a demon?
No.
Jesus said, I have no demon in me for I honor my father and you dishonor me.
And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to glorify me.
He is the true judge.
I tell you the truth.
Anyone who obeys my teaching will never die.
The people said, now we know you are possessed by a demon.
Even Abraham and the prophets died.
But you say, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die.
Are you greater than our father Abraham?
He died and so did the prophets.
Who do you think you are?
Jesus answered.
If I want glory for myself, it doesn't count, but it is
my father who will glorify me.
You say he is our God, but you don't even know him.
I know him.
If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you, but
I do know him and obey him.
Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming.
He saw it and was glad that people said you weren't even 50 years old.
How can you say you have seen Abraham?
Jesus answered.
I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am at that point, they picked
up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden from them and left the temple.
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
Rabbi, his disciples asked him, why was this man born blind?
Was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?
It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins.
Jesus answered.
This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.
We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us the
night is coming and then no one can work.
But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.
Then he spit on the ground.
Made mud with the saliva and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes.
He told him, go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.
Siloam means scent.
So the man went and washed and came back seeing his neighbors and others who knew
him as a blind beggar asked each other.
Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?
Some said he was and others said, no, he just looks like him.
But the beggar kept saying, yes, I am the same one.
They asked who healed you?
What happened?
He told them, the man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over
my eyes and told me, go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.
So I went and washed, and now I can see where is he now?
They asked, I don't know.
He replied.
Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees.
Because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him.
The Pharisees asked the man all about it.
So he told them, he put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away,
I could see some of the Pharisees said, this man, Jesus is not from
God for he's working on the Sabbath.
Others said, but how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?
So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded.
What's your opinion about this man?
Who healed you?
The man replied, I think he must be a prophet.
The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could
now see, so they called in his parents.
They asked them, is this your son?
Was he born blind?
If so, how can he now see?
His parents replied, we know this is our son and that he was
born blind, but we don't know how he can see or who healed him.
Ask him.
He is old enough to speak for himself.
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders
who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would
be expelled from the synagogue.
That's why they said he is old enough.
Ask him.
So for the second time, they called in the man who had been blind and told him,
God should get the glory for this because we know this man, Jesus is a sinner.
I don't know whether he is a sinner.
The man replied, but I know this.
I was blind.
And now I can see.
But what did he do?
They asked, how did he heal you?
Look, the man exclaimed.
I told you once, didn't you listen?
Why do you wanna hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples too?
Then they cursed him and said, you are his disciple.
But we are disciples of Moses.
We know God spoke to Moses, but we don't even know where this man comes from.
Why?
That's very strange.
The man replied, he healed my eyes.
Yet you don't know where he comes from.
We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear
those who worship him and do his will.
Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the
eyes of someone born blind.
If this man were not from God, he couldn't have done it.
You were born a total sinner.
They answered, are you trying to teach us?
And they threw him outta the synagogue.
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, do
you believe in the son of man?
The man answered, who is he?
Sir, I want to believe in him.
You have seen him.
Jesus said, and he is speaking to you.
Yes Lord.
I believe the man said, and he worshiped Jesus.
Then Jesus told him, I entered this world to render judgment.
To give sight to the blind and to show those who think,
they see that they are blind.
Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked,
are you saying we are blind?
If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty.
Jesus replied, but you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
I tell you the truth.
Anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheep fold rather than going through the
gate, must surely be a thief and a robber.
But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep
recognizes voice and come to him.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them and they follow
him because they know his voice.
They won't follow a stranger.
They will run from him because they don't know his voice.
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what
he meant, so he explained it to them.
I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the true
sheep did not listen to them.
Yes, I am the gate.
Those who come in through me will be saved.
They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.
The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.
My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
A hired hand will run.
When he sees a wolf coming, he will abandon the sheep because they
don't belong to him and he isn't their shepherd, and so the wolf
attacks them and scatters the flock.
The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and
doesn't really care about the sheep.
I am the good shepherd.
I know my own sheep and they know me just as my father knows
me and I know the father, so I sacrifice my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep too, that are not in this sheep fold.
I must bring them also.
They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
The father loves me because I sacrifice my life, so I may take it back again.
No one can take my life from me.
I sacrifice it voluntarily for I have the authority to lay it down when I want
to, and also to take it up again for this is what my father has commanded.
When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him.
Some said he's demon possessed and out of his mind.
Why listen to a man like that?
Others said, this doesn't sound like a man possessed by a demon.
Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?
This concludes today's Immer Reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.