Comments for October 16

7:1 There had been tension surrounding Solomon’s coronation with other of David’s sons wanting to take over the kingdom. David had said that Solomon was God’s choice. Now a few years down the line from that time we have a further confirmation from God that Solomon was God’s choice in the way that he consumed the burnt offerings.

7:8 Whilst it was the heads of the tribes who had come to Jerusalem to witness the bringing of the ark into the temple that Solomon had built the whole nation celebrated the feast of tabernacles. We can imagine that this year was seen as a very special feast as the people would know that Solomon had arranged to take the ark into the temple at the beginning of the feat. A feast to remind Israel of their journeying in the wilderness. But now the ark was at rest. A foretaste of the “rest that remaineth …” (Heb 4:9)

7:1-3  on an earlier occasion  - Leviticus 10:1-2 – when sacrifices were offered (on that occasions wrongly) fire came down from heaven. So on this occasion the people must have realised that what Solomon had done was acceptable to Yahweh.

7:6  Notice the reason for praising God. It was because of His enduring mercy.

Is this what motivates us when we sing? Or do we just like the tune associated with what we are singing? Do we consider the words that we sing? Do they reflect what God has done or are they meaningless repetition?

John 8 shows how the Lord Jesus exposed the dishonesty of the Jews. They arrested an adulterous woman. Where was the man? The law required he also be arrested (Deuteronomy 22:24). The Pharisees said the woman was taken “in the very act”. So where was the man? Or was it one of them!

What did the Lord write on the earth (v6, v8)? The day before, was the last day of the feast when a waterpot was carried through the temple. The Lord Jesus referred to this (John 7:37,38).

Finally in ch 9:9 they “were convicted by their own conscience” and left, withdrawing the charge. The answer is in Jeremiah 17. In verse v10 we are told that God searches the heart. In v15: “O Yahweh, the hope of Israel all that forsake you shall be ashamed; they that depart from me shall be written in the earth because they have forsaken Yahweh, the fountain of living waters” (John 7:38) As a result of the discussion between Pharisees and the officers, they planned the approach to the Lord in John 8.

7:10 whilst we read that Solomon sent the people ot their “tents” we should appreciate that the people did not live in tents but rather in more solid houses. So why does the record say “tents”?

We learn that Abraham lived in tents – Heb 11:9 – even though the land had been promised to him. The use of tens is designed as a reminder that even though the temple was a really solid building the people were still  pilgrims. Possession of the land was a future promise when the “greater than Solomon” will be king in Jerusalem.

7:4In unity  the ruler and the ruled offer sacrifice together. This is the unity that is expected of believers in their worship of God, their Father. Status become irrelevant

v.14 - The purity of the priestly garments was quite a theme of the law (Exo.29:4-9, Lev.8:7,13,33-35). It is clearly there that we might learn of the difference between the clothing we had in the flesh and that which we now have in the spirit (Rom.13:14, 2Cor.5:1-4)

42:16,17,18,19 side 7307 Heb 'Ruach' wind
:16 hundred 520 Heb 'Amah' cubit
:17, 18, 19 hundred 3967 Heb 'Meah' hundred
42:13 the mention of the 'sin offering' and 'the meat offering' demonstrates that there will be animal sacrifice in the kingdom.

v.13 Here is another picture of Jesus - being the place that God has chosen to place his name there - he is the place where we eat the most holy things - in our case the symbols of his body and his blood in remembrance of the atonement.

42:13 The mention of the priests that 'eat the most holy things' builds a picture of mortal priests working in the temple that Ezekiel saw. This will be the case when the Lord Jesus returns and this temple is built.

42:3 The 'pavement' - for you North American readers - is not the place where cars were to be driven in the temple. John 19:13 indicates the pavement was a place of judgement. The temple that is to be built is not to be a show piece. Rather it is the place from where 'the law will go out' (Isaiah 2:3)

42:14 Whereas there was a special place designated for the placing of the holy garments in this temple there was no similar provision in the tabernacle even though the requirement to take off and put on the holy garments was the same  (Lev 16:23) .

V.5 It would appear that the building became narrower as it rose in height.

Continuing on from comments on Chapter 40: 45,46.
Here we have the distinction of the future priesthood being developed again. Eze 42:13 is talking about the immortal "Sons of Zadok" again. We know because of the phrase "that approach unto the LORD" and also "can't eat holy things".  Chapter 44:13 tells us that the " Sons of Levi" can't come near any Holy things so this verse must describe the Zadok class.
In Verse 14 however, a distinction in subject is made. Remember, the prophet is describing the duties of the future priests. The groundwork for distinction laid down earlier in the prophecy and is now up to us to unravel. These mortal priests(Sons of Levi class) go into the utter(outer) court(see Eze 44:19) being teachers of the people. Their actions will show the difference between clean and unclean(holy/unholy)Eze 44:23,. Nationally, this is indicative of taking responsibility for past sins; a requirement for forgiveness. We are told that these priest "shall approach to those things which are for the people". Ultimately, when enacted in the future...it will be a fulfilment of Eze 43:10,11("that they may be ashamed of their iniquities").

There is an interesting comment in Eze 42:14. It says that the priests must change their clothes, from the holy ones in which they have been ministering to God, into the other garments in which they shall approach the people. “The people” cannot be the saints, as they (I should say, us, please God) will be completely holy. Does this prove therefore that the earthly people will come to the temple to worship the King?

42:13  That the priests were to eat the holy things within the temple complex teaches us something about fellowship. The holy things are to be enjoyed together with those of like faith in an environment of fellowship.

42:20 Whilst the word ‘profane’ today tends to be used of things which are actually ungodly the word <02455> translated here simply means ‘unholy’ as can be seen here – Lev 10:10 - where the same word is translated ‘unholy’

Vs.16-20 The outer walls are set in a square. Each wall measures approximately 1 mile (1.61 km) - the total distance around the walls being approximately 4 miles (6.44 km). When Jesus returns to earth, the topography of the land will be changed to accommodate such an expansive structure.

42:15 ‘he brought me forth’ marks the point that the prophet did not measure and examine the building according to his preferences. He was shown the house in the way that God wanted him to see it. Likewise we should not form our own opinions about the ecclesia based upon our opinions. Rather we should measure the ‘house of God’ using God’s measure and instructions – the Scriptures.

V.8 It is unfortunate that the ESV says: opposite the nave, whereas other versions say: before the temple (KJV, ASV); facing the temple (NASB).

A nave (from the Latin navis meaning ship) is the central approach to the high altar in a cathedral. It is so called because the long, relatively narrow, space of the nave resembles a ship. The longest nave of all cathedrals measures 350 ft. (106 m) and is found in St. Albans Cathedral in England.

Although the term nave is appropriate for a cathedral, it is not appropriate for a Jewish temple, in my opinion.

42:14 Temple work for the priest required that they dissociate themselves from secular things – hence the change of clothes. Likewise our worship should be devoid of anxieties for worldly matters.

42:18-20       Moses had been given a ‘pattern; of the tabernacle and David the temple that was to be built.  Ezekiel, by contrast, is shown the building and to take the measurements from it. Signifying that the things that Moses and Solomon saw were but shadows.

1. Eze 42:13 - mentions three offerings: meat(grain) offering, sin offering, and tresspass(guilt) offering. Is this instructional for those returning from Babylonian captivity (pre-millennial) or is it Messianic millennial?

2. Eze 42:13-14 - priests (Levites of the sons of Zadok Eze 43:19-21) enter the holy places. Is this instructional for those returning from Babylonian captivity (pre-millennial) or is it Messianic millennial?

3. Eze 42:15-20 - in Ezekiel's vision there would appear to be four equal length walls surrounding what appears to be a temple courtyard of either 500 reeds (approximately 5250 feet or 1 mile Eze 40:5) or 500 cubits (approximately 875 feet) per wall.    

4. the people of Israel returning from captivity ran into external and internal obstacles to completing contruction (Ezra 4:4-5;Neh 2:17-20;4:1-3;3:5;4:10-16, etc.); the walls they built appear to have enclosed an area approximately one mile square which might have been the temple court yard; if they were going by Ezekiel's plan it was only partially realized, and the glory of God did not return to it.

5. Eze 48:30-35 - the plan for the city of Jehovah<3068>-Shannah<8033> was to be surrounded by four walls of either 4500 reeds (approximately 47250 feet or nearly 9 miles) or 4500 cubits (approximately 7875 feet or nearly 1 1/2 miles) per wall; is this what should/could have been created (but wasn't) pre-millennially, or is this intended to be Messianic millennial?

6. the apparent future millennial city seems to be described as having lots of adults and children within (Zech 2:4;8:3-5).

42:3-5    Converting Ezekiel’s words to modern speech he is saying that there were three stories of rooms, each floor having rooms which were narrower than the lower floor.

The three storey galleries are the opposite of the three storey chambers around the main building. The galleries start large at the bottom and get smaller in the middle tier and smaller still at the top (v5-6). The chambers start small at the bottom and get bigger toward the top (see 1Kin 6:6)

42:2     The size of the outer court 100 x 50 cubits matches the size of the court around the tabernacle Exo 27:9,12

42:13  In providing special rooms for the priest could eat parts of the sacrifice we see a formalisation of what we read in Lev 6:16

42 & 43  Visualising what the prophet saw is difficult. Here is a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQRegCrJHzk 

which gives a 3D visual representation of what Ezekiel saw. Whilst we might not agree with all the way the temple is shown we can get a general picture

42:1-20 Moving out of the holy place Ezekiel is shown the temple chambers – he is continuing his journey out from the most holy place.

42:10 Here faithful worship and associated activities are being described. This contrasts with the evil behaviour in the same sort of location – 16:25.

42:13-14 When he kingdom of God is re-established there will be a number of different classes of people. There will be the immortal resurrected believers, mortal Jews and mortal gentiles. They will all be governed by God’s laws. A temple will be built and sacrifices will be offered by mortal Jews who are priests. This is the clear implication from what Ezekiel describes here and in other places. The mortal population, both Jew and gentile will have survived the terrible events that precede the return of Jesus. Those who are immortal will have obeyed God during their life.

If we hope to be in that kingdom in the future we have now, to live with God’s laws ruling  us now.

42:13 The provision of rooms in which the priests were able to eat the meat of the appropriate sacrifices was a practical provision that took account of the possibility of wet weather.,

42:13 So we learn the specific use of these rooms. We might conclude that the size was not particularly important. However Yahweh, in His wisdom specified all that was required in worship of Him.

42:3 In having “three stories” this part of the building was like an element of the construction of Noah’s ark – GGen 6:16

v.11 - John's gospel plays quite a lot on this idea of Jesus not being there to judge at that time - v.15, 3:17, 18:36. Verse 16 tells us that Jesus could judge (but only righteously because of his closeness to his great witness - his Father).

8:7 A supreme example of not seeing one's own 'mote' Matthew 7:3 is seen 2 Samuel 12:5 6
Jesus applies the same principle when confronted by Godless men who were seeking his downfall. John 8:7 - 9 We should be aware of the same principle when speaking with our brethren Galatians 6:1

8:33 How blind they were. With the Romans occupying the land one wonders what they thought - '(we) were never in bondage.' And what about the time they were in Egypt and then the Assyrian invasion. But Jesus strikes home to the real issue - they were the servants of sin and so no matter what secular state they were in they would die. We should rejoice in our freedom in Christ.

Nicodemus was present at the discussions. He was introduced in 7:50. so 8:14 'ye cannot tell ... I go' in quoting John 3:8 is representing to Nicodemus things he had already heard Jesus say in private.

8:11 There are only two places in John's gospel - here and John 5:14 where Jesus told someone to 'sin no more'

V.27 Even though Jesus had frequently told the Jews in plain language that he was sent by the Father (John 5:36, John 8:18) yet this fact had failed to register. So blinding is the power of infidelity and prejudice!

Vs.3-5 Jesus' detractors could not prevail against Him theologically and so they attacked Him personally.  The woman taken in adultery, for example, was a set-up.  If He had agreed that the woman should be stoned, then the argument would be open that His own mother, Mary, should be stoned because she was found pregnant out of wedlock. 

The Pharisees asserted Jesus' illegitimacy in an offhanded manner by asserting their own legitimacy (v.41).  Then, they accused Him of being a Samaritan and having a devil (v.48).  The Pharisees blasphemed the Holy Spirit by accrediting Jesus' good works to the power of Beelzebub (Matt 12:24). 

The accusation of Jesus' being a Samaritan was particularly low.  In Jewish estimation, being a Samaritan did not scrape the bottom of the humanity barrel, it scraped the underneath.  According to the Jews, Samaritans were outside the Law and therefore ineligible for the blessings of the God of Israel. 

However, Jesus did liken Himself to a Samaritan.  In the parable of the Samaritan (Luke 10:30-36), clearly the Samaritan represented Jesus.  The (spiritually) wounded man was not helped by the Law (priest and Levite) but was helped by one rejected by the adherents of the Law (Jesus Isa 53:3).  The Samaritan (Jesus) bound the man's wounds (covered his sin) and saved his life (through the atonement). 

Thus, Jesus had to constantly contend with the wrongful accusations of His enemies. Throughout, He conducted Himself with wisdom and dignity, always deferring to the will of His Father in obedience (Heb 5:8).

If you would like a fuller explanation of Jesus in the role of Samaritan, e-mail me for the attachment Good Samaritan.

8:3 If the woman was ‘taken in adultery’ then the other party could have been brought as well. That he was not confirms that the whole event was set up to try to entangle Jesus in his words.

JUDGE NOT, THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED

It was a 1st principal of Jesus that only the man who himself is without fault has the right to express judgment on the fault of others. Only God has the right to judge. When we are confronted with someone who has made a mistake, our feeling ought to be, what can I do to help. We should feel sorry for people that lack the insight of the ways of God, and show compassionate pity as we would wish to be extended to us in the same situation. Jesus's attitude to the sinner involved a number of things:

a) It involved a 2nd chance- Jesus was always intensely interested, not only what a person had been, but also in what a person could be

b) It involved pity - Jesus knew the thrill of exercising the power to forgive

c) It involved a challenge - Jesus confronts the bad life with the challenge of the good

d) It involves warning - God's word provides a clear path in this direction. We must provide a clear path for people to learn to effectively read God's word and see the light for themselves. This story is unfinished, for every life is unfinished until it stands before GOD.

8:39 The claim that Abraham was their father demonstrates that when John Baptist spoke – Luke 3:8 – about the attitude of those who would not submit to baptism he actually did understand what motivated those Jewish leaders.

8:42 Here Jesus demolishes the claim of the Jews; Their very actions and their attitude completely misrepresent their boast. If God was indeed truly their spiritual father as they claimed, they would of course, do his will, and love Him. Loving God, they would of course love His son. John's first epistle explains this so beautifully. 1John 5:1-3

8:14 ‘Ye cannot tell’ catches the words that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus – John 3:8 – it is likely that Nicodemus was present at this time – see John 7:50. Jesus is appealing to Nicodemus who eventually showed his belief in Jesus - John 19:39

8:15 The way in which Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they judged after the flesh’ catches the way that Jesus told Nicodemus – John 3:6 – that he thought. Jesus is building up an appeal to Nicodemus in this section of John.

V.20 The treasury consisted of thirteen trumpet-shaped brass collection boxes. They were placed in the outer court of the women. That whole area became known as the treasury.

V.42 Jesus proceeded forth (KJV); came from (ESV) His Father. These phrases are translated from the Greek word exerchomai which means to issue.

Jesus was the issue of His Father because Mary, His mother, was conceived by the intervention of the Holy Spirit, which is the power of God (Luke 1:35).

In no way does this verse indicate that Jesus came from His Father in heaven, as Trinitarians suppose.

V.57 Being fifty years old suggested the mature completion of service for the Levites under the Law (Num 4:47). Jesus was in his early thirties, and according to the same law had just started service.

Perhaps, the intimation, from Jesus’ detractors, was that He was a novice and not yet mature. This was a snub. But some people, when they cannot win an argument, turn to degrading their opponents personally.

V.58 Abraham rejoiced, in faith, to see Jesus the Messiah (v.56). He did not actually see Jesus because Jesus was not yet born. But, Abraham knew that the Messiah would occupy the premier place in the believers’ hierarchy. He understood that the Messiah would be greater than Him.

Jesus did not exist before Abraham as Trinitarians suppose, their erroneous belief being that Jesus and God are one.

The expression: before Abraham was, I am is a statement of hierarchy and not of time. Jesus (now) is greater than Abraham (was).

Circumnavigating judgement

In v15 Jesus says "you judge* according to the flesh" and in v16-17 "my judgment is true... I am with the Father... the testimony of two men is true". In other words:

"You can't judge because you're defiled, but I can because I'm holy, and my witness completely agrees with the Father in every way. It only takes two witnesses to judge, so He and I are capable of judgment."

This is a scary statement.

In John 5:26-27 we read that responsibility for judgment has been passed to Jesus. In 5:22 that God judges no-one, but has entrusted it all to His son. This is also scary. What if Jesus chooses to judge us harshly?

So Jesus' words to the woman caught in adultery give us immense hope and comfort: "neither do I judge you" (v11). He was able to judge her but decided not to! Held in these words are the full force of the gospel. Though Jesus is the only one who is able to judge, and is the only one appointed to judge, he will gladly choose not to judge if he so desires. This is what he means in v15 when he says "I judge no one" and in 5:45 "do not think I shall accuse you to the Father" and 5:24 "he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment". This is our hope. Not that we shall be judged righteous by investigation of what we have done; but that we shall not be judged at all. Our hope is for a royal pardon which circumnavigates all other mechanisms of law and leaves them powerless.

* Note: "judge" and "judgment" in this chapter refer to judgment leading to condemnation, for example as in judgment in a court of law

8:18 In John 3:11 Jesus had told Nicodemus that he would not accept the witness of Jesus. Jesus returns to that theme here to appeal to Nicodemus.

John 8:58 - "Before  Abraham was, I am."  The word "before" [Grk. "prin" (4250) according to Strong's and Thayer's means "prior, sooner, before (that), ere, formerly"]. The word "was" [Grk. "ginomai" (1096) according to Strong's and Thayers means a number of things including "1. to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being; 2. to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen  a. of events; 3. to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage a. of men appearing in public; 4. to be made, finished a. of miracles, to be performed, wrought; 5. to become, be made....... to cause to be, to become, to come into being (all used with great latitude - literal, figurative); arise, be assembled, become, befall, behave self, be brought (to pass), become to pass, continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled"]. The word "am" [Grk. "eimi" (1510) according to Strong's and Thayer's means "to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.......the first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist (used only when emphatic): am, have been, x it is I, was"]. This establishes Christ's pre-eminence as it chronologically puts Christ before Abraham not in the physical sense but in the sense of the divine purpose. In Gen 3:15,21 both verses infer the sacrifice of Christ with v15 a mortal blow to sin and a non permanent blow to the heal of Christ while in v21 the shed blood garments suggest being covered by Christ's sacrifice. So Christ is in the Bible before Abraham and was the first to be resurrected, was the first fruits, the first born of the new creation.  Christ was "foreordained before the foundation of the world, but manifest in these last times" (1Pet 1:20) so he was foreordained in the divine purpose prior to being born or formed. Similarly, he was the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8) but literally he was not slain until his crucifixion in the time of Pilate.

IN NEED OF FORGIVENESS

Among every group of 'righteous' Christians is a woman who commits adultery. It might not be a woman, it might be a man and the sin might be a life of violence rather than adultery, but whoever, and whatever, sooner or later the sins of one particular person will be made very public. Just like the woman caught in adultery in Jesus' time, they will suddenly find their sin exposed and themselves surrounded by a crowd all wanting blood for the crimes that have been committed.

The reaction of Jesus was interesting. The crowd surrounded him, trying to trap him in a compromising position. "But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger." (John 8:6) Some people think he was writing the names of the people surrounding him, and perhaps he was. Maybe he was even listing their sins. Then he said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (v.7)

Just like the woman who committed adultery, we are all in need of compassion. We are all just as guilty as one another - just as guilty as the woman caught in adultery. Would we want our sins paraded and punished without mercy the way this woman was judged? I think not. We are all in the same need of forgiveness whether our sins are 'Big' or 'Little'.

So, remembering our sins and our names in the sand, let us also have compassion on the failings of each other.

If we do not believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, we will die (v24). Our life will take its natural course and that's that. The term "in your sins" simply means that your sins have not been removed.

8:12    This is the first time that Jesus says he is ‘the light of the world’ in John. The second is in John 9:5. Here Jesus is not speaking of the darkness being the adultery of the woman. Rather he is talking of those who brought her to him for judgement.  They were in ‘darkness’ because forgiveness was not part of their way of thinking.

DO WHAT JESUS DID

The Jews had a thing about being Abraham's descendants. They were proud of the fact that they could trace their ancestry back all the way to the great and faithful man God had chosen to be the father of his special people. God chose Abraham because he was faithful. But unfortunately, not all Abraham's descendants followed the same path as Abraham. They did not have the same faithful attitude as Abraham had.

As Jesus was describing what it meant to be his disciples and to follow God, he said this to the Jews: "'If you were Abraham's children,' said Jesus, 'then you would do the things Abraham did.'" (John 8:39) We can look quite critically at the Jews because of this statement. It was obvious that they were claiming to be something they were not.

Not many of us could trace our ancestry back to Abraham, but a lot of us claim to be Christians. If we met Jesus today and told him that "I am a Christian," I wonder what he would say to us? Would he say, "Yes, I can see that you are a Christian because you do the same things that I do - preach, care, love, and overflow with God's word in the way you live."? Or would he say, "If you were really a Christian, then you would be doing the things that I do."?

John 8:31-32

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Have you ever thought about what discipleship in Christ really means? W.E. Vine’s book, “AN EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY of NEW TESTAMENT WORDS” defines "disciple" as: “lit., ‘a learner’ (from manthano, ‘to learn,’ from a root math---indicating thought accompanied by endeavor)…it denotes ‘one who follows one's teaching’… all who manifest that they are His ‘disciples’ by abiding in His Word…A ‘disciple’ was not only a pupil, but an adherent; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher…” (Highlight mine).

Discipleship consists of three main spheres: 1) Knowing (2Pet 3:18), 2) Being (Matt 5:48), and 3) Doing (James 1:22). It is obvious that it is not enough to say we are disciples, Christ having left us an example that we should follow in his steps (1Pet 2:21).

Jesus’ disciples asked about Scripture (Matt 17:10); they asked him about the meaning of the parables (Luke 8:9); they asked him how to live (Mark 10:10); they asked him about their failures (Mark 9:28). Shall we fare any less? We must continuously study and search for the answers to our questions, digging into the Word as one would dig for hid treasure (Prov 2:1-5), abiding in his Word in every way, if we are to abide in his love (John 15:8-10). Then, and only then, are we his disciples, indeed.

John 8:56 Jesus was able to say of Abraham that "he rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad" because through the eye of his faith he saw in the ram caught by it's horns in the thicket, the sacrifice of the Lord's providing - the Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham's experience of the test of his faith enabled him to see beyond his day to the ministry of the Jesus. The Genesis record highlights for us the sight of Abraham.

Gen 22:4“on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.”  God directed Abraham to the place where the sacrifice of his “only son” (verse 2) was to take place. 

Gen 22:13 “Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked…”.  Abraham saw the ram the sacrifice of the Lord’s providing.  How glad he must have been to see this sacrifice provided.

Gen 22:14 “called the place Jehovah-jireh…in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.”

Abraham had seen and understood that the Lord was to provide a sacrifice and would provide the one through whom all nations would ultimately be blessed.  Like Isaac and Jacob and the faithful of all the ages, he saw the promises afar off (Heb 11:13).

John 8:32

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Socrates, an ancient Greek Philosopher, wrote that we could never know the truth about anything. His reasoning was if we didn’t know the truth when we started, how would we know the truth when we found it? He was right! Without Divine revelation, it is an impossible task (Col 2:8)!

The importance of knowing the truth cannot be overemphasized. It is the difference between life and death. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in thy truth; thy word is truth’ (John 17:17). We see from this that it is God’s truth that separates us to Him, and makes us free. Jesus, himself, the personification of truth, said he is, “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and that no one can approach the Father but through him.

The search for truth is a lifelong challenge because it is more than just a set of first principle doctrines. It is as Brother Robert Roberts wrote: “…but branches of the tree. The vitality of the tree lies in the root, and the root in this case is the relation of God to man.” Please note that in verse 31, Jesus says, “…If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” We are to seek the truth, seek to understand the truth, love the truth, and live the truth.

Man’s nature is his own worst enemy. Our flesh is a slave of sin (Rom 7:14-25), but those who belong to Christ are in his freedom, and, therefore, released from the bondage of sin (John 8:34,36). Repentance and truth are the integral parts of this plan (2Tim 2:25). Freed from sin, we are not under the penalty of eternal death (Rom 5:21), but only those who submit to God’s requirements have this hope. “Not all who profess the truth walk in it; some walk after the desires and inclinations of the natural man” – R.R. Freedom in Christ is limited to those who are led by the Spirit of God (Rom 8:14).

8:25    The people asked ‘who art thou?’ – not willing to acknowledge the testimony of Jesus’ actions. However after the resurrection the disciples, knowing that Jesus was indeed the Christ, did not ask the same question – John 21:12

Jn. 8:58.

8:22-23        ‘Will he kill himself?’ highlights how ignorant of the purpose of God the leaders were. As Jesus said ‘ye are from beneath’

John 8:31-32

“... If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The word, "truth" is frequently used, but do we understand the many complexities of this one word, and how it relates to the children of God?  
We have the word of truth; John 17:17; Spirit of truth, John 16:13; Christ is the truth, John 14:6; the ecclesia is the pillar and ground of the truth, 1Tim 3:15;the disciples walk in truth, 3John:4; know the truth and the truth shall set you free, John 8:32. So then, what is truth? Obviously, it is not just about doctrinal truth. Truth alone does not set us free. Knowledge of the truth without transformation of our characters will not set us free from the bondage of sin and death (John 8:51). To be in the truth, we must first believe; second, we are to continue in the word by studying the word, which has transformation power. Then and only then are we Christ's disciples indeed (cf. James 1:20-26).

Just about anyone will profess they are disciples of Christ, but do they meet Christ's criteria of true discipleship? We are to be washed, sanctified, then we are justified - in that order (1Cor 6:11). Salvation is the free gift of God, but there is a price to pay for truth (Prov 23:23)! Buying the truth costs us time and effort and that requires dedicated discipleship. We can pray for wisdom, but we have to study for instruction.
What is truth? Let me answer: When a child of God looks into the word of God and sees the Son of God, and is changed by the spirit of God into the image of God, then we have learned and have the truth of God.  Imagine all these encompassing meanings from one word, truth!
We see from these passages that it is only if we compare Scripture with Scripture that we see the whole picture of what it is when we say we are "in the truth." Otherwise, it only becomes a half truth, and a half truth is not the truth. This is when we tend to take Scripture out of context and miss the whole picture and create our own truth.

8:43     Jesus’ seeming frustration at the Jews lack of understanding is worth thinking about. He knew from his understanding of the Old Testament that they would not understand. However this did not stop him being saddened that they did not believe in him. Likewise we should not allow a feeling that people are not interested in the gospel message deter us from seeking to teach others his ways. 

8:21    In saying that the Jewish leaders would “die in their sins” Jesus is quoting Psa 82:7. A very appropriate quotation because the Psalm speaks of the religious leaders a “gods” – that is leaders – Psa 82:6

6:12     The gathering up of the fragments of food that remained that it “nothing be lost” is yet another quotation - Eze 34:12 – remember we have seen a number of other quotations form this area of Eze 34. The Holy Spirit through John is building a comprehensive picture of how Jesus did that which the Jewish leaders did not do and so is presenting Jesus as the good shepherd of Eze 34:23.

8:40  Jesus’ stark assessment that they sought to kill him highlights a fundamental aspect of human nature. We see it all the time with politicians. If the argument cannot be faulted then the character of the person is denigrated. But this sort of behaviour is not limited to politicians or Jesus’ opponents. We can manifest it as well.

8:23        The “above” from where Jesus was – that is Godly thinking – should be our position also – Col 3:2

8:44     Jesus – Luke 10:6 – had spoken of those who would support the disciples as sons of peace. Now, by contrast, the religious leaders are spoken of as children [sons] of the devil.

John 8:31

“Then said Jesus to those Yahudahites which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”