_ALONE WITH JESUS_ ‘And they … went out … and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.’ John 8:9 The sinner and Jesus were left alone. They must always be so. None should come in there, specially where _ sin_ is the question to be settled. So long as the scribes and Pharisees re... [ Continue Reading ]
_MORAL OFFENCES_ ‘Go, and sin no more.’ John 8:11 Christ took the matter out of its lower level—as a social evil—or between man and man, and aimed at spiritual benefits. Let us look at the history from this point of view. I. CHRIST’S METHOD WITH THE ACCUSERS.—Remember what they were, and in what... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD_ ‘I am the Light of the world.’ John 8:12 This is one of the central and salient sayings of our Saviour. It is eminent even amongst the utterances of Him ‘who spake as never man spake.’ He had already declared Himself to be the giver of ‘the living water’; He had offered H... [ Continue Reading ]
_WALKING IN THE LIGHT_ ‘He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life.’ John 8:12 The way to ‘follow’ is to have the eye constantly on the pattern. I will lay down three or four leading traits of the life of Christ to aid us a little in the ‘following’ it. I.... [ Continue Reading ]
_‘THE LIGHT OF LIFE’_ ‘The light of life.’ John 8:12 ‘Light’ and ‘life’ are words which have a strange connection everywhere. Even in the natural world, there must be ‘light’ if there would be ‘life.’ And if you take away ‘light’ out of ‘life,’ it is a poor thing to live. And so it is in a man’s... [ Continue Reading ]
_SEEKING IN VAIN_ ‘We shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins.’ John 8:21 This verse contains a thought so deep that we cannot fathom it. We learn _ that it is possible to seek Christ in vain_. Our Lord says to the unbelieving Jews, ‘Ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins.’ He meant, by t... [ Continue Reading ]
_DISCIPLESHIP_ ‘Then are ye My disciples indeed.’ John 8:31 It was in the early days of the Church that ‘the disciples were called Christians’ (Acts 11:26); but in these later days there is much need that the Christians should come to be called disciples. For it seems to have passed out of the or... [ Continue Reading ]
_FREEDOM THROUGH THE TRUTH_ ‘Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ John 8:32 This is the eternal answer to the protests of modern unbelief. Let us examine the words (_a_) reverently, (_b_) candidly, and (_c_) charitably. The promise is as to those who continue in our Saviou... [ Continue Reading ]
_CHRIST THE LIBERATOR_ ‘If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’ John 8:36 (R.V). These kindly words breathe the very spirit of our Master. Christ here declares that His service is perfect freedom. ‘If the Son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed.’ For this asser... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE SINLESSNESS OF CHRIST_ ‘Jesus said, which of you convinceth Me of sin?’ John 8:46 It is well for us that we should once more assure ourselves of the supernatural claim of Christ. And the words of the text bring home to us part of the stupendous peculiarity of this claim. ‘Which of you convin... [ Continue Reading ]
_A BLASPHEMOUS CHARGE_ ‘Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil.’ John 8:48 Here we see Christ our Lord accused of ‘having a devil’:—i.e. people accused Him of being _ Himself_ possessed by the Devil, and of saying and doing things at the Devil’s bidding. Now this is a very horrible thing: so hor... [ Continue Reading ]
_HOW TO ESCAPE DEATH_ ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death.’ John 8:51 I. CHRIST’S ANTIPATHY TO DEATH.—What a startling statement it is! There is nothing, I think, in all our Lord’s utterances more striking than the persistent aversion to death which... [ Continue Reading ]