The Gospel of John: Come and See Blindness

In our text for Sunday, Jesus challenges the identity his audience has built. Fundamentally, their identity was built outside of the identity communicated to them from God. Their ancestral and religious identity blinded them to who they were as sinners in need of rescue from God. They were confident that they were Abraham’s children, while ignoring the fact that Abraham “rejoiced to see” Jesus’ descent. They were confident that God himself was their Father, while blind to the murderous intent in their hearts. So when their confidence is challenged, they accuse and diminish Jesus. This is identity defense!

Jesus warns them that the identity they defend is actually built on the lies and desires of a greater evil, the Deceiver, Satan. He is the “father of lies,” whose efforts to suppress and eradicate the truth are fueled by his evil desire for his own glory. That subtle desire for glory motivates our own identity creation within our community.

Only Jesus can rescue us from the deception of this greater evil maker. So as you prepare to worship Sunday, consider your own identity. What would it mean to have an identity change?