Can You See Me Now? – John 8:13-20

GOD is light.

When Jesus said that He was “living light” (John 8:12, tlb), the Pharisees retorted, “We don’t see it that way. In fact, we don’t believe You.”

“You’re blind to the light of life in Me,” Jesus was telling them, “because you judge by human standards. You just look at the surface of people and miss the substance.”

            He went on to say, “I don’t make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn’t make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father” (John 8:16b, msg).

A few days ago I was trying to read the small print on a medicine bottle, and could only make out about half the words. Then I went over and stood directly under the light. It helped a lot. My judgment is better—I see things better—when the light is brighter.

The Bible says “God is light.” Jesus, being so close to God the Father, looked at people and situations in the light of God’s illumination. The Pharisees misread Jesus and misread God the Father because they saw things in the shadowed light of their own selfishness and smallness. Indeed, these hyper-religious specialists were God-blind.

They said, “Where is this so-called Father of yours?” Jesus said, “You’re looking right at me and you don’t see me. How do you expect to see the Father? If you knew me, you would at the same time know the Father” (John 8:19, msg).

These scriptures are teaching me that the closer I get to God, the better I see God in Jesus, the better I see myself, and the better I see others. God’s judgment is good judgment. He knows so much more than I know. He sees so much more than I see.

Remembering this makes me more inclined to ask God, “What do You see here—in this situation, in this set of circumstances—that You want me to see?” I need to get closer to the light before I try to read the label.

Life Challenge: Is there something you are trying to decide or discern these days? Remember that as you get closer to God, your judgment improves.