You are From Beneath; Jesus is From Above - John 8:23

John the apostle wrote how Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, “I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he said, Where I go, you cannot come”, and in chapter eight and verse twenty-three how Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees, “you are from beneath; I am from above” where we read:

And he said unto them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world;

I am not of this world.

The verse reads, “And he said unto them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world;” John began with the words, “and he said unto them” which means “and Jesus uttered, declared and proclaimed to the Jewish people and religious leaders”, “you are from beneath” or “Jewish people and religious leaders originate from down under”; “I am from above” which means “I, Jesus, originate from upwards, on high and in the heavens”: “you are of this world” or “you, Jewish people and religious leaders, belong to the present circle of the earth and it's inhabitants”. John shared how Jesus told the “Jewish people, scribes and Pharisees” they were of the “earth” below, but He was from “Heaven” above.

The verse continues, “I am not of this world.” John added the words, “I am not” which means “I, Jesus, do not originate” “of this world” or “pertaining to the circle of the earth and it's inhabitants”. John shared how Jesus told the “Jewish people and religious leaders” He was not from the “earth” like them.

When we consider John's words in this verse, we learn how Jesus not only knew His location from “above”, but also that there was a distinct difference between where He was from and where the people He was speaking to originated. Jesus was in Heaven with God the Father before He was sent to the earth to die for the sins of mankind. Jesus knew He would return there, and His desire was to take as many people with Him to be with Him eternally. God loves people, and because they are “from below”, they need a “Heavenly” solution to their sin problem. Jesus is that solution, and every person who yields their life to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” will be forgiven of their sins and granted everlasting life with God the Father in Heaven. Let all who read these words submit themselves to Jesus.

Next time John shares how Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees, “I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".