Come With Me, or Go Away?

The pharisee's challenge Jesus in John 8:12-20. Jesus claims to be the light of the world, who has come to help people in the darkest parts of life. The religious guys want to argue whether or not Jesus can say these things according to the rules. For someone to make a claim about something, the rules they had said that there needed to be two witnesses. They don't argue Jesus' mission, they argue the rules about what He can and can't say.

Why don't they argue that they are there to help people in their darkest times? Why don't they stand up and prove that they are carrying out the work of God on the earth? Because they have gotten themselves down a path where they believe that God's work is about keeping the rules. Everyone needs to look and act a certain way, so that God can look better and be happy with them. Everyone who doesn't is "out" and they don't need to worry about them.

Jesus replies that He does have a witness, His Dad, God. He and God the Father are witness enough. He's right. But that doesn't help anything.

Here's what I see in this. I really like to keep the rules. I've invested a lot of my life in defining who is "in" (who is like me) and who is "out" (who bugs me, who disagrees with me, who has little to offer me). God is really riding me about this, and I hope it doesn't stop. Oh Lord, I beg you, please change me in this! Help me to be a light in my world, not a wall. Please help me!