Do we KNOW God?

John 8:48-59
Here is Jesus’ response to the accusations of the Jews as to who He really was.

In vs.41, they protested saying they knew who their father was. In the subsequent verses, they went on to say that He was of the devil / demon-possessed and that he was a Samaritan ~ who had nothing in common with the Jews (as per their belief).

There is a stark contrast here to 2 kinds of people:
a) The Jews who thought, they KNEW who their Father was; &
b) Jesus, who KNEW who His Father is
Which one of them actually knows the Father, and what’s the difference?

Well, Jesus gives us a clue in His response to the accusations leveled against Him.
Vs.55 – Jesus defines the difference between them is: I KNOW HIM, BECAUSE I KEEP HIS WORD.
So, ‘Keeping the Word’ becomes crucial in knowing Him.

It’s not about just knowing in our head, but do we know Him it in our hearts – which comes by abiding and walking according to it.

The end result of this is the way in which they both responded:
If at all, anyone should be angry here with the kind of remarks passed at them, it must have been Jesus – but He remains calm & composed here, while we see the exact opposite from those who accused Him.
Vs.59 – the Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus. Is that the kind of response one would have, when they know God?

How about us?
- What kind of response do we have when accusations are leveled against us?
- Does our response reflect the God we know & how much we know of Him?