February 25: “He is a Liar and the Father of Lies”
♫ Music:
Day 9 - Thursday, February 25
Title: “HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES”
Scripture: John 8:44-59
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
Poetry:
truth
by Gwendolyn Brooks
And if sun comes
How shall we greet him?
Shall we not dread him,
Shall we not fear him
After so lengthy a
Session with shade?
Though we have wept for him,
Though we have prayed
All through the night-years—
What if we wake one shimmering morning to
Hear the fierce hammering
Of his firm knuckles
Hard on the door?
Shall we not shudder?—
Shall we not flee
Into the shelter, the dear thick shelter
Of the familiar
Propitious haze?
Sweet is it, sweet is it
To sleep in the coolness
Of snug unawareness.
The dark hangs heavily
Over the eyes.
WHEN LIES FAIL: JESUS’ WAY WITH THE WORD, REFUTING MERE WORDS
It has been said that the most treasured sport in Jewish tradition is argument. Closely related to it is play on words. Scripture helps with this. In many places through the Old Testament and in the Gospels, Hebrew or Greek words are used that sound alike but mean different things. Samson’s riddle about honey and a lion carcass is one example (Judges 4:14). Eli’s death by falling backward off his seat because he was “old and heavy” is a play on Hebrew words — words that look and sound similar —for heavy and honor; Eli had not honored God, and his death was related to heaviness of body, neglect of God’s temple (1 Sam. 4:18). Jesus’ use of language is a study in itself for those who love teaching or being taught. Our Lord used exaggeration, double-meaning, and other subtleties to get his listeners thinking and to draw them to know Him and follow Him — to believe.
But Jesus was also masterful in the debates and attacks that Jewish leaders brought against Him throughout His ministry. Paul tells us to consider God’s word a sword in our hands (Eph. 6:17), and Jesus was an expert swordsman. But the difference between Jesus’ grasp of Scripture and that of the Pharisees and scribes was that He spoke with authority (Matt. 7:29). He knew the Author of Scripture. Jesus was there when God spoke it all into existence; indeed, He was God incarnate (John 1:1-3) — something the Jewish leaders could not grasp, or would not, at least until after His resurrection.
What is striking about today’s passage is Jesus’ penetrating look into the basis of the attacks being made on Him. He was familiar with these confrontations. He was in the fights, yet above them — beyond them.
In our passage today, Jesus hears the Pharisees claim to know Abraham, and about demons. He takes them to task on it. They know Abraham? Then why weren’t they acting like him, seeking salvation through faith in God rather than tradition? They know about demons, and the devil? To these attackers, Satan was a trope. To Jesus, Satan was the adversary He had come to take down. Lies, Jesus, said, come from this adversary. And the Pharisees should beware of furthering Satan’s schemes. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus calls Himself the light of the world. And the Pharisees try to twist those words, too. The conclusion of this passage, in verse 58, is insightful. Jesus unequivocally calls Himself God (I AM), and the words suddenly cease. In the silence, these debaters reach for rocks to execute Him. Jesus simply walks away, hidden from them.
The music for this devotion begins with a staccato of thundering tones, like the heavy tread of a lion circling us, seeking to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The artist shows us hideous twists of what could be Satan the tempter, blood red, slithering among us. And our poem ponders the difficulties of grasping light when we have been too long in the dark.
Prayer
Forgive us, O God, for our many words. Help us close our mouths so we can listen, so we can humble ourselves to really hear Your Word — to hear You. We have too often trusted in our traditions, in our ways of doing life, thinking we are serving You, knowing You. It seems the more we think we know You, the less we do, for You are vast beyond measure. And you remind us that we are frail, so susceptible to the subtle lies of the enemy of our souls. Come, Lord Jesus, into this fight, this perilous journey. Be our strong defense. Be our light in this dark world. And we thank You that before any of this came to be You are. You were. And you will be. Thank you for loving us first.
Amen
Dr. Michael A. Longinow
Chair, Department of Digital Journalism & Media
School of Fine Arts and Communication
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Map of the Charlatan
Mark T. Smith
2010
Mixed media on paper
11 x 17 in.
Mark T. Smith’s work embraces the classic skills of drawing and painting with the balance of a modern graphic design aesthetic. His work explores the mythological, historical, cultural, psychological, and personal aspects of the shared human experience. Working with themes representing the duality of the human condition, Smith often contrasts the masculine with the feminine, pleasure with pain, and hope with despair. His usage of classic iconographic symbols paired with Greco-Roman mythology creates multilayered abstractions and narratives that invite the viewer to close examination.
About the Artist:
Mark T. Smith (b. 1968) is an American painter. He is widely known for his colorful, complex paintings. After matriculating from the Pratt Institute, he made New York City his home until 2004, when he relocated to Miami. In New York City, Smith made his living as an iconoclastic artist known for his highly recognizable paintings. Corporate patronage helped Smith become an increasingly recognizable figure in the crowded New York City art world, and his patrons included MTV, Pepsi, AT&T, Budweiser, VH-1, Walt Disney Co., Taco Bell, and many more. His works have been seen in major motion pictures and in global campaigns such as the poster design commissioned by the United States Olympic Team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Smith has been involved with the academic community for the majority of his career. He has taught at Parsons School of Design, the Pratt institute, the Miami Ad School, and has lectured at many other institutions, including University of the Arts, University of Delaware, Cleveland Institute of Art, Altos De Chavon, and SCAD. His artwork has been displayed in the U.S. and abroad, and may be found in the collections of celebrities like Jay Leno, Neil Diamond, and Elton John.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_T._Smith
https://www.marktsmith.com/
About the Music:
“Home to Dragons” from the album Planet Earth II (Original Television Soundtrack)
About the Composers:
Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe
Jacob Shea graduated with a degree in music composition. His film scores have won him two BMI awards for Mountain Men and two BMI awards for Alaskan Bush People. Composer Jasha Klebe worked on music for films such as The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel and arranged the music for the eighty-fourth Academy Awards ceremony. Both composers work for Bleeding Fingers Music, a leading custom scoring company in the film and television industry, co-founded by Academy Award–winning composer Hans Zimmer. In 2016, Bleeding Fingers was selected to score the BBC docu-series Planet Earth II. The theme was written by Zimmer, and Shea and Klebe wrote the score. The duo incorporated sounds from nature into their music by layering them with electronic effects to make them part of the recording. More than a year was spent composing the score for the series, which was recorded by an eighty-piece orchestra at Air Studios in London. Zimmer, Shea, and Klebe were nominated for a British Academy of Television Craft Award in the Best Original Television Music category, and Shea and Klebe were nominated for the Emmy in Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score).
http://jacobsheamusic.com/?page_id=17
Jasha Klebe is a composer known for emotive melodies and impactful scores. Most notably, Klebe co-scored the BAFTA and Emmy-nominated music of BBC's Planet Earth II, alongside Hans Zimmer and Jacob Shea. He additionally provided music to the follow-up series, Blue Planet II, as well as writing the Emmy-nominated music of National Geographic’s Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes. He also composed the score to Netflix’s Oscar nominated documentary, Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom and National Geographic’s Diana: In Her Own Words. He studied classical piano and trombone for over fifteen years before he moved to Los Angeles and started working at Remote Control Productions under Hans Zimmer. Over the four years with Zimmer, Klebe composed for such films as The Dark Knight Rises, Rush, Man of Steel, and several other notable projects. In 2013, Klebe began to serve as one of the headlining composers at Bleeding Fingers Music. Within this role, he contributed countless hours of music to some of the most acclaimed series on television, including shows on ABC, CBS, MTV, Netflix, Lifetime, A&E, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, National Geographic, and the BBC. Klebe currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. His music can be most recently heard on the Netflix Original documentary series, Medal of Honor, directed by James Moll and produced by Robert Zemeckis.
http://jashaklebe.com/bio/
About the Performers:
London Chamber Orchestra conducted by Geoffrey Alexander
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), founded in 1904, is the oldest of London’s symphony orchestras. As a self-governing body, the orchestra selects the conductors with whom it works. At some stages in its history, it dispensed with a principal conductor and worked only with guest conductors. Among conductors with whom it is most associated are Pierre Monteux, André Previn, Claudio Abbado, Sir Colin Davis, and Valery Gergiev. The LSO claims to be the world’s most recorded orchestra; it has made gramophone recordings since 1912 and has played on more than 200 soundtrack recordings for the cinema. It is probably best-known for recording John Williams’ score for the Star Wars movies. This film and its sequels attracted a new group of admirers and consolidated the period of film music activity for the orchestra, which continues unabated to this day. The LSO also recorded other Williams’ film scores including Superman, Harry Potter, and The Raiders of the Lost Ark.
https://lso.co.uk/
Geoffrey Alexander is a leading Hollywood and UK film music arranger, orchestrator, conductor, and composer, bringing with him the wealth of experience gained from more than 120 feature film credits. His recent orchestrating projects include: The Secret Garden (2020), The Secret: Dare To Dream (2020), Geisha (2020), Night On Earth (2020), Our Planet (2019), Darkest Hour (2017), Paddington 2 (2017), King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), Kubo and The Two Strings (2016), Planet Earth ll (2016). Big screen credits include: Planet 51, State of Play, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, Bee Movie, The Other Boleyn Girl, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Mickey Blue Eyes, Cliffhanger, and Brassed Off. Away from the screen, he has written a double concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra entitled Phantasia, based on themes from Phantom Of The Opera. Commissioned by Andrew and Julian Lloyd Webber, it was recorded with Sarah Chang (violin) and Julian Lloyd Webber (cello), and conducted by Simon Lee. He is Artistic Advisor to the English Sinfonia, for whom he composed Towards The Dawn, a violin concerto for Janice Graham, leader of the English National Opera Orchestra and Artistic Director of the English Sinfonia.
https://www.smatalent.com/alexander-geoffrey/
About the Poet:
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917–2000) was an African American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950, for Annie Allen, making her the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize. Throughout her prolific writing career, Brooks received many more honors. A lifelong resident of Chicago, she was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968, a position she held until her death, thirty-two years later. She was also named the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress for the 1985–86 term. In 1976, she became the first African American woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Many of Brooks’ works display a political consciousness, especially those from the 1960s and later, with several of her poems reflecting the civil rights activism of that period. Her body of work gave her, according to critic George E. Kent, “a unique position in American letters. Not only has she combined a strong commitment to racial identity and equality with a mastery of poetic techniques, but she has also managed to bridge the gap between the academic poets of her generation in the 1940s and the young Black militant writers of the 1960s.”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gwendolyn-brooks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwendolyn_Brooks
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Michael A. Longinow
Chair, Department of Digital Journalism and Media
Adviser, Print Journalism; Adviser, The Chimes
Co-Adviser, Media Narrative Projects
Department of Digital Journalism and Media
School of Fine Arts and Communication
Biola University
Dr. Michael Longinow is the former chair of Biola’s Department of Journalism and the advisor of Biola’s The Chimes student newspaper. Longinow attended Wheaton College, earning a B.A. in Political Science, and completed a Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky. He has not only been an educator but has also worked as a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. He was a founding adviser member of the Association of Christian Collegiate Media (ACCM) and now serves as its National Executive Director. Longinow is a frequent workshop presenter and panelist at national conventions and has written chapters for five books dealing with journalism, history, media and religion, and the popular culture of American Evangelicalism. Longinow lives in Riverside, California, with his wife Robin and their three children: Ben, Matt, and Sarah.