John 8.38 “I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard l from your father.”
This statement wraps up one of the biggest differences there is between the children of the world and of God. God is WITH us. The Greek rootword is para, which can mean beside, near, etc.
I remember when I watched The Clone Wars and was thinking about the Jedi Master/Padawan relationship. In that world, every Jedi is paired with a Master, who teaches them everything they know as they go on adventures together. The student sees the master in every setting, and learns in every scenario what a Jedi Master would do.
On the other side, the Sith work very differently. The Sith master is not with his apprentice, and only communicates over a radio. He gives orders followed by threats, and is never there with the apprentice to help out.
How much the same is the rip-off of the world and the children of the world. Distant threats of what a person should and shouldn’t do, and no companionship whatsoever. Then the devil brings condemnation and guilt and shame when the student of the world fails.
HOW DIFFERENT is GOD THE FATHER! Jesus says right here, He speaks about what He has seen WITH the Father, not FROM the Father or ABOUT the father. He talks about life and reality that He sees while He is with the Father.
The Pharisees talk about the life and reality that they are ripped off into as they are in the world and lied to by their father.
This takes me back to the same thing I’ve been talking about every day lately…That there is more to the Christian life that involves KNOWING God than KNOWING ABOUT God. The Pharisees know a lot about the history of God, but Jesus knew God.