Scripture: So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
John 8:31-38 ESV
[Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus, Jesus announces his second “I am” statement: “I am the light of the world.” Using the sun’s light as a metaphor, Jesus speaks of spiritual matters as he declares that all who follow him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life (v.12). The Pharisees take umbrage of such a lofty claim and argue that Jesus bears witness about himself (invalid according to Levitical law) and contend he speaks falsely. So Jesus rebuts that the Father who sent him testifies about him, providing the second witness.
Then, taking a new tack, the Pharisees question, “Where is your Father?” (v.19), but Jesus sidesteps their question and exposes polar opposite orientations: they are of the world, and he is from the heavenly realm. To further clarify why they will die in their sins, Jesus tells the Pharisees it is because of their lack of faith in him. So they ask Jesus to reveal who he thinks he is, but Jesus avoids fully disclosing his identity and instead refers to “he who sent him” as the ultimate truth, and, thus, Jesus only speaks what his sender tells him.
Today’s devotion continues Jesus’ discourse with the scribes and Pharisees, shifting focus from Jesus being the world’s light to the significance of his divine words of truth. Just as Jesus incarnates living water (4:7-15), bread (6:22-59), and light (8:12-30, so he embodies truth. His truth is supernatural and sets free those bound by a life of lies. But to appropriate his truth, his disciples must abide in his word.
Having reached their limit of listening to Jesus’ seemingly grandiose statements of his importance that insinuate their deficiencies, the religious leaders fire back that they are pedigree, heirs of Abraham, and enslaved to no one. So, who does Jesus think he is that he would suggest that upstanding Jews like themselves need to be set free? Jesus ignores their indignation and unabashedly continues his train of thought, declaring that sin masters those who practice sin. To emphasize his point, Jesus likens himself to the son of a household who will always remain the son, while the slave’s position is tenuous. Thus, being the “Son,” Jesus sets free his disciples.
Then, as he did earlier during the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus suddenly shifts the tenor of his teaching to the ongoing issue between the religious authorities and him. While it is unspoken in public, both sides know that these Jewish leaders, who indeed are Abraham’s genealogical ancestors, are plotting to kill Jesus “because [his] word finds no place in [them]”(v.37), i.e., they detest his impertinence (as they see it). Then, if he had not already insulted their egos, Jesus takes his alienating words to the next level, again setting himself apart as the faithful son of the Father. At the same time, he accuses the scribes and Pharisees of being children of a demonic father (to be covered in the next Daily Focus).
Takeaway: Jesus embeds some essential elements of our faith in this short teaching. First, as briefly discussed in a recent Daily Focus, just as Jesus called for his disciples to abide in him as the Bread of Life, so, too, he calls his disciples to “abide” in his words of truth. And as mentioned in this prior devotion, to abide is to obtain a mutual union founded in our faith that the Father sent Jesus (i.e., he is the Son of God). But to flourish in this intimate relationship, we must regularly seek union with Jesus, immersed in his words of truth. When we do, we find freedom in him to practice righteousness rather than sin.
Our takeaway? What is the biblical understanding of righteousness? In John’s Gospel, it means to live upright (not bent over by sin) so that others can see the Light of the World emanating in and through us. As such, we lovingly speak his words of truth that draw others to him, where they find lasting sustenance from his Living Water and Bread of Life.
The antithesis is the practice of sin (v.34), for “Sin” seduces us to follow a path that seems to set us free to live the way we want without accountability to a divine moral code. But it inevitably leads us to where we don’t want to go: enslaved to our insatiable desires. Having worked with substance abuse and sex addicts, I assure you they did not seek my help to learn how to be more committed to their vices. They share a common sentiment of feeling trapped by what initially felt like a pleasurable pursuit. As they plunged deeper into the darkness, they felt more and more out of control and helpless to change.
Our part? We take the path to abiding in the word that sparks truth. Initially, it invokes intense grieving pain as we see ourselves for who we truly are and how our choices have hurt others and ourselves. But as the Holy Spirit deepens our understanding of God’s grace and helps us understand that Jesus’ truth is a gift that sets us free to live a life of eternal significance, we learn to rest in his joy and peace no matter the lingering consequences of our sins or life’s present challenges. It is not about being perfect, though. It’s about the perfect One, who matures our faith in him. Thus, we no longer desire to practice sin nor beat ourselves up when we relapse because we are no longer slaves to sin but freed children of our loving, eternal Father. Indeed, Christ’s truth is a gift that sets us free!
Prayer: Father God, thank you for your Son, who embodied truth and set us free to live the life you intended for us. Still, our pull is to seek our way through life, deciding for ourselves what will bring us happiness. And even when we feel the weight of our sins, we tend to have short memories. So, please help us to abide in your Son and his Word and submit to the sanctifying work of your Holy Spirit so that we might live out our calling as your beloved children. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
Leave a Reply