Freedom in Knowing the Truth
By Blesson Selvanesan
The Word: 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 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’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave[a] to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 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)
When Jesus made His claim to be co-equal to God. Religious people around him were livid and accused Him of lying and tried their best to destroy His credibility. They also rallied people to be against Him. However, there were those who encountered Him, they knew who He was and followed Him. Even those who believed in Him had problem with His claims. One such encounter is what we see here. He told Jews who believed in Him that they need to abide in His word and know the Truth in order to be free. Their reply was an interesting lie. They said that they are the children of Abraham and were never enslaved. They forgot got their present and past and told Jesus that they have never been enslaved and have always been free. They forgot that they were slaves and were oppressed repeatedly over many generations in Egypt, several times during Judges and after their kings led them astray. Even when they were talking to Jesus, they were slaves to Romans.
Apparently, they lived in slavery so long that they thought, it was freedom. They were delusional and were content in their slavery. Jesus was not just talking about their physical slavery but also about their spiritual slavery. He said that He has come to break the bondage of spiritual slavery that creeped into the world even before Abraham was. He pointed right back to them stating that they were ready to kill the innocent even while claiming that Abraham was their father. How come they claim to the children of Abraham, yet willing to break one of the Ten Commandments? Jesus told them that he has come from His father to save them from the clutches of sin that crept in with the fall at the Genesis. People wanted a Messiah to save them from the Romans yet they denied that they were in slavery, worse still is that they even did not know that they were in spiritual slavery. Jesus knowing their delusion, tried to open their eyes by being and telling the Truth. But, they hated him and accused Him of being delusional.
Application: Jesus offers real freedom to all. And this freedom comes by knowing the Truth. Jesus said, “I am the Truth”. Knowing Him is the first step to know who Truth is and What Truth is. It is easy to fall in to the false sense of freedom due to ignorance. Jesus offers to illuminate the Truth and give us the real freedom. You may be living in a fake life with a false sense of freedom, just like the people around Jesus. Jesus offers freedom from the delusion, self-deception and ignorance and freedom from the ultimate bondage of sin.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, open my eyes to seek and see the Truth. Help to accept the help that is being offered by Jesus for free to enjoy real freedom. Help me not be delusional by assuming that I am free while wallowing in sin. Set me free Lord, I need you today. In Jesus Name. Amen.