• The BaptistWay lesson for Dec. 28 focuses on John 8:31-47.
Years ago, two friends, Wayne and Dave, applied for admission to the same college. In December, Wayne was accepted, and Dave was deferred. During the next four months, Dave waited for the final ruling, hoping his chances for acceptance would improve by involving himself in extracurriculars. Meanwhile, Wayne, who no longer worried about his transcript, pursued other activities and interests with vigor.
By the end of the semester, Dave was exhausted, and Wayne was energized. Their paths may not have looked different to an outsider, but Dave carried a burden of expectation and Wayne didn’t. Set free from the imperative to perform, set free from having to earn his future, Wayne enjoyed his present. The truth of assurance brought freedom.
The light of the world
This week’s focal passage is part of Jesus’ teaching of the crowds following the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles. He’d already announced to those gathered in the temple courts: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), a claim dripping with imagery and theological implication. Theologically, Jesus’ proclamation, “I am,” (Greek: ego eimi), a statement paralleling Exodus 3:14, directly linked him with God and further clarified his character (John 6:35; 10:7, 11; 11:25; 14:6; and 15:1).
While this connection may be lost in our current translations, it hardly was the case for those listening to him. They understood exactly what Jesus meant; his statement was an open and clear proclamation of eternality and deity.
The imagery almost is as important as the theology. During the Feast of Tabernacles, huge menorahs, representative of the pillar of fire that led the Israelites through the wilderness, were used to cast light over the Court of Women on the Temple grounds. At the close of the Feast, the candlelight was extinguished. Jesus’ light, however, would never go out.
Jesus also described the dichotomy between himself and them: “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (v. 23). This only led to more questions, portraying not so much a lack of the Pharisees knowledge as much as their willful ignorance (vv. 25-29). The Pharisees knew Jesus was speaking against them and yet they had no answer for him.
The truth to set you free
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Nevertheless, some believed in him (v. 30), so in 8:31, Jesus began to address them, even if they didn’t fully comprehend his words: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (vv. 31-32). Verse 32 frequently is engraved on public and educational buildings. In those contexts, “truth” is meant judicially or philosophically. Jesus, however, called on those who hear him to abandon all else in favor of him alone.
True disciples obey his teachings, and thereby prove they “know the truth”—Jesus, the embodiment of truth (John 14:6). As a result, they are set free to enjoy the benefits of freedom from sin and death and pursue God’s design for their lives. This truth and freedom are realities in the presence of Jesus himself, not abstract philosophical terms. Neither was Jesus making a political or racial statement; it’s strictly a spiritual one.
Ancestry was—and still is—significant to Jews, granting them a measure of authority and legitimacy. When the Pharisees asked in verse 19, “Where is your father?,” there’s a possibility they knew the answer. Although some theorized Jesus was born illegitimately or even of Samaritan heritage, tradition suggests Joseph was dead. Regardless, their self-description in verse 33 as “Abraham’s descendants” depicts their misunderstanding and spiritual pride.
The Jews had, of course, been subject to numerous nations, but Jesus wasn’t even referring to political status, he wanted them to understand every human being is enslaved to sin (v. 34) regardless of race, ethnicity, lineage or heritage. Furthermore, ancestry doesn’t guarantee salvation. Abraham demonstrated his faith and obedience to God, but the behavior of those confronting Jesus is in stark contrast to Abraham’s (vv. 39-41).
Yet, when people become accustomed to the devil’s lies about themselves, their sin or salvation, they’ll believe what they want to and no longer can distinguish truth (v. 45).
True freedom
According to the Declaration of Independence, freedom is a universal right, but people generally define freedom according to their own desires and designs. Jesus offers true freedom from sin and death and freedom from a life separated from God. He offers the liberty to follow God in a relationship of obedience and joy, not legalism and oppression. Perhaps the following illustration from Steve Brown’s book When Being Good Isn’t Enough communicates the depth and kind of freedom Jesus provides.
There once was a woman who had been unfaithful to her husband. For 20 years, the sin haunted her. Because of her husband’s strong faith and character, her pastor prayerfully recommended she confess, believing it ultimately would strengthen her marriage.
“What happened?” her pastor asked when he saw her the next day. “When I told him,” she exclaimed with a smile, “he replied he’d known about the incident all this time and was just waiting for me to tell him so he could profess his love.” And then she started to laugh. “He forgave me 20 years ago, and I’ve been needlessly carrying all this guilt for all these years.”
Christ is the Truth; he grants this same kind of forgiveness, the same kind of release from expectation or performance. Walk in freedom today.
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