"THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE"
Today’s long chapter (8) in John’s Gospel is most challenging. Jesus said, “Whoever is of God knows the words of God, the reason you do not hear them is that you are not of God” [v.47]. But of course they were
hearing what he said, the point was that they could not make sense of
his words. They could not “hear” what he meant because their minds were
so fixed in their own way of thinking. The same problem exists today!
There were some listening who wanted to believe and understand what
Jesus was talking about and to them he says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free”
[v.32] This confuses them! Free from what? As descendants of
Abraham, they say, we are not “enslaved to anyone, how is it that you
say, ‘you will become free?’ ” [v.33]
Jesus then makes the point, “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin … if the Son sets you free.
You will be free indeed.” [v.36] Most of his listeners fail to get
the point – and in the end the essential point is whether they are “of
God” – or not. If they are “of God” they will listen and seek to
understand the words of God. It maybe that some or many of his
listeners would later hear Peter’s message on the day of Pentecost being
among those who “were cut to the heart” [Acts 2 v.37] and were ready to
receive the truth and be made free.
Their freedom was accomplished the day they accepted “the truth” – and
‘saw’ his meaning and were baptised! They had heard Peter quote from
the Psalms, “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence”
[v.28] What will it be like to be in the divine presence? We sought to
“see” this yesterday! Remember Solomon’s attempts at a vision of the
eternal and eternity!
There are the two paths – of life – or of death. All begin by walking on the path of death, but all have the opportunity to be set free from that path
by seeing “the truth” that is revealed in God’s word, first through the
men of God, the prophets of old – and later by Jesus and the apostles.
And today? Well, all can read God’s word and search out what
Jesus really meant and then decide whether to walk on the path of life
with the wonder of eternal life in the kingdom awaiting them. .
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