May 4, 2012 – John 8:31 – 8:59

The first thing you notice is that Jesus is talking to people who believe He is who He says He is.  “Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him” 8:31  The footnotes say that this doesn’t mean what it really says but has something to do with word structure.  Their reasoning is that these same people try to stone Him later.  But we already saw in Chapter 6 that people who believe in Jesus and follow Him do not always stick with Him after there is a teaching they don’t like.  Keep that in mind as we talk about what Truth means.

Truth.  This word is used a lot in this discourse.  I have gone on and on about Truth before and how it makes no sense and is impossible to have truth if there are contradictions in it.  Christ is Truth.  He speaks the Truth and the Truth that He speaks sets us free.  Does Jesus’ version of freedom remind us of the freedom that is proclaimed by the world we see around us?  The world says that real freedom is to be able to do whatever you want, whenever, wherever.  The world sees rules and religion as the opposite of freedom.  Those that were questioning Jesus had a similar understanding.  That is why they question Him.  “We … have never been enslaved to anyone.* How can you say, ‘You will become free” 8:33 

If you have sin in your life, you are a slave to that sin.  Jesus is talking about the freedom from sin.  The same world that wants to tell you freedom is doing whatever you want will tell you that sin is not real.  Sin is something that was made up to keep pheasants in line in the dark ages.  It is an ancient idea.  Humans are to intelligent and we know so much about the world that the idea of sin or limitations on our actions is ridiculous.  That is why the world’s idea of freedom is so warped.  Ironically, their way of freedom will always lead them into slavery of sin for that simple reason that they refuse to believe in sin. 

They won’t believe in sin or see things in a new light, like these people, “because my word has no room among you” 8:37  They are so full of the world and their materials, they have no room for God in their lives.  The fill the space that God wants to fill with cars, jobs, sex, money, and everything else that they think will make them happy.  Their idea of freedom is to have all this.  The idea of limiting yourself, of sacrificing these things, of not owning the world, is taking their freedom away.  Their entire focus is on building up this wealth and surrounding themselves with everything they can gather.  They have no understanding that the more they gather, the less freedom they actually gain, the more sin they attract and the less joy they will feel.

Why do they do it?  Why do WE do it?  Because we are fallen and in the world.  The one who rules the world is the “father of lies” 8:44.  The world is our greatest example of what lying can do to us and how worldly desires destroy what is within, yet we find it so hard to learn that lesson.  When you think about the “truth” the world teaches, which is that there is no truth, the idea of Relativism, you can see exactly what Jesus is telling them.  The world is where Satan is doing his work.  He is sowing the seeds of Relativism.  He is seducing everyone into an understanding that Truth is not real.  But Truth is real.  Truth is Christ and Truth will set us FREE.