What Sets You Free
First thought about today’s reading (John 8) – The people who say that Jesus never claimed to be God, never claimed to be the Messiah, never claimed to be more than just an ordinary man, or a prophet — have they read John 8?
Second, verse 32 is often quoted by Christians, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” And it’s always directed towards non-believers, like, “If you would just know the truth about Jesus, it would set you free.” But what’s fascinating is that we’re told exactly who it’s directed towards, and it’s people who already believe. Check out the verse that comes before, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”
Jesus says to people who already chose to believe in Him, ‘IF you hold to my teaching you will truly be my disciple, and THEN you will know the truth and be set free.’ Saying, ‘Believing in me doesn’t set you free, HOLDING to my teaching does.’ I’d say by “holding” Jesus means not just sticking with His teaching, but also applying it, actually living it out, following Him. That’s what Jesus is looking for, and that’s what sets people free.
By the way, this is one of the key things I write about in my first book, and talk about in this interview.