The Son Provides True Freedom

Lesson #145

With this lesson we will finish the section defined by John 8:31 – 38. We ended the last lesson with Jesus saying “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” Then he draws a comparison between a slave and a son: “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever” (John 8:35 ESV). At first this seemed confusing, but when you consider the legal rights of both the slave and the son you see the difference. The slave is not the heir and at any time can be expelled from the house of his master for whatever reason the master decides. But with the son it is different. He is the heir and is privileged with the right to remain in the family; he cannot be expelled or sold as can the slave. As a slave to sin, the Jews may at any time be rejected from being the people of God. So, what is the solution?

Jesus then refers to the son, used in his comparison, and says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 ESV). Jesus presents himself as the Son of God who is heir of all thing, who is forever with God the Father, and who has the right and the power to set one free from bondage and the dominion of sin. This freedom the Son has to offer is not a freedom from earthly masters, but from the bondage of sin which has the power to drag one into eternal destruction.

Jesus then agrees with them that they are offspring of Abraham, that they seek to kill him and then gives a reasons why: “I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you” (John 8:37 ESV). Even though the Jews are offspring of Abraham they are found lacking God’s Spirit and in its place they have a hate for God’s Son and seek an opportunity to kill him. This hate for him prevents them from having a place available for the words Jesus is delivering to them.

Jesus continues by saying, “I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father” (John 8:38 ESV). Again, Jesus identifies God as his Father and claims that what he is saying he has seen while with his Father. Jesus claims that what he does he has seen or learned from his Father and He accuses them of doing what they have heard or learned from their father the devil. This implication that their father is the devil will not go unchallenged and will produce even greater hate and contempt for Jesus.

Prayer

Father, this lesson caused me to think back across my life and see where areas of sin had prevented your word from taking root as it should have in me. That sin produced areas of infertile ground where growth was stunted. This ground had to be broken up through confession and seeking forgiveness and nourished through meditating on relevant scriptures. This process, I found, required the passing of time in the presence of trials. There was simply no shortcut.