And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come." So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?" And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

- John 8:21-32

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught during the Festival of Tabernacles. He taught that He was the light of the world. Moreover that He was with the Father, and in all things they act together. The Father bears witness to Him, and He also testifies on His own behalf. The Pharisees seem to have no idea what He is talking about -- but the language of the Gospel is designed to adjust our thinking to embrace the unfolding of these mysteries through Jesus' teaching. In today's reading, He continues His dialogue in the temple.

Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come." So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?" And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Jesus speaks referring to His death and Resurrection. The clear implications are that the time is running out; His mission is nearly finished, but it is not yet His hour. We remember that "the Jews" refers to the temple leadership. All concerned in this scene are Jewish, including those who will believe in Him. But the "double-dialogue" through which the Evangelist reveals divine realities in plain speech that is mistaken for ordinary understanding reveals to us His divine nature, and the reality we look to see for ourselves with the eyes of faith. The leadership still cannot understand what He is saying, even as others begin to believe. Perhaps they simply cannot understand; perhaps they do not want to. They are desperate to be rid of Him. What He seems to be saying, and it is quite provocative, is that if they cannot receive His reality, they will die without entering into it.

Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Repeatedly, Jesus refers back to the Father. What He does, how He judges, the things He says, are all what He receives from the Father. He acts in concert with the Father. But the leadership, those most learned scholars of the Law and Scripture, seem to fail to understand at all what He is talking about.

Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Again, this is a deeper affirmation of His union and action in concert with the Father. To "lift up the Son of Man" is of course Jesus' crucifixion; even in the event of foreseeing what is to come, He is certain of the Father's presence that is with Him. My study bible says, "Lift up has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and of being exalted by the Father upon the completion of His work." And we are told, many begin to believe as he spoke these words. It is as if the time is running out, and the light He has spoken of is breaking through.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." My study bible says that Jesus expects discipleship of all of His followers. As He continues with such faith in the Father's word to Him, so we must continue in faith to learn and grow in His word, and to abide in His word. The truth of spiritual freedom is a truth that sets us apart from all kinds of attachments and weights, false beliefs that drag us down. Most importantly, says my study bible, "being free refers specifically to freedom from bondage to sin, granted by the Redeemer through His death and Resurrection."

What does it mean to be spiritually free? I consider this condition to have a depth of understanding and layers of meaning. Freedom from bondage to sin means freedom from all kinds of attachment and delusions, false value systems. It means opening up our eyes to deeper mysteries and truth. And it is important that Jesus ties it to abiding in His word and continuing in discipleship: we always have room to grow, new things to learn, and many things to rid ourselves of -- delusions, false values, new ways to go forward and open up the path to learn. Truth is inexhaustible. Jesus began this dialogue by proclaiming He is the light of the world, and that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. To follow that truth is to walk eternally toward the light, and discipleship does not finish. This, clearly, He offers to all people (even those who seek to persecute Him in today's reading). What truth do you need to accept today? What freedom do you need to embrace in His truth?