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 our recent readings, Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  He has been teaching in the temple, and has been confronted in a would-be trap by being presented with a with a woman taken in adultery.  After that, He continued in dialogue with the religious leaders.  Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

  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.   My study Bible tells us that going away, in this first verse here, is a reference to Christ's death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

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.  Jesus uses the term lift up, as He did with Nicodemus in John 3:14.  My study Bible explains that here, this phrase has a double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and also of being exalted by God the Father upon the completion of His work.  

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  My study Bible comments that Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples; in other words, learners.  To abide in His word is the responsibility of all believers, not simply of the clergy or an elite class of zealots -- but all of us.

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  My study Bible tells us that the truth refers here both to the virtue of truth and, more importantly, to Christ Himself (John 14:6).  To be free means the freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies -- and also freedom from the bondage of sin and death.  

From what do you need to be free?  Jesus' freedom is inextricably tied up with the truth, for how can we ever be truly free from something unless we first understand what is true and what is false?  It is also tied in with any concept of justice or righteousness, because we cannot discern either justice or righteousness unless our understanding is based in the truth of what is and what isn't.  For an example of these things, let us look to the Crucifixion of Christ itself.  Of what was Jesus truly guilty to have received a sentence of crucifixion?  Certainly Pilate himself found no wrong according to Roman law.  In St. John's reporting of Christ's trial before Pilate, Pilate twice says, "I find no fault in Him," and later seeks to release Him to the crowd, asking, "Shall I crucify your King?" (John 19:4-16).  In our previous chapter, Nicodemus speaks up against the hasty action of his fellow members of the Council, saying, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"   But Christ's accusers can do nothing in response but  deliver a lie, saying, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee" (see John 7:50-52).  In these examples we can see immediately the question of truth and its importance for notions of justice and righteousness.  Jonah the prophet was from Galilee, something these Biblical scholars of their time are supposed to know; either their claim to expertise is not true, or they are deliberately obscuring the truth.  On the other hand, Nicodemus seeks to uphold a proper search for truth by reminding them that lawful judgment requires hearing from the accused first.  But if we look at the Crucifixion itself, we see a greater example of what truth has to do with being free.  For Christ's freedom is precisely in His own innocence, and His mission from the Father.  All along, He has been saying that His union is with the Father, His mission is from the Father, as He is taught by the Father, so He does -- and as the Father judges, so Jesus will judge, and not of Himself.  See yesterday's reading, above, in which Jesus tells the religious leaders, "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me."  His freedom in this sense is guaranteed by His loyalty to the Father and His unwillingness to compromise with what He knows to be false.  We can only imagine what shame crucifixion would bring to a family such as His, but we understand Christ's very state of freedom to rely on the truth, and not judgment by appearances, and in this He was free and remained so.  There is yet another example at the Crucifixion, close by the Jesus, and that is the thief who recognized his responsibility for his crime, and turned to Christ asking for forgiveness -- and was granted such.  He asked of Christ, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  Jesus replied, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (see Luke 23:39-43).  So, in that case, it was the truthful acknowledgment of his crime that set free the thief to be received by Christ in His Kingdom.  Both cases -- Christ's innocence and the thief's crime -- are true, and both are necessary to the freedom of each, as well as our freedom to understand and to seek the same discernment in our own lives, even the same truth in Christ which guides us.  We human beings experience many confusing layers of what may or may not be true in life. So much depends upon experience and perspective, even awareness itself, or education, or how complete or incomplete is our grasp of all the facts pertinent to whatever things we may consider.  And so, truth can be elusive and even seemingly changing.  But this is why we seek Christ for discernment of the truth that makes us free, because we don't have that divine perspective of Christ.  We are not "from above," as Christ so eloquently puts it.  We are not born with the discernment that Christ offers through participation in His life, and the subsequent growth He offers to us.  We may be trapped in cycles of guilt that are not based in truth, or of irresponsibility equally not based on truth.  We may find ourselves punishing ourselves for things we can't change, and looking in all the wrong directions to salvage our lives from something truly devastating.  Christ's freedom is the deepest one can go; it is what we would call ontological, even a state of being within us.  That is, a state of freedom at the depth of soul and identity.  Only Christ can offer this because on He has the perspective of the ultimate Healer, for -- as we are told by St. John -- in Him is life, and that life is the light we need (John 1:4).   His light is truth, and in that truth is our real freedom.

 

 

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 our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), an eight-day festival commemorating the time Israel wandered toward the Promised Land, dwelling in tabernacles (or tents).  He has been in dispute with the religious leaders, and in front of the crowds.  Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

  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.   My study Bible comments here that going away refers to Jesus' death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  It is now Christ's final year on earth (Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, is an autumn festival).  The following Passover, in spring, will be the occasion for Holy Week.  Let us note that Christ's efforts here are not simply about "convincing" the religious authorities about Himself, but express His attempts to save them.  

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.  To lift up, according to my study Bible, has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and also of being exalted by His Father upon completion of Christ's work.  Let us note the effect of His words upon those who listen to Him.  

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  My study Bible comments here that Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples, that is, learners.   It says that to abide in His word is the responsibility of all believers -- and not simply the clergy, or an elite class of zealots.  Let us note here that later on in John's Gospel we will be told that even among the rulers, there were many who believed in Him (John 12:42-43).  

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  My study Bible comments that the truth refers both to the virtue of truth and, more importantly, to Christ Himself (see John 14:6).  To be free, it adds, means freedom from darkness, confusion, lies, and also freedom from the bondage of sin and death.  

What is freedom?  Let us consider what that means to us.  There are many ways in which we hear the word freedom used in a modern world.  So often it has to do with wanting something, or wanting to do something.  This is the freedom to pursue whatever it is that takes our fancy, whatever it is that we think might make us happier, or change our lives in some positive direction, or give us some sort of pleasure or well-being.  In the past, it seems like there has been great struggle for the freedom to pursue one's faith, or to follow one's conscience as one feels one must do.  Of course, those two things are closely linked.  And then there is also something we must consider, especially in a modern age when so many of our resources for communication and modern media dominate and inform us in so many ways, and that is freedom of thought.  What about freedom to debate, or freedom to consider things that are outside of the box or the framework of a modern way of life?  We have guidance for fashion and what we wear, there are fashions in what to think, there are fashions and pressures in what we might say and might not say.  Freedom can be a tricky thing, because what one is not free to say or do today might be turned upon another fashion or prohibition tomorrow.  And this is where truth comes in, because, without truth, how do we know that what we follow is essential to us, or helpful?  There are so many things that demand our attention, even slavish obedience that amounts to a kind of worship.  What we need first in our lives is a sense of truth, a rootedness in what is true, and meaningful, and good.  When Christ offers us truth and freedom, He is teaching us once again about what comes first in our lives, what is central, where to begin.  When we begin with God, and with the discipleship that follows, we rest ourselves in a kind of personal struggle for what is good and true and beautiful, and we rest ourselves in that place where we may grow in love, for this is what we learn from God.  If we begin there, we root ourselves in what frees if only because delusion, darkness, and distractions are thrown into relief against the light we pursue and where that leads us.  Jesus will go to the Cross because He persists in proclaiming the truth of who He is and who God is; but His freedom is full and complete. 

 

 

 

 

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 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 our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, an eight-day autumn harvest festival which commemorates the time when Israel dwelt in tabernacles, or tents, following Moses.  It is the great and final day of the feast.  It is also the final year of Jesus' earthly life.  On Saturday we read that Jesus spoke to religious leaders again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am one who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

  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.  My study Bible comments that going away here refers to Christ's death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  Note how Jesus once again ties everything in to His communion with the Father.  All things come from God the Father:  "He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  That includes the identity of Christ from the One who sent Him, and all the things Jesus speaks to the world.

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.   Lift up, as used here by Christ, has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross, and also of being exalted by the Father upon completion of His work.  

 

 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  My study Bible says that Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples.  "Disciple" is the Greek word μαθητής/mathetes, which literally means "learner."  He expects those who follow Him to be learners.  To abide in His word, my study Bible continues, is the responsibility of all believers -- not simply of the clergy or of an elite class of zealots, but all who believe.

 

 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  My study Bible explains that the truth refers both to the virtue of truth, and even more importantly, to Christ Himself (John 14:6).  To be free refers to freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies, as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death. 

What does it mean to be free?  To some people, freedom means freedom from something.  Some may want to be free of financial debts, or possibly a difficult circumstance one wants to escape.  Some may want a kind of spiritual freedom in the sense of doing what pleases them, or what they think is right on their terms.  For others, there is emotional freedom, such as freedom from worry, or freedom from sorrow.  And there is also physical freedom from things:  freedom from pain, freedom from social or political circumstances, freedom from authority with the power to punish or imprison.  There are other kinds of freedom that people desire as well; this is from to do things.   As opposed to freedom from something, one may desire freedom to go to the beach, to smoke cigarettes (or other substances), to shout in a movie theater, to buy a car or build a swimming pool, to go take a walk when we need a break, even to breathe fresh air.  But the kind of freedom which Jesus offers here is the truth in an absolute and even relative sense (relative to our present circumstances, for example), but His truth also includes Himself, everything that is in His being which He offers and freely shares with us.  This is a freedom that goes far deeper than an immediate desire for freedom to or freedom from something.  This is the root of all freedom which asks us the question about what we do with freedom, how we use it, how we take it and explore it, how we think of it or even understand it.  This deep-rooted place of freedom is the place where Christ offers us both "freedom to" and "freedom from," for it is the place of the deep truth which is reality, and offers us what will correct not only what ails us but also offer to us what we need.  It is a truth that teaches us what our best use for freedom is, and how to live that freedom in the best way possible.  It will throw out what is extraneous by getting us down to the nitty-gritty of where our identity is, what truths are that we need to embrace, and what delusions and personal handicaps we need to discard to find who we are.  This kind of freedom roots us in the place where our values can be restored, made whole, and revivified when our dreams are cast down, or our own disillusion gets the better of us.  It will teach us which false gods we worship, and be there when their feet of clay are exposed, and we need direction.  It will make out of us "learners" -- that is, disciples, so that we may find what is worthwhile and not waste our time on what is not.  Christ's truth, therefore, offers us a freedom which cannot be found anywhere else, because His truth is the light of life.  It is therefore the light of this world, where darkness can so easily obscure our best path, because we don't of ourselves have the capacity to know what Christ can reveal and give to us.  For this reason we must all be "learners," and walk the path of the truth He offers, which makes us truly free.

 

 

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 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  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 our present readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem in the final year of His earthly life; it is the last and great day of that eight-day feast.  This is a day on which great lamps were lit that illumined the city of Jerusalem.  Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees yet again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."   These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

  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  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.  My study Bible comments that going away is a reference to Jesus' death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  As Jesus has been making so many references to justice and judgment, we are presented with this clear note of what is to come, and the shadow of the Cross.  Let us note that He is still trying to save them; He warns them about where they are headed and what His mission is.  And once again, Jesus returns to His relationship to the Father, which is the source of all He does, what He teaches, and His identity as Son.

 

 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.   Here is Jesus' clear reference to the Cross; my study Bible explains that lift up has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and of being exalted by His Father upon the completion of His work.  Let us note also that John tells us at this juncture that many believed in Him.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."   My study Bible comments on this verse that Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples, that is, learners (this is the literal meaning of the word for disciples in Greek).  To abide in His word is the responsibility of all believers, not only of the clergy or of an elite class of zealots.

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  My study Bible tells us that the truth is a reference both to the virtue of truth and, even more importantly, to Christ Himself (see John 14:6).  To be free refers to the freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies, as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death.

"What is truth?" is the question that Pontius Pilate will ask Jesus in John's reporting of events (see John 18:28-40).  So the theme of justice, judgment, and truth is one that profoundly influences this Gospel, one upon which its events and the reporting of Christ's life continuously hover.  Jesus says to Pilate, "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice," to which Pilate replies with his question.  So truth takes on different shapes and fills different "places" here in John's Gospel and in the words of Jesus.  In yesterday's reading, focused specifically on the symbolism and quality of "light," we read of the different meanings of light fulfilled in Christ that we read in the Scriptures:  the Father is light (John 1:4-9), light also may be reflected and shone to others through Christ's followers and those who love God (Matthew 5:14).  Here, we may also begin to ask Pilate's question, "What is truth?" as Jesus teaches, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  We can infer that to abide in Christ's word and teachings is to come to know the truth.  In our own experience of our faith, the deeper we come to rest in Christ's words and teachings, the longer we proceed through our lives, working out our salvation with fear and trembling, so to speak, we may find that the more we come to know Christ more deeply, so we also come to discover ourselves more deeply.  All of this covers the understanding of truth:  the things we learn about Christ and from Christ, the things we learn about ourselves, the ways in which spiritual experience in this tradition can inform and teach us about life, especially through a deepening of our prayer lives.  Truth applies directly to Christ Himself, as He teaches, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), and as He is also our way, or road, to the Father.  Moreover, this concept of truth seems to apply to the Kingdom itself, when Jesus says to Pilate, "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice."  It implies that participation in this Kingdom means entry into, and a kind of birth from, this truth which He brings to the world, manifest in Himself and in His word, and which operates as a kind of gateway to freedom.  It is not a freedom in some conventional or political sense that implies an open space without rule or order.  Rather, it is, as my study Bible explains it, freedom from the darkness of chaos and confusion, the evil that looks good but does us harm.  It is the freedom to declare oneself not a slave to the crowds, to judgment merely by appearance, to the conventional hatreds and prejudices we might find around ourselves.  It is freedom from merely seeking the "praise of men" and freedom to seek the praise of God (John 12:43).  It is the truth  of the early martyrs which enabled young women to declare they had the freedom not to marry if it endangered their souls, and loyal and decorated Roman soldiers to chose not to worship Caesar.  It is the faith that moved those who were slaves even in the ancient world to know that, nevertheless, their soul belonged to God.  It is the freedom that gives us courage to live our lives as best we can.  It is the freedom to choose the allegiance of our hearts and souls to love what is truly good, and to love the God who loves us.   This is the journey of faith, and the journey of truth.  It is the salvation we work out by working the work of God, the work of faith (John 6:28-29).  He is the truth that leads us along the way, and sets us free from that which would keep us bound to whatever gets in the way.  And that is freedom indeed.

 

 

 

 

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 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 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles,  Jesus spoke to the religious rulers again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

  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.    My study bible explains that when Jesus says He is going away, He refers to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  

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.    My study bible tells us that lift up has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and also of being exalted by His Father upon the completion of His work. 

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples, my study bible says.  This Greek word for disciples literally means "learners."   It explains that to abide in Jesus' word is the responsibility of all believers, not simply the clergy or an elite class of zealots. 

 

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."   The truth here is a reference both to the virtue of truth, and also, more importantly, to Christ Himself (John 14:6).   To be free, my study bible comments, refers to the freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies, as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death.

To be set free in Christ's truth is to delve into the deepest aspects of truth; that is, of the divine spiritual reality into which we are all set, from which comes all of creation.  It is to abide in that which comes from Creator of all, and from the God who is love (1 John 4:8).  The freedom comes from the embrace of that truth, which comes from an absolute level of being.  Moreover, this truth is inseparable from love, which is its nature.  Possibly most importantly, faith in Christ has the capacity to lead a person past errors of many kinds.  Christ teaches us to judge with righteous judgment, and not according to appearances.  As we are led forward into our faith, we might find ourselves dropping social prejudices of all kinds in order to better follow our Lord, who teaches us truly how to love, and also what is good for us.  We will find ourselves changing habits, deciding that some things we do are harmful in ways we didn't perceive in the past.  In addition, our faith teaches us to pause the kind of harmful attention to things we're better off without, like an excess of social media that seeks to stir up too much emotion.  Christ's freedom enables us to filter out the noise, the excess, the things we don't need to focus on, in favor of what is more real and more important, and crucial for our well-being from the inside-out.  Faith in Christ sets us free in other ways as well, because it is faith that can get us through a bad time, a seeming disappointment, a great traumatic event, and carry us through to a regenerated life -- just as Christ's Crucifixion leads to Resurrection.  His story becomes the fabric of our own lives through our participation in His life, and this truth really does set us free to find out how God sees our lives, and not simply to be stuck with a set of values that needs expansion in Christ's light.  Christ's truth sets us free to understand success in terms of God's values rather than the purely worldly or material, and that is a freedom indeed.  Christ's freedom will extend all the way to the Cross, when He is willing to lay down His life for His friends.  But even the Cross will not stop His more abundant life from manifesting, nor would it stop His faith from spreading in the world.  Jesus says, "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."  God calls to us through the words of Christ, and that is a liberation for us from all the things that bind, so that we, too, might be truly free.

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 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 our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  The events at this Feast begin with this reading.  Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke to the religious leaders in the temple again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 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.   When Jesus says He is going away, He is referring to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  He speaks of the mysterious relationship between Father and Son, as He did in the reading from yesterday (see above), and which they -- the religious leaders -- cannot understand.  It is important to understand in this context that He is speaking of salvation through faith in His testimony.  They will not be able to follow Him (into His Ascension), and therefore will die in their sins -- meaning with the worldly mindset they retain which refuses His testimony.  They are unable to grasp the truth given to Christ to speak to the world which He heard from the Father.  If we listen carefully, we understand Christ's attempts here are for the salvation of all, and especially for those to whom He speaks which include the leadership and also those others who listen in the temple treasury.  At His trials in the Sanhedrin and before Pilate, He will say next to nothing, except to confirm His identity as Son, for which testimony He will be put to death (Matthew 26:62-65, Mark 14:61-63, Luke 22:67-71).

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.  My study bible says that lift up has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and also of being exalted by His Father upon the completion of His work.  Jesus continually returns to the unity of the relationship between Father and Son, emphasizing that He is in His Incarnation a revelation of the Father to the world.  Note that John tells us that many believed in Him.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  My study bible comments that Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples; this word in Greek (μαθηταί/mathetai) means "learners."    To abide in Christ's word is the responsibility of all believers, my study bible adds, and not simply of the clergy or an elite class of zealots.

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."   A note tells us that the truth refers both to the virtue of truth, and even more importantly, to Christ Himself (14:6).  To be free is to have freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies, my study bible says, as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death.

Because of Christ's words, notions and truth and freedom remain to us inextricably linked.  It's impossible to say how much influence this final statement of Jesus as He taught in the treasury has had on culture -- and remains so today.  Perhaps there are those who really don't know where such an idea became linked, and certainly within the Jewish tradition of law this understanding is also embedded.  Ironically, in Jesus' case, the whole discussion at the Feast of Tabernacles has centered around witnessing and Jesus' testimony as to His own identity and authority.  Indeed, the Gospels attach great importance to the idea that at Jesus' trial, false witnesses were called who contradicted one another (Mark 14:55-59).  But if we get into the deeper personal issues of Christ's statement about the link between truth and freedom, things sometimes get a little trickier.  On a grand scale, the notion that we can manipulate events through media and publicity -- even for a good cause -- always seems to come up.  Inevitably, lies and half-truths damage a noble purpose.  Manipulation is a tool of the "evil one."  Christ makes this perfectly clear by His own conduct, and particularly in His testimony in today's reading.  Whatever the Father gives Him to speak to the world, He speaks, and He will face the consequences.  When Jesus speaks of the "pure in heart" in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:8), He is speaking of those for whom purity is the fullness of who they are.  In other words, to use a popular expression, "what you see is what you get."  Another way this notion of purity is translated is by the word "simple," meaning unadulterated, without contradictory purpose of intention, not double-minded.  This is the term used when Jesus directs His apostles to be "wise as serpents and simple as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  Jesus' greatest criticism and condemnation of the leadership is their hypocrisy (Matthew 23:13-39).   His praise is high indeed for Nathanael, the man of great directness, when He calls him, "An Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit" (also translated as "no guile"; see 1:45-47).   For the truth to set us free, it must act against ignorance -- what John's Gospel calls the darkness of spiritual lies and deceit, that which masks something to which we are entitled as human beings, and for which Christ comes into the world as Liberator and Deliverer.  It is His truth that sets us free; and moreover, as my study bible says, He is the Person who is Truth, and through Him is revealed to us the truth of God the Father and our own place in the universe.  That place is in relation and communion.  Throughout the Gospels, we are given spiritual battle as that which is waged against the one who would blind us, oppress us in slavery, grinding onerous labor, and pain.  Those who are liberated through exorcism are oppressed by demons who torment them and seek to destroy them.  The truth of Christ that sets us free is the understanding that God loves us so much that He sent His Son who will die for us, in order that we may have life, and that life in abundance.  But when we embrace this truth, it is not the promise of an easy or simple life.  Rather, we enter into a battleground and take up sides through our choices.  To follow Him may require tribulation, but also gives us freedom, peace, and joy.  The question really is whether we are prepared to take up that discipleship, to work the works of faith.  How do we do that?  As He abides in the Father and gives us the word given to Him by the Father,  so we are to abide in His word.  We are to live and cherish the truth He gives us, for it is the key to our own freedom.  Are we ready?  Lent is the time when we get down to basics, and learn who we are.  We seek to face our own darkness, and cast it off for His truth.  In the Gospels, there is one story of particular cruelty through demonic possession, of a young boy who's often cast into fire.  When the disciples struggle to cast it out, Jesus finally explains, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29).  These practices of prayer and fasting are designed to do one thing, to shore up and build our faith.  They are the traditional practices of Lent throughout the historical Church.  Let us remember at this time what these tools are for:  there are to help to make us free, to set us down where we focus on truth and cut out all the extraneous business of life that takes up our time, clogs our thinking, keeps us distracted.  Let us get down to that truth and the business of our freedom, as we seek to more fully abide in 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

 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 our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is the final year of His life.  In yesterday's reading, He said, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

  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.   When Jesus says that He is going away, He refers to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  He refers here to His role as Judge, as Son, as the One who reflects the Father in the world and will return to the Father when His time has come.  In all ways, we can understand Jesus' attempt to save even those who do not want to hear Him.

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.  My study bible notes that lift up as Jesus uses it here has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and of being exalted by His Father upon the completion of His work.  Jesus always returns to the basic source of all of His ministry:  His union with the Father.  It is important that the Gospel tells us that 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."  We are all expected to be disciples.  In the Greek, that's a word that means "learners."  We are to be learners of His life and His way, to imitate Him in our own lives, to "follow Him."  To abide in His word, my study bible tells us, is the responsibility of all believers, not only of the clergy or an elite class of zealots.

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  We note how to know the truth follows upon discipleship.  This is the truth that makes us free.  My study bible says that the truth refers both to the virtue of truth and -- even more importantly -- to Christ Himself (14:6).   Being free, it says, refers to the freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies, as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death. 

What is truth, and what is freedom?  Jesus' truth is more than a set of teachings, as He will say in chapter 14:  "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  This is an absolute, a way of understanding that He is the Person who is Truth.  It implies not mere relationship, but communion and participation.   At this place in His ministry, He preaches, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."   He's already using the language of participation and communion.  To abide in His word implies more than simply doing what He says and teaches.  It is the language of dwelling within a particular place, His word.  Living within it.  The word in Greek is linked to the meaning "to wait."  We are to stay in this place, to continue in it.  All of these meanings are suggested by the text.  Jesus says, a little further above, ". . . 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."  If we abide in His word, then, we abide not only in Christ, but also in the Father.  This communion and participation isn't separable.  What that means is that His truth and His freedom are at once for those who are willing to dwell in that word so that it illuminates our way.  The freedom that is offered here, my study bible says, is freedom from "darkness, confusion, and lies, as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death."  I recently heard a video of Oprah Winfrey giving a commencement speech at Harvard.  She frequently speaks of the authenticity of being truly oneself.  But in this speech, she gave us a hint about where that authenticity really comes from; she said that in the midst of what was for her a shocking and embarrassing failure, the words of hymns came to her:  "By and by, when the morning comes" and "Trouble don't last always."  She spoke of the necessity of each person developing an internal compass, in her words, a "moral, emotional G.P.S."  Of course, she didn't suggest that the connection to the inspiration in the words of the hymns nor that internal "G.P.S." had to come from somewhere that was in communion with us, within which we abide, so that it is in that truth that we have the true freedom to find ourselves.  Neither did she mention the faith of countless people that forms the substance of how hymns come to us and have meaning for us.  Oprah spoke of reaching out in kindness to others, but there was no mention of grace, nor the thanks to the source and origin of our understanding of the depth of significance of kindness to one another.  In fairness to Oprah, she may have a strong faith life that I don't know about, but that wasn't given in the context of the speech.  To live in His truth and to have the freedom that He names is precisely the freedom to rise above whatever circumstances the world offers to us, and to say that we are not merely victims of those circumstances.  Neither are we simply people who have no choices in life but the options for "success" offered by popular culture -- or else we are merely losing out.  We have something more, in addition, in which we may live and move and have our being, and that is meant as the G.P.S. that we need.    We know that Christ will go to the Cross, and He will teach us that each must take up his or her own cross who wish to follow Him.  His wisdom teaches us that to find ourselves, we lose ourselves.   The freedom He offers is freedom from the obligation to set for ourselves the limited goals the world offers us, and to know the transcendence of His word, His meanings, His truth, and His love, and to dwell in that place, to abide in Him and in His word.  He offers us to seek first the Kingdom, whether in midst of abundance or not, and all things shall be added.  We will hear all kinds of things that sound great in this world, and be led in many directions that sound good but may be missing something important, not giving us the full picture.  His is the truth that sets us absolutely free. 

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 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 our current reading, Jesus is in Jerusalem at the autumn festival the Feast of Tabernacles, in the last year of His life.   The people are divided about Him, and the leadership plots against Him.  The Gospel reports His ongoing encounters with the leadership.  Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

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 is referring to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven when He speaks of going away.  He is warning them that His time for "exodus," for the end of His mission, is coming, and that they have little time left with Him.

 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.  My study bible says that lift up here has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and also of being exalted by His Father upon the completion of His work.

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." If we abide in His word, we are disciples -- that is, learners.  To abide in Christ's word is the responsibility of all believers, says my study bible, not just the clergy or an elite class of zealots.   The truth, it says, refers both to the virtue of truth, and more importantly, to Christ Himself (see John 14:6).  Being free is the freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies.  It also includes freedom from the bondage of sin and death. 

Truth and freedom are important concepts for the modern world, particularly in our own sense of political freedom and freedom of expression of the truth.  But there are other, deeper ways, in which truth and freedom teach us something about faith and identity.  Christ spends so much time on this crucial relationship to the Father.  In John chapter 14, right after He tells His disciples that He is the way, the truth, and the life (v. 6), He says, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him (v. 7)."  His identity, as He has told the leadership in the temple so many times in recent readings, is ultimately bound with the Father's.  Although they are two separate beings, they are inseparable in their divine nature and in divine will.  The Incarnation gives us the story of Jesus Christ, fully human and fully God.  That is, He is one who merges His human will to the divine will as Son.  This union of the human and divine is what is called in theology "hypostasis."  It serves as the image or aim of those who would be Christ's disciples and abide in His word.  That is, we also seek a union with Christ in terms of our own growth as persons, and our understanding of ourselves, our identity.  St. Athanasius, among others, told us, "God became man so that man could become God."  That is, by abiding in Him, we too hope for the qualities of God-likeness.  (St. Paul elaborates on the fruits of the spirit as character traits that grow in us through faith:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  But when Christ speaks of truth and of freedom, He is also alluding to the identity of the self that He offers in discipleship.  This is something very important for us to understand and to take to heart in terms of our own knowledge of what truth and freedom are all about.  The freedom and the truth He offers is precisely this capacity to grow in His likeness, to walk in His word and to change the very reality of the self in so doing.  The divine energy or mercy of God is at work in us in discipleship.  He makes it possible for us to participate in the kingdom of God even as we live in this world.  Our very freedom and truth exist within this call to true selfhood, to true identity.  In discipleship to Christ, we may find ourselves changing drastically, sometimes surprisingly -- although it is a lifelong walk in which we find growth and transformation all along the way.  Sometimes the changes are subtle and they may be years and years in coming, but this does not lessen the surprise.  We should also remember that the word in Greek for repentance literally means "change of mind."  In this is our freedom, also.  We have the freedom to change our minds.  Ultimately, it is His truth and His freedom that is on offer.  They are the gifts to us that we aspire to "abide in," to come to terms with, to allow to change us, like the leaven that leavens the whole of the meal in Jesus' parable of the Kingdom (see Matthew 13:33).  We might discover that new values start to appeal to us, or our friends think we've changed.  With God's help, old habits that harm the self are broken, and new habits acquired.  There is no telling how deep this may go, for the barriers to God do not exist within us, except the ones we put up ourselves.  It is in this freedom and this truth that we are ultimately free to make choices, to ally with His truth, to be the ones He calls us to be, and to reflect His light into the world.  Do you have the courage to accept it?  Many people go into the world seeking only affirmation of what they already know or believe.  But for the disciple, faith is always a journey, and He offers the constant goal of "becoming." 

As He spoke these words, many believed in Him

 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 Saturday's reading, Jesus was engaged in a dialogue with the Pharisees.  He spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  They said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 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'?"  Once again, Jesus is speaking about His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  He repeats that He is "going away," but the Pharisees cannot understand Him.  Again we are reminded that in John's Gospel, the Jews most often refers to the religious leadership of that time, and not the whole of the Jewish people.

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.   Jesus gives us the words that teach that He's speaking about things they can't understand because they're not focused on the love of God.  His origin is divine; and yet they must accept who He is in order to follow Him, to go where He will be going.  His words are true because He is true to the Father; this is where His teaching is coming from.  But they can't understand what He's 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.  To lift up, my study bible reminds us, has the double meaning of both being nailed to the Cross and also being exalted by His Father on completion of Jesus' work.  That they are the ones who will "lift up" makes it clear He knows that He is speaking to those who will have Him crucified.  The light in the picture dawns here as we are given to understand that many believed in Him as He spoke.  There are many others in this crowd in the temple at Jerusalem, at the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), who "have ears to hear" with the love of God in their hearts.

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 notes of these two verses first of all that "Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples, that is, learners.  Abiding in His word is the responsibility of all believers, not only of the clergy or of an elite class of zealots."  The truth, it says, "refers both to the virtue of truth and, more importantly, to Christ Himself (14:6).  Being free refers to the freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies, as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death."

While it may seem to us that there are those left out of Jesus' "everlasting life" -- to be with Him in that place where He is going, this is not really so.  A closer look at what is happening here will reveal to us that He is offering Himself, and what He has to give to the world, to everybody in this scene.  But there are those things that depend also upon our own hearts, what we want, what we desire.  Jesus has said earlier that a true desire to serve God -- to do God's will, to love God -- is the key to opening up this faith.  It opens the relationship to Christ.  As we can see, there are many in this crowd at the Feast who come to believe in Him.  Despite those members of the leadership parties who are fearful of Jesus because He seems to threaten their authority, there are many people who have come to the temple in Jerusalem to worship who "hear" what He is saying, and who come to believe.  There is no one left out.  It's important to understand the nature of God's mercy, and Jesus' kind of love.  He is the Judge, and we can't judge from this picture what is the final outcome of the lives and spiritual choices of these people.  We can see hardened hearts, with envy and ambition playing a role in this scene.  But we can't see the scene truly without the love of God and an understanding of the nature of that love.  Since God is love, we must equate the everlasting life which Jesus has on offer to all with the true nature of the love of God:  the boundless reality of that love.  When we pass that up, we are passing on a true Gift indeed.  We are taking on a role in which we reject knowledge and understanding of that love, instead of entering into relationship with it, and finding and knowing what it is for ourselves.  We also thereby miss being able to come to share it with others.  Jesus' promise regarding where He's going is always on offer.  So is the lesson here about what gets in the way of our truly knowing and understanding that love and its everlasting life on offer to us.

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 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 was speaking with the Pharisees about His identity as Son, and His relationship to God the Father.  They seek to seize Him not only for breaking the Sabbath, but also for calling Himself Son.  He has already given several witnesses to His identity.  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself, Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I just no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.


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."   Again, Jesus speaks of His "going away" (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study bible tells us that going away refers to His death and Resurrection.

 So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"   We recall that for the most part, when John speaks of "the Jews" He is speaking of the leadership.  Everyone in this story is a Jew, including the man Jesus Himself.  Already they've asked if He'll go to the dispersion (or diaspora) among the Greeks.  Now they ask if He will kill Himself!  A paper could be written on these words and the psychological projection involved, coupled together with Christ's knowledge of "His hour."

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."  Here's a kind of answer to the upside-down understanding of the question about Jesus killing Himself:  He's "from above."  Jesus has the perspective and the words that reflect where He comes from and where He's going.  They have the perspective that reflects where they "come from" and where they "are going."  In His words to Nicodemus earlier in John's Gospel, after teaching about baptism in the Spirit, Jesus said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  We look to the Cross in faith in order to be "lifted up" with Him; He shows us the Way where He comes from and is going.

Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  My study bible quotes St. John Chrysostom on this passage.  He wrote, "Oh, what stupidity!  After so long a time and miracles, and teaching, they asked 'Who art thou?'"

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.  My study bible notes here:  "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."  If we look at these passages together, we see two significant statements about their response to Him:  1)  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father; and 2)  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  The latter comes after the (hidden) mention of the Cross, and His death that will come at the hands of the leadership:  "when you lift up the Son of Man." 

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  A note here reads:   "Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples (learners). Abiding in His word is not something reserved for an elite class of zealots."

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  Here is liberation, even for those among the leadership who will believe. My study bible teaches that "being free refers specifically to freedom from bondage to sin, granted by the Redeemer through His death and Resurrection."

As we read these words of Jesus, we have to think about our own liberation, and what it means to "know the truth" and that the "truth makes us free."  As a general principle, we accept this statement.  To get to the truth of a matter -- of any matter -- is to be able to begin to heal it, to solve a problem, to deal with the issues at hand.  In this case, Jesus is of course speaking of spiritual truth, but we really can't separate truth into the spiritual and otherwise, because Truth is a Person in our understanding of faith.  As Creator, therefore, Truth permeates anything and everything in God's creation, and this is why truth is essential to healing.  Any oppression by evil, by the "ruler of this world" as Jesus has put it, is an oppression of truth.  Evil throws obstacles in our way to understanding truth, an evil oppression blinds us to true health and creates stumbling blocks for us, of suffering, whether that be physical, mental or spiritual.  Therefore truth, in Jesus' context, cannot be separated out from the wholeness and entirety of our lives.  It is such an important understanding that John the Evangelist in writing Revelation will group together all kinds of evil practitioners with "and whoever loves and practices a lie."  So Jesus' liberation for us is not only the truth about Himself and His relatedness to the Father, but especially about healing and making well our own relationship to both and also to the Spirit, to one another, and within ourselves to all.  It's like polishing a mirror to see more clearly;  Christ's healing includes polishing away the lies we tell ourselves, and about anything and everything else.  So let us consider that His liberation enables us to make good choices, to stand before His Cross, and to bear our own upright and be lifted up with Him.  The liberation of this truth does not necessarily make life more easy or less complicated; it may throw difficult things in our lives with which we must contend.  But let us remember that His followers entered this arena not to be afraid of life and truth, but rather to run the race, to win a type of victory, to fight the good fight of faith.  That's what we call freedom.  We cannot do that without truth.