Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed

 

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

 

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."

 

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

- John 8:33–47 

 

In our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is the final year of Jesus' earthly life.  He has been disputing with the religious authorities, who seek to persecute Him because He healed on a Sabbath at a previous festival, and because He speaks of Himself as Son and therefore equal to God the Father.  Yesterday we read that 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."  

 

  They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  What or whom do we serve?  With Christ's help we need not be slaves to sin.  The "father" of sins does not love, but God loves and offers the freedom of sonship through grace.  Thus, a son abides forever in love.  It is Christ the Son who is Liberator and Deliverer from all kinds of bondage.

 

 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus aid to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  My study Bible comments here that to be a child of Abraham, it's not enough to be simply related by blood; rather, Abraham's true children share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, our Lord wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them not to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but to come to faith by their own free will.  Their idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing that prevented them from coming to Christ.  

 

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."   My study Bible explains that proceeded here refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but to His being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.  

 

 "Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Similarly to the way that being a child of Abraham is based on sharing the attributes of Abraham, so also, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil (which in particular involves a hatred for truth).  Therefore they are referred to here as the devil's children.  

 

We know about the sonship offered through grace to believers, so that we may become children of God by adoption (see, for example, Romans 8:15).  Let us note that while Christ's Sonship to the Father is by nature (John 1:1), becoming a child of God happens through grace.  For the Orthodox, this grace is understood as the "Energies" of God.  Akin to the way in which the sun emits light, and we bask in its warmth but cannot dwell on the sun itself, so also we cannot receive God in God's Essence, but God's Energies are such that we may participate in grace, as grace may also be active in us.  This happens through what is described as "synergy," in which we receive and cooperate with grace.  Thus, Jesus' words teaching us regarding Communion make it very clear: "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:56).  He will repeat this same sentiment at length at the Last Supper, telling the disciples, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:4-7).  We must see the fullness of this adoption in love, as Christ finishes with these words:  "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:9).  What Jesus posits to us today is that just as we may abide in Christ, so also there is the spirit of that which opposes Christ.  To participate in those oppositional influences and practices of evil is to engage and become "like" them, effectively becoming children of a different father, the one whom Christ calls in today's reading "a murderer from the beginning" and "a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).  We have offered to us the love of God in Christ, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who operate in love, even the kingdom of heaven in our midst.  But outside of that, there is that which opposes God, hates the truth, and loves darkness, and the slavery it brings.  To which do we desire to belong?  It's important to understand that of itself, evil has no real substance; it is always parasitical.  Hence, the evil we see ultimately preys on the innocent, causing pain and suffering, desiring to make slaves of human beings.  Let us remember whom we desire to serve, and who offers us the grace of adoption and love, even an eternal home.

 

 

And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God

 

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  

 

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which if you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

- John 8:33–47 

 

In our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn harvest festival.  He teaches and preaches daily in the temple, and has been disputing with the religious leaders.  They have tried unsuccessfully to arrest Him.  It is the final year of Christ's earthly life.  In yesterday's reading, 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."

 

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  Jesus continues the discussion regarding His statement from yesterday's reading (above), "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  Here He makes the further distinction regarding the nature of sin, and its enslaving effect.  Freedom comes in the truth of Christ, which permeates and supersedes all things, for it comes from the Father.  Here He emphasizes further His communion with the Father.  As the Son, all things are committed into His hands (John 3:35); and Christ is entirely loyal to the Father ("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" from yesterday's reading, above).  Therefore, as Son, He has the capacity to make us free.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."   My study Bible comments here that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood.  Instead, Abraham's true children share Abraham's faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  It cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that our Lord wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but to come to faith by their own free will.  St. Chrysostom comments that their notion that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing that prevented them from coming to Christ.  

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."  Here, my study Bible explains, proceeded refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.  

 

"Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which if you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."   My study Bible remarks that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes, so likewise, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil (in particular, a hatred for truth), and so are therefore rightly called the devil's children.

In today's reading, Jesus' words imply that there is really no neutral ground when it comes to the heart and its love -- or lack of love -- for God.  This is also not separable from a basic attitude toward truth, starting with spiritual truth.  Jesus says that these religious leaders are "not able to listen to My word."  Let us understand that the powerful men to whom He speaks are those religious leaders of Israel, who are among the most learned in the Scriptures and the whole of Jewish spiritual history.  The Pharisees spend their time poring over the Scriptures; the chief priests are responsible for the maintenance of the temple and its practices.  And yet, Jesus says that they cannot understand His speech.  He gives His conclusion and explanation for this:  "Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which if you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  The conclusion is stark, and we can understand it clearly as Christ voices it.  What is it that draws us away from God, and keeps us from drawing toward communion with God?  If we accept that this communion is our true natural state -- that is, it is the condition of creation before sin entered the world, to be as Adam and Eve were in communion with God -- then the broken communion (or what is referred to as a "fallen" state) is actually not natural to us, but unnatural.  As human beings we are made for worship, and have a natural capacity for doing so.  But other things draw us away, such as Jesus illustrates in His explanation in the parable of the Sower and those within whom the seed of His word fails to take root and produce (Matthew 13:18-23).  Using those things He shares in the parable that inhibit the taking root and growth of the word, we read of the "wicked one" who snatches away the word from a person's heart, those who have no root in themselves for the word and so stumble when tribulation or persecution arise.  There are those for whom "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word," and so they become "unfruitful."  If we look closely, each of these things comes from "the evil one" in one way or another, and the word in the heart that was snatched away was attributed directly to the devil by Jesus.  So, what He describes is an activity in the world by that which is opposed to God, and therefore also to the Son, and all that is under the yoke of God and what we might call "godliness" or holiness.  We also find examples in the Gospels of evil action in the world, especially in the story of the demoniac possessed by a legion of demons (Mark 5:1-20).  But here, what we find is the nihilistic nature of the demons.  That is, they're very destructive, but they create nothing.  True essence or substance belong to God, and so -- at best -- the "evil one" can seek to tear down the good, but cannot create true power of its own.  And there perhaps we find the heart of the matter.  What we seek is the truth Christ offers us, at the depth and breadth of life He offers, the Son who receives all from the Father, who also sends us the Spirit.  Evil can choke us with cares, distract us with concerns of the world, put stumbling blocks in our way.  But the desire for truth in the heart is, in Christ's words here, the real foundation we need for our faith and for grace to find us.  Let us seek the ground of the truth of His word, and the freedom it brings.  For even the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the rock of faith He can build in us.  Jesus describes the nature and work of the devil:  "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."  The devil is the origin of lies.  Jesus asks, "And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Let us look to the heart which loves truth; let His truth be our treasure.

 

 

 

He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God

 

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  

 

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  

 

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." 

 

- John 8:33–47 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  He has been disputing with the religious authorities.  In yesterday's reading, we read that 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."

 

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  This conversation continues on from the one begun in yesterday's reading, when Jesus taught to those from Jerusalem who believed 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."   Once again we see the use of misunderstandings in St. John's Gospel, in order to clarify or elaborate on concepts for which Jesus uses ordinary language to convey the things of God.  It's worth revisiting my study Bible's comment on His statement.  Here, it says, the truth refers both to the virtue of truth and, even more importantly, to Christ Himself (John 14:6).  To be free means freedom from darkness, confusion, and -- as well as the bondage to sin and death, to which Jesus alludes here.  As Son, Christ is the Person who is truth.  Therefore as Liberator or Deliverer He is the One who can make free indeed.  

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  To be a child of Abraham, my study Bible says, it isn't enough simply to be related by blood.  Abraham's true children are those who share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  It notes that, according to St. John Chrysostom, Christ wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but rather to come to faith by free will.  This notion that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was just the thing that prevented them from coming to Christ.  

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word."  Here, proceeded refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth, my study Bible explains.

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."   My study Bible tells us that, just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes, so likewise, these who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil (in particular, a hatred for truth), and are therefore rightly called the devil's children.  

It's interesting to consider what the Orthodox say are the "energies" of a person.  These energies are our actions, the things we do, from the Greek word ἐνέργεια/energeia.  It is frequently described as meaning "being at work" or "active" or "in operation."  For persons, it means things that we do.  We could consider it as being essentially what we do in the world.  This word ("energies") is also used in Orthodox theology to describe God's grace; that is, the things that God does.  One analogy to this concept is like the sun:  the sun itself in its being is the fiery planet we know, but the sun's energies are the things that reach to us (i.e. rays of sunlight) and sustain our lives and our world.  So it is with God's grace, God's energies.  In a recent comment on his blog, Fr. Stephen Freeman described how human beings also have energies by which we know them.  So, whether we are speaking of a human person or a divine Person, both have these energies that we can know by the properties we experience or witness.  As my study Bible, and Jesus' words indicate, however, this does not only apply to the good things a person does.  Jesus gives this example in illustration of the principle, saying to the religious leaders, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."   Jesus speaks of the devil as "a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."  These things are also types of energies by which we know the devil:  as a murderer, a liar, the father of lies.  In Revelation 22:15, the Lord says that those kept outside of the city of God include "whoever loves and practices a lie."  It is in this context that my study Bible comments that through sharing in the attributes of the devil -- and in particular that would include a hatred for truth -- we become aligned with the same energies. We cannot help but notice how lies and lying figure in this for Christ.  This seems to speak of a type of internal disposition which isn't separate from what we do.  Indeed, we practice virtue in order to become disciplined in the practice of "likeness" to God and God's energies.  By the same token, we can become more "like" the one who hates God by habitual practices of lying and contempt for truth.  It is in this sense that Jesus says to the religious leaders that their father is the devil, for with all they do, they make themselves like him.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to those from Jerusalem who believed 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."  To abide in His word is to practice the discipline of the kinds of energies and actions  He preaches; it is to become disciplined in His life and truth, and to become more like Him, to be His children in this sense.  So it works the same way if we choose to practice the vices of the devil, and particularly an affinity for lies.  We must also understand the spiritual component to all of these things, for we do not simply emulate action in a physical sense, but we align with something spiritual, one way or the other.  Therefore it is grace that helps us to align and follow Christ, to abide in His word, but we must also realize that to align in the characteristics of the devil is also to take a side in what is in effect a spiritual battle, with so much that we don't see.  This is what St. Paul asks us to consider when he writes, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  Among the people who listen to Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem, there are those who truly hear Him and believe, and those who cannot hear at all.  Jesus gives us the explanation for both.

 

 

Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word

 

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; was have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

- John 8:33-47 

 

 In our current readings, it is the last year of Jesus' earthly life.  He is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn harvest festival, and has been disputing with the religious authorities, who have sought to have Him arrested.  Yesterday we read that 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."

 

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  To be a child of Abraham, my study Bible comments, it is not enough to be simply related by blood; rather, Abraham's true children share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  St. John Chrysostom, it notes, teaches that the Lord wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but to come to faith by their own free will.  Their idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing that prevented them from coming to Christ.  

Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; was have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word."  My study Bible says that proceeded here refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.  

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes, as has already been touched upon above, here Christ says that those who reject Him share the same attributes as the devil (and in particular, my study Bible notes, a hatred for truth), and therefore are rightly called the devil's children.

What a dizzying array of concepts in today's reading.  They are related to Jesus' teaching in chapter 4, to the Samaritan woman, that "the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."  In that discussion with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, the issue was a dispute with the Samaritans over the proper place for the temple.  But Christ seeks to make her -- and us -- to understand the true nature of God and the true nature of worship.  Here He does the same with the religious leaders, but they, as contrasted to the Samaritan woman, are secure in their conviction that as the descendants of Abraham, they share Abraham's quality of love for God, and of righteousness.  But Jesus contradicts this by declaring that whatever He speaks is not from "Himself" as Jesus, but rather from the Father who sent Him, and the Father is true, and His word is true because He seeks only to do the Father's will.  In today's reading, He makes it clear that these words of truth themselves become a kind of light and life, and it is their response to His words that expresses where their hearts are -- that they are far from knowing and loving God.  It is because of their hostile rejection that they display in fact, a fealty to the one who is against God, the liar who hates truth, the devil.  If this is too much to grasp, consider that Jesus is ultimately speaking of spiritual matters here.  He teaches us something that was accepted within the context of Jewish understanding, that there were spiritual forces that were antagonistic to truth, rebellious to God, and that these seek influence over human life.  It sets the stage for our understanding of ourselves as in the middle of a spiritual battlefield.  We human beings have the capacity for choice, to seek God or not, to seek to know God or not, and to seek God's righteousness and truth for ourselves.  But we can also be tempted by that which is against God, and against God's truth, a corrupted influence which wants its own power, and human beings in thrall to it, even to make us slaves to it.  It is that corrupted entity that is called the devil, that rejects Christ the Son, rejects Christ's truth that He brings into the world.   So, when we seem to be caught between ideas that seem good but aren't really, or concepts that seem difficult but yet compel us to love God, to know Christ, to seek His light and life, then we are, in a sense, caught in the middle of a spiritual battleground, and the place of that battleground is in our hearts and minds.  We are the ones who must understand that it is pride in our own righteousness and conviction of infallible capacity that leads us astray, when humility accepts that we need spiritual guidance, that Christ was Incarnate in our world to bring that to us.  It is in this sense that we seek that light, because it is so easy to fall into the trap of a false pride, of assuming that we know all the answers, and that our truly limited spiritual understanding always suffices.  It is for this reason that we worship in spirit and in truth, we seek God in daily prayer to keep us on that right road, Christ's light for the direction and illumination of our lives.  But most importantly, we seek to become His "learners," disciples, and our work is to keep growing on His path, in His way.  Today Jesus touches on these spiritual realities, challenging the religious authorities to come to terms with their own pride or self-righteousness, and telling them they don't know God or they would be capable of hearing His words.  When we seek Christ's light for ourselves, then, we are asking for that light to guide us, accepting that we don't know all, there is a mystery into which we plunge when we accept the spiritual life as part of ours and our world.  His is the light we seek, His love the power to make us the adopted children of God in spirit and truth, His word the only ultimate freedom from lies and falsehood.

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever

 

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

- John 8:33-47 

 

In our present readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, and it is the last, great day of the Feast, the eighth day.  Many images Jesus uses are taken from the rituals of this festival.  It is the final year of Jesus' life.  Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the Pharisees 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."   

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."   The Pharisees argue against Christ's teaching, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (see yesterday's reading, above).  When Jesus refers to "a son" He is indicating an heir of a house.   He contrasts this with a slave, which He describes as the condition of one who regularly engages in sin; that is, one who serves -- inadvertently or not --  that which is against God the Father.  But as "Son" of the Father, Christ shows us the way to the Father, the way to become an heir in God's house by adoption, and therefore free.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  My study Bible explains that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood; rather, Abraham's true children share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  It says that St. John Chrysostom teaches that our Lord wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but to come to faith by their own free will.  Their idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was enough for salvation was the very thing that prevented them from coming to Christ.  When Christ says, "You do the deeds of your father," He is referring to the evil one, the father of sin, as they seek to kill Him unjustly.

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."  Proceeded, as my study Bible explains it, refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather in this instance to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.

"Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."   My study Bible explains that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes, these who reject Him share the same attributes as the devil (in particular, a hatred for truth), and thus He says their father is the devil.    The desires of the devil are to destroy the word and message of the Son, but especially to deny the Father's Kingdom in this world.  Note that Jesus speaks of the attributes of the devil, that he was a murderer from the beginning, and that he is a liar and the father of lies.

If we look at aspects of the demonic that appear in the Gospels, we can see more clearly what Jesus seems to be getting at in these final verses.  Where there are examples of the demonic at work, there is affliction.  We can look at the man who called Himself Legion (Mark 5:9, Luke 8:30), as he was afflicted by a legion of demons, uncontrollable, in complete disorder, and living among the tombs, unable to live in community.  We can look at the child who is brought to Christ by his father, of whom it is said that the boy is often thrown into the fire and into the water (Matthew 17:15).  When we look at demonic activity as it appears to us in Scripture, it is a picture of cruelty, of that which seeks to oppress and afflict human beings.  The word for "evil" or "the evil one" in Greek has many nuances, but perhaps the most significant one is that it also means "pain."  This would apply to all kinds of pain in life, including oppressive toil.  In today's reading, Jesus contrasts the murderous impulse and the love of lies of the devil with the truth and freedom that He is offering.  When Jesus says that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, He's again describing the oppressive nature of evil and in particular of the devil, who has no love for human beings, and therefore subjects them to a kind of slavery.  While these are images of spiritual realities, we don't need literally to see demons and devils at work in order to understand the nature of sin and affliction in this sense.  We have terrible examples all around us of the affliction of addiction, of drugs and alcohol which seem to offer people a panacea or escape from pain, but simply work to enslave people in systematic habits that make life so much worse in so many ways, a destruction that reaches into all kinds of areas of life and into relationships with loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.   There are connections to the destruction of family life, to violence and domestic abuse, that have been documented for so long in our societies.  If we want to look at criminal life, we can see the merciless environment created for so many.  I was once told by a psychologist who professed atheism that pernicious self-destructive patterns of thought really do work "like demons" within people.   Jesus ties in lies and the love of lies with murder here in today's reading, and this is something important to consider.  Everything is rooted in a love of truth in our hearts, a willingness to start first with the love of God which teaches us to hold onto truth.  He offers us all the dignity of that love in our hearts, the capacity to raise ourselves above whatever forms of "slavery" we might see around ourselves (or that we'd be tempted to), and live with that knowledge that we are also children by adoption, we can live in God's house of love and truth, where we are beloved and nurtured to be something other than slaves.   This applies to all human beings, but it starts with the humility to love God first, to seek truth, and to hold Christ's love and word dear to our hearts.  He teaches us to abide in His word, for that is the road we need.  He offers us a choice for truth and freedom, and the faith and strength that come with it from God who is love, our true Father.

Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word

 

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which if you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

- John 8:33–47 

 

In our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, where He has been preaching and contesting with the leadership.  Yesterday we read that 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, but 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."

 

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  Jesus continues the conversation from what we read in yesterday's reading, above, when He told them, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."   The leaders are confused as to what He is referring when He tells them they will be made free.  Jesus further elaborates that He is speaking of sin, and our relationship to sin.  We need someone to help us to be free, and it is the Son who is able to do that.  

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  My study bible says that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood.  Instead, Abraham's true children share Abraham's faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  According to St. John Chrysostom, Christ wanted to detach these men from racial pride, and to teach them that their hope of salvation is not by being descendants of Abraham by nature, but rather to come to faith by their own free will.  My study bible elaborates that their idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing which prevented them from coming to Christ. 

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."  Proceeded, according to my study bible, refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.   

 

 "Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which if you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  My study bible tells us that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing his attributes, in the same sense, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil -- in particular, a hatred for truth.  This deliberate rejection, especially on the part of these men learned in Scripture and their faith, results in Christ's words that they are the devil's children.

So what is it to be a child of the devil?  While we don't judge people on the basis of what we know only (for only Christ can judge the heart), we can come to recognize significant truths in what Jesus is saying to these men.  He asks them, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?"  The answer, of course, is that none of them can.  He asks, "And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?"  Jesus' explanation is simple:  if they truly loved God, they would hear the words that God gives Him.  They would hear that truth.  Moreover, their rejection of Christ is deliberate, mean-spirited, vicious, and selfish.  It's not really based on a consideration either of their own legal procedures for convicting a person, nor is it well-reasoned and rational.  They aren't willing to hear Him out.  Theirs is quite a rejection of truth, indeed, for it is not based on sincere questioning, only upon a concern for who has authority and who has not -- and, in particular, a concern for their own places in their world.  Why do we reject truth?   There might be all kinds of reasons, but there is one thing that is important to understand, and that is the connection of this truth with love, and with the reality of that love in the Person of God the Father, and shared through Christ and the Holy Spirit.   There may be times when we cannot understand why something might be good for us, but if we know the giver of that word or teaching to be one who loves us, it makes all the difference in our acceptance.  Obedience, and the ability to hear and listen to this truth, comes not out of penalizing obligation, but out of the assurance of of love.  It comes out of trust.  And trust is both the substance of faith and the relative of truth.  In John's First Epistle, he writes, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8).  Jesus repeatedly emphasizes that He is sent from the Father, the Father who has given Him the words of truth to give to us.  So, if we read the Scriptures right, we need to understand that everything starts from love.  Our basic trust starts there.  But without a heart that is open to this love, how are we open to truth?  Conversely, if a heart is not open to truth, how do we come to experience God's love?  These things are part and parcel of the mystery of God, and the mystery of us.  For we, as human beings created by God for communion and for adoption, are made for this relationship in love and in truth.  Although we know that Jesus was fully aware of eventual betrayal and rejection from early on, we can still read into His words a plea for reasonableness, for the salvation of these men.  When we get right down to the rootedness in our hearts of a deep basic instinct toward Christ, we have to find love, and we have to find trust.  That is, a confidence that His words are, indeed, true.  We should let nothing interfere with that trust and our sense of His love, for whatever wishes to push us off that path is not doing us any favors but leading the way to our loss.  Let us consider His words carefully to these men, and take them very seriously.  There is a place where we are known and will come to know.  It is a trap to follow what leads us away from there. 

He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

- John 8:33-47

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles.  The events reported at this feast began this reading.   Yesterday we read that 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."

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  The religious leaders respond to Jesus' statement to those who believed Him (and we know there are those among the leaders who do), "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  In this response is all defensiveness.  Jesus clarifies the notion of freedom:  that real freedom is ultimately freedom from sin.  The communion with God confers the freedom of love; but a life of sin is a kind of slavery to that which is not love.  Jesus' response opens up questions of belonging and communion, as well as the gift of eternal life conferred through the communion of love of God -- and through the Son who has come to reveal the Father.  It is the Son who brings not only discipleship, but spiritual adoption, to abide in the house [of God]  forever.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."   My study bible notes that to be a child of Abraham, it's not enough to be related by blood.  Abraham's true children share the faith and virtue of Abraham (Luke 3:8).   St. John Chrysostom comments on this passage that Christ wanted to detach these leaders from racial pride, to teach them that their hope of salvation is not in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but rather to come to faith of one's own free will.  Their concept that being a descendant of Abraham by natural lineage was enough for salvation is the very thing preventing them from coming to Christ.   Jesus also alludes here to the spiritual battleground of the world; their failure to understand or hear Him is not the working of the love of God in their hearts which is what Abraham is known for, but is the work of a different father.

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."  My study bible comments that Jesus' use of the word proceeded here refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation in the world.

"Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  As being a child of Abraham is based on sharing his attributes (rather than DNA or physical inheritance), so also those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil (in particular, a hatred for truth).  Therefore, my study bible explains, they are rightly called the children of the devil.

It is important that we grasp Jesus' emphasis on truth and freedom.  An acceptance of the reality of spiritual truth is the beginning of freedom, as Jesus taught in yesterday's reading (see above, esp. "you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free").  But here in today's reading, Jesus goes further, and He links up our capacity for spiritual hearing and sight to our own love of God, or lack of it.  These men to whom He speaks are confident in their inheritance as Jews; that is, as descendants of Abraham in the natural sense.  But Jesus emphasizes spiritual kinship -- and indeed, His is a faith of sonship by adoption.  In His understanding which He wishes to convey here, spiritual inheritance is a question of being like Abraham, who loved God above all else.  In this sense of spiritual kinship, Christ takes this understanding a step further.  Those who reject the truth of God -- even the words Christ speaks which are from God the Father -- do not share the attributes of Abraham.  They rather share the attributes of the one who hates the truth, the one who is anti-truth.  Christ pronounces the devil to be the essence of a lie.  Indeed, here is testimony about the devil, an identification by Christ:  "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."   In this statement, the devil is not only identified as being purely a lie, but also lying is connected with murder, as is a hatred of truth.  These are important concepts for us to grasp; they tell us something about the nature of spiritual reality, and also about the spiritual battleground  that is the world in which we live our lives and learn how to make choices -- and are faced with sometimes dismaying, dizzying, confusing choices to make in our lives which demand a deeper understanding and the development of discernment in a crucible in which we are tempted and tested by circumstances.  What is perhaps most important here is the understanding that in contrast to this essence of lies, God the Father offers us sonship -- adoption through love and faith.  There are no other requirements.  And this love, on our part, must be purely voluntary.  God does not compel anyone to love God, and neither does Christ.  In this communion is our freedom, and by stark contrast, to sin -- that is, to break that communion, wittingly or unwittingly in service to a lie -- is to be a slave to sin.  A lie does not love; it is purely selfish, it seeks to use and to own and to destroy the goodness of human beings and their capacity for God-likeness (Genesis 1:26).   Note that Jesus says it is because He speaks the truth they do not believe Him.  Jesus puts into stark contrast lies and truth, love and slavery, love of God and hatred for truth.   But in reality, how these spiritual realities work themselves out in the world may be complicated and dizzying indeed.   Our faith, as stated by St. Paul, in a crucified Christ, is to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks [that is, the Gentiles] foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23).   This battleground of the world into which we are born will require a Savior who comes not in worldly form and action, like a leader in a chariot with great armies of warriors, but a more powerful one.  That is, one who will conquer death by death -- whose power transforms the greatest instrument of terror reserved for the worst criminals into a saving symbol of resurrection.  It is this reality that we seek to know; His fullness in which we seek to participate and grow and belong as children by adoption.  That is, as Christ puts it in today's reading, His is the house in which we seek to dwell forever, this Man of the Cross who asks us for faith in what is to the world a stumbling block and foolishness.  Let us remember that this all starts in our hearts with a love of God.  Our freedom comes from there because that is where our truth begins and ends, and in which we will find its fullness through the difficulties of the world -- and the manipulations of the liar.  What do we love?  It all comes down to that.  Will we be like Abraham, capable of hearing?

Because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar the the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

- John 8:33-47

In our current reading, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn feast commemorating the time when Israel wandered the wilderness of Sinai, and dwelt in tents or "tabernacles."   Jesus is engaged in a dialogue with the leadership, who by now plot against Him and have unsuccessfully sought to have Him arrested at the feast.  In yesterday's reading, 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."

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  Here is a depth of understanding of our reality as human beings.  What is the true depth of freedom?  When Jesus compares a slave to a son, He is speaking about a kind of absolute identity.  When we choose to follow the love of God, we are "sons" by adoption and thereby heirs.  Following sin, on the other hand, takes us to a different place with which we have allied ourselves.  One road leads to love and correction; with the other, we cheat ourselves.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this."  My study bible tells us that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood.  Instead, true children of Abraham share Abraham's faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  St. John Chrysostom comments on this passage that the Lord wanted to detach His listeners from racial pride and teach them to no longer place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but to come to faith of their own free will.  Their idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was in fact the very thing that prevented them from truly hearing and coming to Christ.

"You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."  My study bible notes that proceeded here, as used by Jesus, doesn't refer to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.

"Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar the the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  If being a child of Abraham is based on sharing the attributes of Abraham (and particularly Abraham's love of God), then those who reject Christ share attributes of the one who hates God -- that is, the devil.  This would particularly be indicated in a hatred for truth.  Thereby they are called children of that father.

Christ offers us a rather stark choice.  But this choice is within us, and it begins, in Christ's words repeatedly throughout our recent readings, with the love of God.  Either the love of God is in the heart, He says, or it is not.  The love of God is mingled with a love of truth.  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we elaborated on Jesus' statement, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  Our freedom, in some sense, is to choose whom we love and thereby what we love.  In one way lies truth:  the kind of transcendent truth that can see us through all things, help us in all of our choices in life, teach us love and right relationship to the world, to ourselves, to God.  On the other hand is the rejection of such truth and such love, and this is what He is saying to the leadership.  He is telling them that what one loves and allies with creates identity.  If we are to be children of Abraham, then we must be "like Abraham."  We look to Abraham's love of God, his devotion and faith, his willingness to follow and to find the life directed by God, his endurance, his character, his own steadfast love (a form of "God-likeness").  To truly love God is to become more "like God," to share the attributes of God, to grow in that likeness.  But to reject truth is to become a slave of the one who hates truth, the "father of lies."  We must ask ourselves -- with experience -- where does life lead with a rejection of the love of God?  Have we experienced the kind of slavery Christ talks about?  Do we understand truth as a kind of absolute that is inseparable from love and what love teaches us?  Do we know freedom as the capacity to be free from sin?  Have we experienced a road where we find ourselves engaging in practices that are somehow self-destructive, belittling to what it means to be a human being, by engaging in damaging behavior?  Let us observe and understand the choice He always offers us, and the freedom He makes possible.

Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

- John 8:33-47 

 In our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, and teaching daily in the temple in Jerusalem.  He has been in dialogue and confrontation with the religious leadership.  It is now the last day of the eight-day feast, and Jesus has been addressing the leadership.   For the earlier parts of this current dialogue, see the readings from Friday and Saturday.  Yesterday, we read that 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 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."

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham."  My study bible says here that it is not enough to be related simply by blood to Abraham.  To be Abraham's true children it's necessary to share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).   My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who taught that Christ wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature.  Rather they should come to faith by their own free will.  The idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation is the very thing that prevented them from coming to Christ.

"But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."  Christ again refers back to His relationship to the Father.  Here He emphasizes that He was sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.

"Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  My study bible tells us that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing his attributes (above), likewise, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil.  This particularly manifests as a hatred for truth.  (See yesterday's reading for a discussion of truth.)   This hatred justifies calling them the devil's children.

In yesterday's reading, we discussed the concept of truth, especially the truth that is Christ ("I am the way, the truth, and the life" - John 14:6).  Here Jesus speaks about the opposite of truth, the hatred of truth.  In yesterday's reading, He taught "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  In today's reading, Jesus begins to address the opposite of freedom, slavery -- and its relationship to the rejection of truth.  All of this is linked to the personal relationship (as in a relationship of persons) to the Son.  Abiding in His word creates sonship, the freedom of full belonging, something akin to the fullness of citizenship but with the greater blessings of inheritance.  But to actively reject His word, this truth, is slavery, and worse.  It not  only produces the state of slavery to sin, but allies with the one who hates the truth of God.  In this sort of slavery, relationships are reduced to forms of power hierarchies, exploitation, and manipulation.  Persons are diminished to things, which are useful or not -- or they become obstacles to our desires.  Without discernment, without "righteous judgment," we may become willingly compliant.  To be unable to listen to His word is to ally with that which hates truth, and to inherit the place of the one who rejects, who lies, and who was a murderer from the beginning.  Such hatred results in the desire to kill Christ, to kill God's messengers, the ones who bear this word -- including the prophets who came before Christ (see Matthew 23:31).   At a fundamental level, there is a part of us that rejects or accepts the spiritual truth that Christ brings into the world, the word of God He speaks.  And Jesus presents this within the fullness of relationship and relatedness, not an intellectual debate.  This kind of truth is something that has power to it, and depth of meaning that keeps on giving the longer one pursues a life based on finding its fullness.  It creates true relationship, and it is born out of the love of God that would give us life eternally and in abundance.  This relationship permeates and supersedes all others.  It teaches love.  All of that is what is tied up in active rejection and hatred of it -- and all of that is what is lost.  Jesus teaches these men that to be true children of Abraham is to live as did Abraham, in faith and love of truth, of God and God's word.  Abraham was taken out of his home in Ur, and sent to live far away, led by the word of God and the love of God, by faith.  So the challenge is before these men:  can they go where the Word is taking them?  Can they accept what He teaches?  We're told that among them there were those who believed -- can they make the same journey that Abraham did?  And can we?  The spiritual truth of Christ comes to us and pulls us out of our sense of who we are.  It takes us beyond what we think we know, what identity we cling to.  It always promises us more life, life in abundance, something beyond our particular comfort zone, and into a greater fullness of its promise.  It wants to give us its full freedom from slavery.  Can we follow where He leads?  Do we love the truth that much?