THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
1 Samuel 18:5–19:24
John 8:31–59
Psalm 112:1–10
Proverbs 15:12–14
Please consider two themes that emerged from the John 8:31–59 passage:
1. Where does freedom begin?
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’
“They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’
“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” (8:32–36)
The crowd grew increasingly dismissive of the truth that Jesus offered this day, but He did explain that their slavery to sin and the fatherhood of the Evil One over the lives had clouded their minds. This concept of facing the slavery of sin really bears reflection and repeating, considering the strong pull of the world, the flesh, and the Devil against its very core.
First of all, let’s consider the nature of lies. We may place lies into several categories, with increasing degrees of difficulty and complexity:
• Error. A “plain mistake” in which the teller misstates a fact.
• Omission. The speaker leaves out relevant information and passively deceives the hearer.
• Restructuring. The speaker distorts the context by stating something sarcastically, changing the characters, or altering the scene.
• Denial. The speaker refuses to acknowledge a truth and may mislead others through repetition.
• Minimization. The speaker reduces the impact of a mistake, a fault, or a judgment call.
• Exaggeration. The speaker inflates the impact of a contribution or achievement.
• Fabrication. The speaker deliberately invents a false story.
The Evil One’s initial lie to Eve in the Garden involved minimization of the consequences of sin (eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) and an exaggeration of the benefits. Temptation causes us to overvalue the temporal and tangible and undervalue the eternal and intangible. As we know more of God’s character and His goodness, beauty, and holiness, sin becomes less appealing. Ongoing sin also chains us to telling more lies and believing them. It erodes the integrity of God’s creation in us and depersonalizes us, making us into flesh-serving animals rather than willful, intelligent beings after God’s own image.
Bitterness or jealousy may provide a pit or hole into which we may fall. Saul’s example provides a great picture of the dangers of holding a grudge or jealously seeking another’s position. Our culture teaches that we “deserve” to hold grudges against those who have wronged us or to lust after the blessings that others have received. Still, when we deeply think about grudges or jealousy, we recognize that they entrap the holder, not the object thereof. Put more simply, holding a grudge will only lead to its holding us. Unforgiveness and envy sap our vitality and lead us into desperate attempts for self-protection or self-advancement.
How may we find freedom in Christ? His very work on the cross may guarantee our possession as God’s beloved children and breaking the chains of sin and death. We must appropriate this freedom through trusting fully in Christ for salvation and in the power of the Holy Spirit for day-to-day sustenance. A fantastic means of bringing freedom involves taking a full inventory of any bitterness or jealousy you may have. Take a notepad and jot down this list. Then, spend some time reading Psalms 32, 51, and 103. Give thanks for God’s desire to bring us forgiveness. In light of His vertical forgiveness, doesn’t horizontal forgiveness of others seem paltry in comparison? Commit to forgiving each person or letting go of each situation with audible words. Command that Satan shall have no power to bind you again, for you have been set free by the blood of Christ and His powerful Name. Then, walk in forgiveness and freedom!
2. Whom do you call your father?
The second point of disagreement here revolves around the proper father for the crowd and Jesus Himself. The people speak again in temporal terms, claiming Abraham as their father. By extension, owing to the grace given to Abraham, these Jewish followers rested in their human sonship and therefore supposed blessedness. Instead, Jesus declares that the people ought to view the Evil One as their father:
“Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.’” (John 8:44–47)
Why this harshness? Jesus explains that the listeners’ hearts had become closed to the truth. Their father had distorted their minds and ultimately sought to murder them. They would need to turn toward another Father. In turn, the Father sends the promised Holy Spirit, Who brings true revelation:
“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:12–14)
Father, we gratefully approach you and seek Your truth in light of the overwhelming falsehood surrounding us. Help us to discern, through Your precious Holy Spirit, the true core of each statement, each image, and each thought. Bring our senses in line with Your heart. Cast away our jealousy, self-hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, and doubt. We thank You that You have vanquished every power of the Evil One through the triumph of Jesus on the cross. Give Your sufficient grace for today and each day. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
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