This is one of my favorite Bible verses of all time. It's my favorite, but with a back story. I wasn't always going to be a preacher. In fact, it wasn't even in my top three of what I wanted to do with my life. But, with the help of parents, and my home pastor, and a lot of prayer and listening, I finally said yes. Saying yes, and knowing what you're getting into, are two very different things.
I remember a night, after I'd said yes (I'm not sure how long after, just that I know it was after) when I was sitting in my apartment restless. That was an unusual place to be fore me. I was a music major, and we were always moving, and there was always something to do. To have a night where I could feel restless was different. I felt like I needed to be doing something, I wasn't sure what, but it needed to be preachery or churchy.
Jesus is describing something far different than what the people in his time knew. He was describing freedom to them in a way that they'd never had it described before. They didn't know what to do with it, and they didn't know how to handle it.
These were a group of folks that believed, but it was that vague kind of belief. They knew Jesus was important, but they weren't sure what to do with it yet. When he begins to describe this to them, they really aren't sure what to do, so Jesus begins to teach them again, and explain it again to them.
They see themselves as Children of Abraham, meaning inheritors of the promise between God and Abraham from back in the book of Genesis. But they were defining themselves by the law that was handed down through Moses. That version of the law had been corrupted, and no longer did anything to help folks get over sin and move on, but trapped them in a cycle of sin and judgment.
Jesus gave them something new. He brought them into the family. He told them that they would be one of God's children. As a part of that family, things work differently. Jesus knew that they would continue to sin. That's part of the human condition. That's not something that we can get over in this life.
However, it doesn't have to control us and define us. As part of the family, Jesus set out something new. Yes, we'll sin. But then we deal with it, get over it, and move on because God has more important things for us. As members of the family, sin no longer has control. We receive freedom through the gift that Jesus gives us. Our freedom lets us be who God created us to be, and who we want to be.
As we go on our journey, we go to live lives of that freedom. Our actions and our words reflect the freedom that we have received, and not just that we received, but that we want others to know about. Our challenge, is to live our lives in this way, and help others to know what we have received. Most importantly, to help them know that this comes from Jesus Christ. Go, and share the good news, and promise, and hope to all those around you. Do it, in Jesus name.
Preachery/Churchy: Adj. What you say you're doing, when you really don't know what you're doing, but it involves religious things in a vague sort of way.I went to the library, found a comfy arm chair, sat down, and started to read. I can't tell you why, but I started in John's Gospel. I read through it that night! I hadn't ever done anything like that before. Of all the things that stuck out that night, John 8:32 was the one that stuck out the most for me.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free
--John 8:32The question becomes, what did I do with that? For a long time I couldn't do much. I didn't really know what to do with that, other than I had a vague sense that it was important. Being vague, and not really knowing, are okay. They don't mean you're doing anything wrong, just that you don't know everything yet. In time, I would figure out that this is one of the most important verses in John's Gospel.
Jesus is describing something far different than what the people in his time knew. He was describing freedom to them in a way that they'd never had it described before. They didn't know what to do with it, and they didn't know how to handle it.
These were a group of folks that believed, but it was that vague kind of belief. They knew Jesus was important, but they weren't sure what to do with it yet. When he begins to describe this to them, they really aren't sure what to do, so Jesus begins to teach them again, and explain it again to them.
They see themselves as Children of Abraham, meaning inheritors of the promise between God and Abraham from back in the book of Genesis. But they were defining themselves by the law that was handed down through Moses. That version of the law had been corrupted, and no longer did anything to help folks get over sin and move on, but trapped them in a cycle of sin and judgment.
Jesus gave them something new. He brought them into the family. He told them that they would be one of God's children. As a part of that family, things work differently. Jesus knew that they would continue to sin. That's part of the human condition. That's not something that we can get over in this life.
However, it doesn't have to control us and define us. As part of the family, Jesus set out something new. Yes, we'll sin. But then we deal with it, get over it, and move on because God has more important things for us. As members of the family, sin no longer has control. We receive freedom through the gift that Jesus gives us. Our freedom lets us be who God created us to be, and who we want to be.
As we go on our journey, we go to live lives of that freedom. Our actions and our words reflect the freedom that we have received, and not just that we received, but that we want others to know about. Our challenge, is to live our lives in this way, and help others to know what we have received. Most importantly, to help them know that this comes from Jesus Christ. Go, and share the good news, and promise, and hope to all those around you. Do it, in Jesus name.
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