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31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free'?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:31-36 NRSV)
May this be a wonderful and marvelous Monday for you and yours, dear Friend! I pray you had time to rest, reflect, and renew yourself. Nellie and I were blessed in spending my birthday with our granddaughter, Eliana Beth Garcia, and her siblings and our daughter and son-in-law, in Mission, Texas. Prayers for Iona and Clay Walden as they await the arrival of their daughter, who as of Friday had not yet made her appearance, as much as I wanted her to share her birthday with me, she has not yet decided. Prayers for all to be well with all. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
In today's passage, Jesus' audience was made up of "Jews who had believed in Him," and Jesus is advising them of how to remain as His disciples, and that was through His word. Jesus had been preaching and teaching that which He knew, which was the teaching of the Law and the whole of the Hebrew Bible we call our Old Testament, as well as sharing His insights and truths behind the Law that the religious people of the day had misunderstood or erroneously taught. His teachings showed that there was freedom from sin, and so in this passage, Jesus clearly instructs the listeners that truth indeed can set you free. They misunderstand and then claim that as children of Abraham they had never been slaves to anyone. They were forgetting their history in Egypt. Some Jews begin counting their religious journey with Abraham rather than Moses. Jesus then explains what you and I know as true; "Everyone who sins is a slave to sin." That is truth. If we learn the truth of what Jesus offers, then we are free from sin, or can be. Jesus further explains, "The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever." Slaves to sin will not have a permanent or eternal place in the Kingdom, but a child, son or daughter, will. Thus, Jesus' next words, "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
Wow! There is the Good News! We do not have to live out our lives as slaves to sin. The truth Jesus shared then is still true today: Jesus defeated sin on the cross. We who ask forgiveness of our sins are affirming our belief in Jesus' victory over sin AND death. We need no longer stay as slaves to sin, but can enjoy our freedom from it. What is it that we say every first Sunday when we celebrate Communion? Our Prayer of Confession and Pardon says, "Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." We also affirm what Jesus read in His Bible, and that He Himself fulfilled,"Your Spirit anointed Him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed..." Amen. Yes, indeed.
Dear one, receive the Good News of Jesus for yourself. If you are enslaved by a sinful behavior, or addiction, or ritual or habit; Jesus died for you and has come to set you free. Believe and receive that and become the person Jesus wants.
PRAYER: Loving Father, we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and Deliverer, who came to set me free. I repent of my sins and ask that You lead me forward towards complete victory. I no longer want to be a slave to sin; I want to be Your child, with a rightful and blessed place at Your table. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share a freedom word with someone today, maybe even yourself!
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
