John 8:31-38 - The Truth About the Truth Will Set You Free (Rev. Erik Veerman)
Turn in your Bibles to John 8:31-38. If you are using a pew Bible, you can find that on page 1063
Really verses 31 to the end of the chapter is one unified narrative. It is a very intense interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees. There's a lot in there, so rather than taking the entire section, we are going to start with the first 8 verses. As I read, you'll hear that the Pharisees reminded Jesus that they were offspring of Abraham. This morning, we'll briefly consider their misunderstanding of what that means. Next week, we'll get into who the descendants of Abraham truly are.
Let's now come to God's very word.
Reading of John 8:31-38
Prayer
If I were to ask what the most well-known verse is in John, you would probably agree: John 3:16. We covered it a few months ago. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not what? perish, but… what? have everlasting life. You know it well.
But what would be the second most well-known verse in John? I suspect it would be John 8:32. "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free."
Not only is it very well known, but it is the motto of at least 30 universities. That is, if you can trust Wikipedia. John 8:32 is furthermore inscribed on countless courthouses and public libraries. The most famous inscription is found in the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The King James version is etched in stone in the main lobby, "And Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
I would say, John 8:32 is not only one of the most well-known verses, it is also one of the most misinterpreted verses. Some verses in the Bible like John 3:16 can pretty much stand on their own, but other verses like John 8:32 can easily be misapplied. That is because some words have multiple meanings based on their context. Other words are pretty straightforward, so it depends on the verse.
And I suspect if you asked 100 people who attend a university with this motto, you would get 100 different answers as to its meaning. And I bet none of them would correctly explain what Jesus meant in John 8.
Now, I am not saying that truth in a general sense does not bring freedom. Certainly, it can in a court case when someone who's innocent is charged with a crime. The truth can bring freedom. I'm just saying that this specific verse is often used in a way that Jesus did not intend.
The problem is really three-fold.
· First, who is the verse referring to? Who is the "you" of "you shall know the truth." Most people would probably say that the "you" refers to themselves. However, Jesus had a very specific group of people in mind.
· Second, what is the word "truth" referring to? Talk about a word that is used in a variety of different ways, "truth" can mean many things, but what does it mean here?
· And third, and probably the most misunderstood, what does it mean that the truth will set you free? We all want to be free, but the freedom that most people think of when they hear or read John 8:32, it is not the kind of freedom that Jesus was referring to. No, the freedom to which Jesus was referring is far more freeing than what comes to people's minds.
So, there is a big problem in the use of this verse, but the good news is that the answers are pretty straight forward.
My goal by this morning is that you will not only walk away with a clear understanding of verse 32, but also that you leave compelled in your heart about what it really means.
Now, I want to say something else before we begin. If you forget everything else about this sermon, I want you to remember this. Implied in everything I just said is that passages in the Bible have meaning. They have a meaning that God intended for his inspired Word.
We cannot just take a verse or passage out of context and come up with our own understanding of what it means. No, as we read the Bible, we are seeking to understand why it was originally written, how and why specific words are used, and how it all ties into the broader Scriptural context. Once we do that work, then we can seek to best apply it to our lives and the church today. In fact, that is our goal in all our sermons and all our Bible studies. I'm bringing that up today because John 8:32 is a case study of how to and how not to interpret the Bible.
With that said, let's get into it. We'll cover these verses with two simple points this morning:
1. You will know the truth
2. The truth will set you free
Basically, we're going to unpack verse 32 and use the rest of our verses to understand it.
1. You will know the truth
As we get into point #1, let me say that the definition of "you" is right there in verse 31. The you is referring to those who are truly Jesus' disciples. Listen to it again, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, etc."
Let me put it this way. Verses 31 and 32 are for everyone, but they are not about everyone. They refer to people who are truly seeking to follow Jesus.
And the reason that Jesus brought this up is that a very interesting thing was happening in Jerusalem. A lot of people were captivated by Jesus. He caused a stir and people wanted to see him and hear him and perhaps witness one of his miracles. If you go back to the end of verse 30, it says that many believed in him. However, there was a problem. Not everyone who believed was truly a believer. They were not truly his disciples.
Do you remember when the Atlanta Falcons were in the Super Bowl? Can you believe that was 10 years ago? Will the Falcons ever get back there? But 10 years ago, it was exciting. All of a sudden there were Falcons fans coming out of the woodwork. It was like the whole metro Atlanta area became fans. Everyone was getting on the bandwagon. That is, until it all came crashing down. And if you remember, it was really bad. And what happened next? Well, those fair-weather fans suddenly were no longer fans at all. Their interest died just as quickly as it rose. They weren't truly Falcons fans.
That's kind of like what was going on here. Many of the people were initially wowed by Jesus, but they quickly turned on him.
In verse 31, it says that Jesus was speaking with Jews who had believed him. But look what happened in verse 33. They rejected what Jesus said. They said to him, "We… have never been enslaved to anyone." Even though they initially believed, they quickly rejected what he said. By the way, what they said is not even true! Their history was full of enslavement including to Egypt and Assyria and Babylon and to the Medo-Persians and the Greeks and now the Romans.
They were clearly not Jesus' disciples. They were not part of the "you" of verse 32.
Which brings us to an important question. What qualifies someone to be a true disciple? How is someone included in the "you" of verse 32? Well, we already read it. True disciples are those who abide in Jesus' word.
This is not the first time that we have come across the word "abide." And it definitely won't be the last. Chapter 15 gives a full description of abiding in Jesus and him in you. It speaks of Jesus being the vine and us as the branches.
Furthermore, when we are abiding in him, it is more than just believing, it is drawing from him as our source of life. It is taking hold of and embracing God's word in your life as true and as your guide. In fact, the word for "word" in verse 31 is the word logos. Do you remember that from chapter 1? In the beginning was the "logos" - the word. And the word was with God, the word was God… and do you remember how the apostle revealed who he was referring to? Chapter 1 verse 14, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…"
So, when we are abiding in Jesus' word, we are abiding in him.
The problem for the Jews was that they were not abiding in him or his word. Look at what Jesus said to them in verse 37. Even though Jesus agreed that they were the offspring of Abraham, he said, "my word [my logos] finds no place in you."
You see, they thought they were safe. They thought that because they were descendants of Abraham, that they therefore were good with God. But they had a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to know God and follow him.
Just because someone lives in the Atlanta area, and watches one game, does not a Falcons fan one makes! No, it requires faith, and depending on the year, a lot of it!
By the way, we've already, in a sense, considered the word "truth." If you abide in my "logos," you will know the truth. The "truth" in verse 32 is the truth of Jesus as the Son of God and the word of God. In other words, it is a very focused use of the word "truth." It centers itself on the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
So, when Jesus said, "you will know the truth," he was saying "you who abide in me and my word will know the truth of who I am as God the Son. You will know me."
That is a definition of a true disciple. In fact, let me add this. One of the apostle John's goals in this book has been to reveal what a true disciple looks like. The picture of a true disciple has been on display all throughout, for example, chapter 1 when Jesus called his first disciples. They saw him, they heard him, they believed in him, they followed him, and they brought others to come and see him. Do you remember that? Furthermore, a true disciple is someone born again (chapter 3), someone who's given new life and washed by the water of the Spirit and Word. A true disciple believes by faith that Jesus is the living water who brings eternal life (chapter 4) and the spiritual bread from heaven (chapter 6).
Do you see how John has been giving his readers an unfolding picture of true discipleship? And part of revealing who a true disciple is, includes revealing who are not disciples. They don't believe. They don’t abide. And it doesn’t matter that they are physical descendants of Abraham. If they are not abiding in him, they are not disciples.
Let me briefly speak to the children here. You receive many blessings being part of a family that loves the Lord and belongs to his church. You are learning the Bible and you are learning about God and Jesus. You are learning about your need for him. You are learning how to love others well and how to forgive. You are receiving the benefits of friendship in the church and are participating in worship.
Those things are all great, but going to church and growing up in a Christian family does not make you a true disciple of Jesus. No, you need to believe and embrace what you are being taught. You need to abide in Jesus. Your parents' faith needs to become your faith. Many of you have already become true disciples yourselves.
But why is that important? Why do we all need to be true disciples?
Well, the answer is found in the second half of verse 32. When you are a true disciple, you know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
2. The truth will set you free
So, let's consider that. Point #2, the truth will set you free.
We've already covered what the word "truth" is referring to here. It's referring to the truth of God in Christ.
The next question is this: what does it mean for the truth to set you free?
When you hear the word free, or even hear the phrase that you will be set free, what do you think most people think of? What do you think comes to people's minds when they think about freedom? Well, when most people think of freedom, they think about the ability to do whatever they want. They want to be free to have their own agency and make their own decisions and not have to answer to someone else or be controlled by others or some organization. Right?
It's like the state of New Hampshire. Did you know their state motto is "live free or die?" It goes all the way back to the colonial days. One of the Revolutionary War heroes from New Hampshire said that living under the tyrannical English rule was worse than death. No, they wouldn't have it. They would rather die than not live free, in that sense of the word "freedom."
The irony is that recently some New Hampshire residents didn’t like the second half of the motto. So, on their license plates, they put tape over the "or die" part. Well, guess what? They got fined for it. Apparently, the freedom that the state was referring to did not include the freedom to disagree with the state's motto.
Regardless, that is not the freedom that Jesus was referring to. The freedom that Jesus was referring to is not the kind of freedom that we think of today. No, the freedom mentioned here is a freedom far greater.
And to understand the freedom that comes from knowing the truth of Christ, we have to first understand what the freedom is from. The question is, what are we enslaved to that we need to be freed from?
And the answer is right there in verse 34. It's another one of Jesus' "truly, truly" statements. He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin."
Notice the subject, "everyone." "everyone who practices sin." Jesus used the word "everyone" because the Jews just expressed that they were not enslaved to anyone. Jesus wanted to make absolutely clear that they were also enslaved. "Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." There are no free passes for anyone.
Not only that, but they demonstrated their enslavement. They wanted to kill Jesus. They didn’t abide in his word; there was no room in their hearts for Jesus or his word. They didn’t believe him or follow him. They were indeed mired in the slavery of sin.
Romans 6 teaches about our slavery to sin. It speaks of how without Christ, we deserve the penalty of sin and we are under the power of sin. We deserve the wages of sin, which is death. Without Christ, we are bound by sins controlling power over us. We are slaves without Christ.
You know, the irony of New Hampshire's motto is that in one sense, it's true. Live free or die. We need to be free from the power of sin in our lives, or we will indeed endure its eternal consequences.
But you ask, how do we become free from our enslavement to sin? The answer is in verse 36. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
We need to be freed by the Son of God.
Jesus was saying to them that their only path to become freed from their slavery to sin was to know the truth of his word… to know that he truly is the Son of God and that when they come to truly know him and truly become his disciples, then they will become sons with him and freed. As a true son, as it says, they would remain in the house forever.
There's an Old Testament allusion here. Jesus was alluding to Abraham's two sons. Let me remind you about them. God gave Abraham a promise that he would have a son and his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. But God didn't appear to be fulfilling that promise, so, what happened? Well, in his sin, Abraham took matters into his own hands.
His wife's maidservant, Hagar, bore Abraham a son. His name was Ishmael. But Ishmael was not the son that God promised. However, God still fulfilled his promise. God miraculously enabled Sarah, Abraham's wife, to bear Abraham a son… even in her old age. Her son, Isaac, was the true son. Ishmael was not. Hagar and Ishmael for a time experienced the benefits of being in Abraham's house, but eventually they could not remain because Isaac was the true heir, not Ishmael.
That is what verse 35 alludes to. "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever."
You see, the Pharisees were the ones to bring up Abraham. But Jesus turned it around on them. He was saying that they were slaves like Ishmael. They would not remain.
On the contrary, a true son, who believes in Jesus as God the Son, will remain forever. True sons (and daughters) will be set free by the Son. The power and penalty of sin will be broken for them, forever.
Beloved, this is the freedom that we need. We need to be freed from the slavery of sin. And that freedom comes through the cross. In his death, Jesus overcame the power and penalty of sin. Jesus endured the penalty of sin for us, and broke the power of sin forever. He set it all aside by nailing it to the cross. In him we have been freed from the law of sin and death. As we sang earlier, He breaks the pow'r of reigning sin, he sets the pris'ner free. his blood can make the foulest clean, his blood availed for me
You see, when verse 32 says that "the truth will set you free," it is referring to the freedom that true sons possess. It is freedom from the slavery of sin. When you know the Son, he will make you one of God's sons and you will be free as his son or daughter, forever.
Indeed, it is a freedom far greater and deeper and wider than any kind of freedom that you can imagine. It is the eternal freedom of God in Christ Jesus.
So, the next time that you're at the CIA headquarters, or enter a public library with the motto "the truth will set you free," you should ask someone, "Do you know what that really means?"
Likely they will say, "Yeah, it means that, you know, the truth will bring a liberty of conscience and action." And if they do, you can say, "Did you know that when Jesus said that, he was saying something very specific." Oh, what's that? "Jesus was saying that a true disciple of his will know him and his Word. That is what the word truth is referring to. And when you come to truly know and believe in him, you will be given a freedom beyond what you can imagine. You will be free from the slavery that all humanity endures - the slavery of sin. Do you know this freedom?"
May we all truly know this truth and be set free forever. Amen