John Chapter 8

vs 31

I think a lot of people think you can be a disciple just by following someone around. And you know what? Jesus' disciples didn't even do that! When he hit that cross, they did the barney! But Jesus is saying that the important thing about being a disciple is that they hold to his teachings. Now you might think he means the Sermon on the Mount or something, but you will notice that in the book of John so far, Jesus has said precious little about good morals or what we would call "practical" teaching. So how do they obey his teaching?

Jesus' teaching has focused on him being the Son of God, the Messiah. If you hold to that, there are practical things you must do. It's a worldview that completely changes your life. Likes those people who wear tinfoil hats because they think the government reads their minds - if you believe something, it influences your actions.

vs 32

You can't know the truth about Jesus just as head knowledge. If it's not affecting your life, then you don't really know it.Yes, you can say you've heard it. You have an aquaintance with it. But you don't really know it. Which is a shame, because if you did know it, it will set you free.

vs 33

They understand Jesus about as well as the Pharisees do. They think Jesus is talking about physical freedom. It's a funny how quickly people can forget. As descendents of Abraham, they have been slaves to the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and now the Romans. Now we can argue about some of those - obviously they don't think they are slaves under the Romans (although I think the disciples would probably still like Jesus to get rid of them). But the Jews define themselves as those who are God's people because he set them free from the slavery of Egypt.

vs 34

So Jesus sets it out. Anyone who rebels against God, that's sin, is a slave to it. You can't claim to know and worship God, and then say "But I'm still going to do this thing that God doesn't like, and it's my right as a person to do that". If you put something between you and God, even your own desires, then that means you don't really worship God 100%. And that's really the only % that God expects and demands.

Perhaps that's why in the West we have so much trouble worshipping God - because we have so much freedom, and we can't imagine completely surrendering to someone more powerful than us. In the non-Western world, you do it all the time - terrorists, paramilitaries, tribal chiefs - there are heaps of big powerful people who put demands on your life, and you don't have a choice but to submit. You don't elect terrorists. And you don't elect God. But only one of them deserves your devotion.

vs 35

Jesus is playing off two relationships which were common at the time. A slave might become well liked by the family, but if they go through a rough patch, they can just sell him. He doesn't inherit or get the family name or anything. But a son has pride of place - they get spoiled like nothing else in Middle Eastern culture, too.

vs 36

If Jesus is God's Son, then he has the power to set us free from sin. And that is freedom indeed. Freedom from death, freedom from ourselves, freedom to worship God the way he wants to be worshipped.

vs 37

Now of course those who are his disciples aren't ready to kill him, but the others still are. And the reason they are is because they think they've got God tied up in a nice little box. They think that by making laws about everything, they can get a handle on God and therefore control him. So when someone comes and tells them that what they are doing is wrong, they can either accept that and loosen their stranglehold on the power, or just kill them. Their power is more important to them than God. And don't say that they thought they were worshipping God - they killed the guy who disagreed with them, they knew they were doing the wrong thing.

vs 38

Jesus is criticising them for following the rules made up by their fathers, instead of what God tells them, especially what he tells them through Christ.

vs 39

They think Abraham is their father. But Jesus says that sons follow their fathers, and these people are not acting like Abraham's children.

vs 40

When God's messengers came to Abraham, he put them up in his tent and offered them food. Not exactly the response Jesus has gotten from these people so far.