March 15 Devotion

John 8:21-32: Again he said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.’ Then the Jews said, ‘Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.’ They said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’

“The Truth Will Make You Free”
Truth or Consequences was a television show that aired many years ago. Off-the-wall questions were asked of the contestants and if their answer was wrong (or if they couldn’t answer before “Beulah the Buzzer” sounded) they had to suffer the consequences, usually some sort of stunt designed to embarrass the contestant.

John tells us that Jesus was giving the Jews at the temple the answer they needed to keep from suffering the consequences when he told them, “…you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” All they could say was, “Who are you?” Cue Beulah!

Just exactly what is “the truth”? Is the truth a set of laws? Is it the Bible? Is it the Old or New Testament? (There goes Beulah again!) And what will “the truth” set us free from? Continue reading John (8:34-36) for a heads-up. Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’ No law or code of conduct can free you from your sin. Only belief in Jesus - that He is who He says He is - can do that. Actually that belief frees us from both sin and law!

Who wants to suffer the consequences for not knowing “the truth”? Remember that Jesus said the consequence is to “…die in your sins.” Do you know someone who needs you to tell them the answer? Lent is the perfect time to tell them. Tell them that the truth that frees us from sin is the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ. And that when we are in Christ, we are in the way, THE TRUTH, and the life and that Satan can’t snatch us out of His hand!

Mace Sturm