Thoughts for the Day

* The 4th year anniversary of these Thoughts occurs on 24th March 2024 - I would love to hear from you all, to help me keep going for another year!

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.’ 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”?’

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. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Most of us are slaves to something, whether it be chocolate, our grandchildren, alcohol, work, gossiping, cakes, or complaining. Some of these things we cannot stop doing, and some are less harmful than others, but even so they direct our life whether we want to or not. They are obviously nothing like real slavery. Those living under Roman authority knew all about slavery, a man and his family could find themselves destitute and sold as slaves with their lives at stake for the simplest of mistakes. Those who owned slaves had the right to kill a slave for minor misdemeanours!

In our reading today Jesus is talking to a group of men who had believed in him. But his words now seem so radical to them that they are forced to challenge him. Jesus is hitting at their pride in being free "sons of Abraham". They were the nation with whom God had made a covenant after all! But Jesus is also proclaiming that he is God's Son, and he reminds them of something they do understand, that a son can set a slave free.

To know Jesus is to know something of the love of God, or as he says "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." It may be your confessions become monotonously repetitious, like mine, but Jesus pronounces us free of them, and slowly as we begin to change into the child He would have us be we also become the disciples He would have us be.

Lord Jesus Christ,
we know we are slaves to sin,
and we cannot free ourselves,
but You offer us pardon and peace
when we confess our sin.
Forgive us our sins this day,
whether they are sins we know
or sins we refuse to acknowledge.
Teach us how to become the disciples
You first called us to be,
and show us how to change.
Amen.