So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³ They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave^[a] to sin. ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸ I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

³⁹ They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰ but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹ You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

John 8:31-42

Have you ever met someone who was, as they say, “fine?” They say they are fine. They act like they are fine. They boast as if they are fine. But they are far from fine. They are deeply frustrated, hurt, sad, and don’t know what to do about it. So they just say, “I’m fine!”

That is what is happening here in the passage. Jesus is telling these Jews that just being an offspring of Abraham isn’t enough. You can be without physical chains of a slave yet be a slave of sin. You can be born not from a sexually immoral situation and still be full of sin. Human geneology and clean lineage and history is not enough. Good works aren’t enough. There is only One who can take away our sins. We need Jesus! Jesus said,“If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. We are invited to believe on the One who came to make us free.

Is there deep frustration, hurt, and sadness that you have been ignoring?

Father, I give you every part of my frustrated, hurt, and sad heart and soul. I dont know how to heal myself. I need the Creator to create in me a clean heart, a new heart. I rest here, now, in Your presence. I breathe in Your love and goodness. I expel every dark and hurtful thing. I let go of every painful and sad thing. I ask for Your peace and delight. In Jesu’s name. Amen.

All is grace,

Starla