The Truth Will Make You Free

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.’ John 8:21-32

Truth is in a bind these days. With the way media can and is manipulated, we can all struggle to find the truth. Lying seems to be a standard way of living and getting ahead these days. The people that tell the truth are often branded as radicals, outsiders and agitators. Well, Jesus was a radical, and outsider and an agitator simply by telling the truth. We like to wallow in our delusions and believe we are right and superior to others, but Jesus tells us the truth about ourselves and loves us completely despite it all. May we strive to be truthtellers and set free, despite the treatment this world might dole out.

Gracious Creator, who loves your creation

no matter how we lie and cheat one another

no matter how we abuse the power given

you love us and invite us to live in the truth.

The privilege of power takes lying for truth

wraps up the grossest sins in glitter and gold

tries to turn the faithful into big hypocrites

and binds up those who dare to expose the truth.

Help us to be truth tellers no matter the consequences

let us make love and truth our daily obligations

so God's love and freedom might flourish again

and the world set free to love again in the open. Amen.