Advent Day 19: John 8:31-59

Read John 8:31-59. 

Ponder John 8:31-59

• Skim over the passage with this week’s theme in mind. Where do you see examples or imagery of slavery? Of freedom? 

• If you were summarizing the conversation Jesus had with the Jewish teachers, how would you describe it? 

• What did Jesus say enslaved the people, spiritually speaking? What did he say set them free spiritually? 

• What did the Jewish teachers think set them apart or gave them status before God? 

• How did Jesus show them they were wrong? Explain.

• Why is it hard not to be defensive when Jesus challenges long-held beliefs? 

• What are some things other than Jesus that people sometimes trust for salvation? 

• Why is it important to recognize that Jesus is the only way we can be freed from the slavery of sin? 

Meditate on John 8:31-59

The Jewish people knew what slavery was. After all, they’d been slaves in Egypt, but God — through Moses — had led them out of bondage. They were the descendants of Abraham, a chosen nation, God’s beloved children. 

And while all of that was true — God’s story of rescue was all over Israel’s history — they were still enslaved. They may have been God’s chosen nation, but they were ruled by Rome. And God may have called them out of slavery in Egypt, but they’d quickly found chains of a different kind: sin. 

The Jewish leaders didn’t want to hear it, though, and they pushed back when Jesus pointed out that they were spiritually enslaved. They countered with every argument they knew, but Jesus just kept patiently showing them the truth they didn’t want to see. 

Sound familiar? 

But I’ve gone to church my whole life. 

My grandmother was a founding member of this church. She never missed a Sunday and lived a godly life. 

No one’s the boss of me, and I get to decide what to do with my life. 

All of those things — and all of the things the Jewish teachers touted that set them apart from everyone else — may have been true. But none of that erased the reality: they were enslaved to sin. 

Until we understand that we are sinners, we don’t know that we need a Savior. The Jewish leaders knew their history well. They read the prophets; they recited the ways God had rescued and protected them; they followed the law.

And none of that could do anything about their sin. 

They couldn’t rely on the past. They couldn’t be good enough or do enough nice things to counteract the sin that permeated their lives, their thoughts and their actions. They couldn’t outrun their sin, fix it in their own power or escape the chains of sin that bound them. Just like you and me, they were sinners, and there is only one Savior, Jesus. 

We can strive to be good people who leave our little corner of the world a little better than we found it. We can put our trust in the godliness of our grandparents or parents or our nation, but none of that saves us. We are sinners in need of a Savior, and only Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. 

When we’re faced with the reality of our sinfulness, we must respond. Like the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day, we can rely on good deeds or heritage — or we can trust Jesus. And when we trust him for salvation, we’re no longer slaves (John 8:36) but truly free and part of God’s eternal family. 

A child of God or a slave to sin. The choice is yours.