Today's Daily Lesson comes from John chapter 8 verses 31 through 36:
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 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’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
In the interview he and Meghan Markle gave with Oprah Prince on Monday night Harry said he was "trapped" but didn't know that he was trapped.
That is a sad but true statement so many could make when it comes to dysfunctional lives at home, work, and church. They are trapped in toxic and/or abusive relationships but they don't realize how bad things really are. They are like fish who know nothing else besides water. They have no idea there is another whole world out there.
Jesus came to set people free. But part of what disturbed so many about him was the fact that they didn't know hat they were trapped. They couldn't or wouldn't see how abusive the relationship they were in with their whole culture and community really was. And when Jesus told them, it was too much. The truth was too much. Suddenly, the anger they had inside of themselves towards both their abusers for their abuse and themselves for allowing the abuse was turned towards Jesus. This is classic displacement and a part of what got people to participate in the killing of Jesus.
There is a quote often falsely attributed to Harriet Tubman, “I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” Actually, those in bondage to chattel slavery clearly knew that they were enslaved. It was the so-called free people who had the problem of being enslaved but not being able to see it. They were trapped too, but didn't know it.
Jesus said, "When the Son sets you free you are free indeed. It's a deed, meaning its done finally, and completely, and lawfully. It's an emancipation proclamation.
And the proclamation is this: "You don't have to live like this anymore. You don't have to be trapped and enslaved to anyone anymore. You are free indeed; may you live free indeed also."
Ryon Price is Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
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