THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE

John 8:28-32 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him. As He spake these words, many believed on Him. Then said Jesus to those Jews, which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Due to the self-righteous doctrine of their elders that compromised, and made void, the word of God, the Jewish leaders refused to accept Jesus as the Son of God, and the Messiah that was promised to the Jewish nation. By refusing Him, they also refused to heed His inspired message of eternal salvation that God promised to the world through Him. Indeed, they understood not (Vs. 27 preceding).

Directing His answer to their unbelief, Jesus uttered this awesome prophecy that would soon take place. To these Jewish leaders Jesus said unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He. The expression "lifted up" was well known among the Jews to mean "to die, be killed, or to be crucified." In verses 18-19 preceding the lesson text, Jesus testified that He was the Son of God, and God was His Father. His apostles and many of the common Jewish people, having witnessed the many compassionate miracles He performed, believed this to be true. However, these leaders of the Jews refused to do so stating the His miracles were mere works of the devil, and deceivingly enacted before the Jewish people to gain their following. Knowing their disbelief, Jesus told them that after He had been slain, many of them (and thousands of others) would know that I am He, that is, the Messiah, the Son of God.

Many miraculous things occurred when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary: the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose (Matt. 27:51-52); there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour; ...the sun was darkened (Luke 23:44-45). If these miracles were not enough to prove the deity of Jesus, His resurrection, as recorded in all four gospel accounts, was undeniable proof that He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. This belief was confirmed fifty days after His crucifixion when three thousand Jews responded to the preaching of the apostles on the Day of Pentecost, confessed Jesus to be the Savior, repented of their past sinful lives, were immersed in water baptism, and were added, by God, to the church of His dear Son, the church of Christ. All of these events were irrefutable proof that this statement Jesus made to the Jewish leaders on this day was true: I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.

Nothing Jesus ever preached during His earthly ministry originated in His human mind. Rather the things He taught while here on earth came from His spiritual counsel, that is, God, His Heavenly Father. Jesus was not left to be guided by human wisdom. God's omniscient wisdom was constantly with Jesus, guiding Him at all times to go where He was needed the most and to speak that which God had taught Him. God let the world know that He was pleased with His Son Jesus and commanded the world to hear and obey His teaching (Matt. 3:17; Luke 3:22; Matt. 17:5; 2 Pet. 1:17).

As He spake these words, the result was that many believed on Him. Although He was addressing the unbelieving Jewish leaders, only a few members of the Sanhedrin believed Him to be the promised Messiah, but many other Jews, numbered with "the people," fully accepted and believed Him to be the Son of God, and that He sincerely taught the true words that originated with Jehovah. Then said Jesus to those Jews, which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. This tells us that they believed on Him, but their faith had not yet led them to obey His teachings. Therefore, Jesus told them, in order to be His disciples, that is, His followers, obedience is required by continuing in My word - continuing to do that which He instructed them to do in His teaching. And in doing so, ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.