The Truth Will Set You Free

John 8:31-38
Key Verses 31-32
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

1. Look at verse 31. Who is Jesus speaking to? What does it mean to abide in Jesus’ word? Why is this the mark of truly being a disciple of Jesus? Why do you think Jesus said this to them?

2. V32. What will happen after we abide in Jesus’ words and truly become a disciple of Jesus? What does it mean to know the truth? How does knowing the truth set us free?

3. V33. How did the Jews respond? What did they assume about their spiritual condition as “offspring of Abraham”? Was it true they had never been “enslaved by anyone”?(please elaborate). Why do you think they said this? What does this reveal about their understanding of slavery?

4. V34. Who did Jesus say are slaves?(34) What do you think it means to practice sin, and why do you think practicing sin makes us its slave?

5. V35-36.What is the role and status of a slave working in a Master’s house in bible times? What will eventually happen to the slave?(35) How is the status of the Son of the Master different?(35b) What power does the Son have?(36) What does it mean to be set free by the Son? What is Jesus trying to communicate to the believing Jews with this metaphor?

6. Look at verse 37. Why did the Jews want to kill Jesus, even though they are “offspring of Abraham”? What do you think Jesus’ meant when he said “my word finds no place in you”? What could prevent Jesus’ word from finding a place in us? (4 Soils)

7. Look at verse 38. Consider the two “fathers” in this verse: Who has “seen” their Father and who has “heard” their father. What do you think Jesus was trying to tell them in this last verse?

Commentary about slaves and the Master’s house in the ancient world:

Slaves or “bondservants” were the equivalent of employees in the ancient world. They lived in the master's house and had a certain kind of relationship with the master. However, they were not actually part of the master's family. Eventually, these bondservants would leave, or be dismissed. Only the actual children of the master had a permanent right to live in the home. The classic example of this is found in Genesis 21, where Ishmael, Abraham's son through the servant Hagar, is dismissed from the home; his son Isaac, through his wife, remains. This, according to Jesus, applies to our spiritual relationship to God.

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