John 8:33-40 CSB
"We are descendants of Abraham," they answered him, "and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?" [34] Jesus responded, "Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. [35] A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. [37] I know you are descendants of Abraham, but you are trying to kill me because my word has no place among you. [38] I speak what I have seen in the presence of the Father; so then, you do what you have heard from your father." [39] "Our father is Abraham," they replied. "If you were Abraham's children," Jesus told them, "you would do what Abraham did. [40] But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
Free to do Good Things
Anyone who has worked with those trapped in drug or alcohol addiction knows the story of degradation, humiliation, and slavery. It is a cycle that takes everything you have and eventually leaves you as a husk on the ashheap of time. When you are deep in that enslavement, hope is hard to find. A man or woman wants to stop—they want their old life back—but they find they cannot, no matter how hard they try.
We see it happen all the time: a person stumbles through the door late at night, and the spouse has finally had enough. “I am leaving if you take that drink or use that drug one more time.” The person tries. They know they will lose everything if that door closes, and for a while, they succeed. But then the voice of the addiction works through their defenses. It might be a friend saying “just one won’t hurt.” But it’s never just one; it is an uncontrollable enslavement that drags them back into oblivion. They return home only to find the house empty and the children gone.
A bystander might look at that ruin and say, “I would never be like that.” But if we are honest, without Jesus, we are all slaves to something. It might not look like the outward ruin of an addict—at least not yet—but the chains are just as real.
We like to shout, “I am free! I serve no one!” But is that true? If you stop pleasing your boss, will the paycheck keep coming? Can you break the rules of society without repercussions? We tie ourselves to political parties, private societies, or groups of like-minded people just to find a sense of hope or recognition. Some even think they find freedom in rejecting God entirely, only to find that serving their own desires is the harshest master of all. Our desires can never fill that hole in the heart meant for the Father. We just keep trying to find a “stronger dose” of earthly happiness that never quite lasts.
This is where the inspiration comes in: The Son sets us free. He doesn’t just give us a lecture; He breaks the shackles. He releases us from the guilt and the life-controlling power of the things that have mastered us. When the Son sets you free, you aren’t just “rehabilitated”—you are a new creation. The old self might occasionally rear its head, trying to lure us back to the “comfort” of our old chains, but those who are guided by the Holy Spirit walk in a true freedom that the world can’t provide.
We aren’t set free just to run back into the world or to use our freedom for selfish advantage. We are set free to serve God and to love others. As Galatians 5:13 says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Real freedom isn’t the ability to do whatever we want; it’s the power to finally do what is right.
Reflection Questions
- Even if it isn’t a “substance,” is there a habit, a grudge, or a desire for approval that currently has mastery over you? What would it feel like to hand that “lock” over to Jesus today?
- Jesus says the slave doesn’t stay in the house forever, but the Son does. Do you feel like a “servant” trying to earn your spot in God’s house, or a “son/daughter” who is already home?
- Now that the Son has broken your chains, who is one person you can “serve in love” this week using your new freedom?
Prayer
Father,
We thank You for being the Chain-Breaker. We admit that on our own, we often find ourselves enslaved to our own desires and the pressures of this world. Thank You for sending Your Son to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. Help us to walk in the true freedom You’ve provided—not to serve ourselves, but to love and serve the people around us. Thank You for making us children of the household, forever.
Amen.
