By Pamela Rose Williams
“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.” (John 8:31-32)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about being free. He is best known for his involvement in the Civil Rights movement and his stirring speeches on racial equality. When I read today’s verse I am reminded of one of Dr. King’s great speeches when he led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963. In that speech he quoted an old Negro spiritual when he said “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”
Dr. King was a spiritual man, and in fact he was a Baptist minister. In his lifetime he fought for the freedom of the minority and his speeches and sermons were full of truth and passion. He gave his life to the fight for freedom! Listen to what he said in the last speech before he was assassinated:
In today’s passage we read about what Jesus was telling the people. Specifically, He was speaking to the Jews who did not understand that He was the Messiah; The Lamb of God sent to make them free. When you continue on and read a little more of the passage, you can see that these Jews truly did not understand what Jesus was saying at all. They understood freedom and bondage only as to be a slave or a free man. They believed because they were of the seed of Abraham that they were free already. Here is how Jesus explains:
(John 8:33-38) They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? [34] Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. [35] And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. [36] If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. [37] I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. [38] I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
I found the old Negro spiritual which is part of “American Negro Songs” that was written by J. W. Work. A simple few words with a truth that will set you free!
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I’m free at last
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I’m free at last
Way down yonder in the graveyard walk
I thank God I’m free at last
Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk
I thank God I’m free at last
On my knees when the light pass’d by
I thank God I’m free at last
Tho’t my soul would rise and fly
I thank God I’m free at last
Some of these mornings, bright and fair
I thank God I’m free at last
Goin’ meet King Jesus in the air
I thank God I’m free at las
As we compare what Jesus was saying and what Dr. King preached, we see that indeed, they were both talking about the same freedom; freedom from sin. They were both talking about the same truth; the truth that is found only in Jesus the Christ.
Things to Think About and Do
1. Where in the Bible can you first read about the Promised Land?
2. In the Bible we read that the Gentiles are grafted in as part of the body of Christ and by the grace of God can be free from sin through Jesus Christ. Where in the Bible is this first introduced?
3. What did Jesus mean when He said “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed …?
