“The truth will set you free” - Jn 8:31-42
These are two completely different things: to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus only for a time, and to be His disciple forever, and to persevere in His teaching. The teaching of the Lord Jesus is so beautiful and so true that the human heart clings to it spontaneously, and it is very understandable that many people like the Gospel.
Unfortunately, many people stop being Jesus' disciples in the moment of trial. We run away from His teachings when sticking to it requires, in our opinion, too great a sacrifice. Or we are discouraged from His teaching by the fact that sometimes even its preachers do not set a good example of how to keep it. Some people stop being Jesus' disciples because they want to have peace, they want to avoid the mockery, taunts and intolerance that often meet those who openly admit their faith.
There was a time when even the apostles remained Jesus' disciples only to the point of trial. On Good Friday, their faith collapsed. Only after their conversion did the apostles become his disciples forever and persevered with him even in the face of martyrdom. Well, it does not help a man much if he is a disciple only for a while. The Lord Jesus Himself said: " But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved."(cf. Mt 24:13)
Let us comment on the words of the Lord Jesus that only if we remain in His teaching will we know the truth and the truth will set us free. There is simply such a thing as rooted in the truth. If we persist in the teaching of the Lord Jesus, we will get to know His truth more and more deeply, until He will lead us to His Father and we will see God as He is, because " “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him” (cf. 1 Cor 2:9)
"The truth will set you free." For the more we are rooted in the truth, the more we are in control of ourselves, the less we are slaves of sin the more we are children of God. The more God's truth is in us, the less we are governed by passions, addictions and fears that deprive us of our freedom.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george