We usually see the truth as a set of actual facts, but the truth Jesus is talking about is more than that. It is a genuine view of reality. The truth is a vision of spiritual reality, a reality that is hidden to those without Him. That’s why Jesus said we will know the truth if we continue in His Word and are really His disciples. Our true knowledge and appreciation of the truth comes not just from knowing, but from living and experiencing life following Him. In our culture, we think of freedom as the ability to do whatever we choose, whatever we want to do. Jesus points out that this is the slavery of sin. The freedom our culture professes to seek is really bondage. We experience real truth and freedom only in following and obeying Jesus. Then we have freedom that isn’t based on indulging our own desires but in living as we were intended to live, with God, in fellowship and obedience to Him.
In verse 58, Jesus was completely direct in telling the people who he is. “I assure you, before Abraham was, I am,” he said. This is Jesus clearly declaring Himself to be God. The reaction of the people listening was to pick up rocks to stone Him. To this day, people have trouble with the fact that Jesus is God, but we hold firm to this fact.
The knowledge that Jesus is God is our first glimpse of the full truth and spiritual reality. The rest is learned and experienced by following and obeying Him. Is there anything in your life that keeps you from experiencing full truth and freedom? Pray about it.