National Freedom Day // John 8:32
Today is National Freedom Day. This is when we commemorate President Lincoln’s signing of the resolution which would become the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, outlawing slavery. President Lincoln signed that resolution on February 1, 1865. National Freedom Day is observed annually (and has been since 1942) by simply laying a wreath at the Liberty Bell.
Leaders like Lincoln looked at the Declaration of Independence as a promissory note that needed to be fulfilled. To think critically, however, the truth of freedom wasn’t first set forth by Thomas Jefferson, but in God’s Holy Word. I think it’s important to remember today’s verse from John 8:32 as Jesus said people will come to know the truth and the truth will set us free. Of course, a little bit later in John 14:6, Jesus self identified as the truth, which was at the heart of the conflict He faced back in John 8. There, Jesus sparred with the Pharisees about the nature of freedom. They thought that since they were Jewish by birth, and followed the Jewish laws, that they were free. Jesus turned the tables, though, and pointed out the reality of sin and how it enslaves all people. This was Jesus’ ultimate concern. He knew that people did, were, and would continue to be horrible to others. He was NOT condoning that (i.e., human slavery) by any means, but challenging people to look beyond life circumstances and be mindful of our spiritual condition. Jesus wanted then, just as He wants all today, to know that His goal is to free us from our slavery to sin and death. If we all move closer to the truth, we will move closer to ultimate freedom.
I am struck by the complicated reality that many of the founders of our country, who were writing and proclaiming about how all are created equal, did not embrace this fully in their own lives. People like Thomas Jefferson himself were slave owners. I believe they struggled with that inconsistency, and the closer they got in their quest for freedom, the more they knew what they were doing was wrong. Thankfully slavery is outlawed in the USA today, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know the sting of slavery still. So, may we on this National Freedom Day move closer to Jesus, allow Him to reveal our own inconsistencies in living, and find the truth that sets us free. After all, as Jesus also said, “if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:36). May we all be set free by God’s truth in precept and Person today!
