“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples.'”
Let’s put that into context.
I like the Message Bible here because of its conversational tone. In this passage, Jesus wasn’t being attacked or challenged. The Jewish crowd was asking questions, not questioning Him. He answered with clarity, not confrontation.
“When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am—that I’m not making this up, but I’m speaking only what the Father taught me. The One who sent me stays with me. He doesn’t abandon me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him.”
When he put it in these terms, many people decided to believe.
Then Jesus turned to the Jews who claimed to believe in him. ‘If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.’”
Many people admire Jesus. Maybe you do too. His teaching on love, compassion, and mercy is inspiring. His call to forgiveness and grace rings true.
But here’s where the tension comes in. Some want to stop there. They’d rather skip over His harder sayings. They’d rather ignore anything that sounds too sharp, too inconvenient, or too challenging.
That won’t work.
It’s impossible to be a selective follower of Christ. You can’t take the comfortable parts of His teaching and brush the rest under the carpet. Either you follow Him, or you don’t. You’re either His disciple or you’re simply a fan.
If you want to experience true freedom—deep freedom in body, soul, and spirit—you must take Jesus at His word. Believe Him. Follow Him. Obey Him.
When you do, you’ll find a freedom in your heart and emotions you never thought possible.
Until next time,
©2025 Katherine Walden
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