Like the Jews in John 8, the proclamation that we can be free often offends us because we detect the implication that we are enslaved. But we are—we are slaves to sin (1 Kings 8:46; Romans 3:10–18). Abiding in Christ's truth, however, offers us freedom to truly live into who we were created to be—free from sin and free to live as sons/daughters of God and heirs with Christ.

Piper writes of John 7:53-8:1, “The most remarkable point of this story is that Jesusexalts himself above the Law of Moses, changes its appointed punishment, and reestablishes righteousness on the foundation of grace.”

C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity: “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next… [they] all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven… Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.“

Even Jesus's own [half] brothers did not believe (i.e. have faith) in him. We see from John 7:1-13 that familiarity with Jesus does not necessarily equate submission to him. But the offer of Jesus is invitation into a 'new kind of family' through his own life, death, and resurrection! This is the family of God. More than mere metaphor—it is reality-altering truth!

True disciples of Jesus will increasingly grow at submitting more and more of their whole live to the empowering presence and lordship of Jesus and teach others to do the same.

Jesus takes the "I am the living bread" statement and doubles down. He switches focus form the Galileans who seem to be missing the points and, as Bruce Milne points out, focuses on the true disciples who will respond and showing them confidence in their eternal security, identity, and identity.

Jesus says, "I AM the bread of life," declaring that he alone has the power, love, and authority to give us eternal life. But that eternal life is not just a declaration about a life never ending, it's also about a quality of life that surpasses anything we could ever imagine.

Jesus must be King over our whole lives, but we must submit to the King that he actually is and not the king we're tempted to make him.