Today is Juneteenth, and judging from the 400% increase in Google searches for that term, many people are wondering just what June 19th is all about.
First, a quick history lesson and then a powerful truth.
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring “that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free.” In other words, every single slave in the United States was legally set free on that day. Unfortunately, that news couldn’t be delivered the way we deliver news today. There were no 24-hour news channels, no social media outlets. The life-changing truth of freedom had to be delivered in a much slower way, and it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that the Union troops could finally reach Galveston, Texas.
Think about that. It took almost two and a half years for slaves to learn that they had been set free. That’s over two years of living in slavery when they didn’t have to. Over two years of thinking they were one thing when legally they were another. Can you imagine the celebration that kicked off on that day? For the slaves in that Texas town, there was a two and a half year gap between being free and living free (and history has shown us the ugly truth that living free has taken a lot longer than that for many in our country).
I love the way The Passion renders John 8:36 — “So if the Son sets you free from sin, then become a true son and be unquestionably free!”
At the cross, Jesus legally set us free from the slavery of sin. And yet being free and living free aren’t the same thing. Too many followers of Jesus are living as if they haven’t received the good news of what Jesus did when He died and rose again.
He set us free, and His intention was far more than just a declaration of freedom. He intended that we would live in such a way that would reflect what He did.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)
Notice the truth there? If we’re still slaves to sin after Jesus has set us free, it’s because we’ve allowed ourselves to live as if Jesus didn’t set us free. “Do not let yourselves” be imprisoned any longer by the powers that were defeated at the cross.
Juneteenth is a powerful reminder of what happens when announced freedom becomes activated freedom. My prayer for us is that we would activate our freedom from sin and begin to live the freedom that we’ve been given.
