'They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!” [So] they said to him, “We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. Can any of you charge me with sin? If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not listen, because you do not belong to God (Jn. 8:39-47).”'
The Jews told Jesus that Abraham was their father and Jesus replied that if Abraham was their father they would not be trying to kill God’s messenger who speaks truth. Those who are from God accept the one sent from God. They love him and understand what he is saying. The Jews protested and said that they were not illegitimate, that is born in immorality like the Gentiles (1 Thess. 4:3, 5). If they were legitimate heirs of Abraham, then Jesus had to be illegitimate. Since his words offended them and they were trying to kill him their father was the devil (1 Jn. 3:8-12) as evidenced by their actions which did not match the deeds of Abraham. The devil is a murderer, a reference to Cain and Abel (Gen 4:1-16), and a liar (Gen 3:1-7) who says one thing and does another. Truth comes from God but deceit, lies and death come from the devil. The word of God as spoken through the son gives life. That is something that neither Abraham nor the prophets could do. Jesus cannot be convicted of any sin but blindness to Jesus is the sin of the Jews.
Almighty God, send your spirit of truth upon your servants that your word spoken through your Son may enter our hearts and give us life. Cleanse us of all lies and deceit so that our words do not convict us but lead us to everlasting life. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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