John 8:21–45

Jesus Predicts His Departure

²¹Then He said to them again, “I’m going away; ^myou will look for Me, and you will die in your sin. ⁿWhere I’m going, you cannot come.” ^o

²²So the Jews said again, “He won’t kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I’m going, you cannot come’ ^p?”

²³“You are from below,” He told them, “I am from above. ^qYou are of this world; ^rI am not of this ^•world. ^s24Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am He, ^tyou will die in your sins.”

²⁵“Who are You?” they questioned.

“Precisely what I’ve been telling you from the very beginning,” Jesus told them. ²⁶“I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the One who sent Me ^uis true, and what I have heard from Him—these things I tell the world.” ^v

²⁷They did not know He was speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the ^•Son of Man, ^wthen you will know that I am ^xHe, and that I do nothing on My own. ^yBut just as the Father taught Me, I say these things. ²⁹The One who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, ^zbecause I always do what pleases Him.”

Truth and Freedom

³⁰As He was saying these things, many believed in Him. ³¹So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, ^abyou really are My disciples. ³²You will know the truth, ^cand the truth will set you free.”

³³“We are descendants ^dof Abraham,” ^ethey answered Him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴Jesus responded, “^•I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a ^•slave of sin. ^f35A slave does not remain in the household forever, ^gbut a son does remain forever. ^h36Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. ³⁷I know you are descendants ⁱof Abraham, ^jbut you are trying to kill Me because My word ^kis not welcome among you. ³⁸I speak what I have seen ^lin the presence of the Father; ^mntherefore, you do what you have heard from your father.”

³⁹“Our father is Abraham!” they replied.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus told them, “you would do what Abraham did. ^o40But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth ^pthat I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! ⁴¹You’re doing what your father does.” ^q

“We weren’t born ^rof sexual immorality,” ^sthey said. “We have one Father—God.” ^t

⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, ^ubecause I came from God ^vand I am here. For I didn’t come on My own, but He sent Me. ⁴³Why don’t you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to ^wMy word. ^x44You are of your father the Devil, ^yand you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer ^zfrom the beginning ^aand has not stood in the truth, ^bbecause there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, ^cbecause he is a liar and the father of liars. ^d45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.