³⁶So if the son sets you free, you will be truly free. ³⁷I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are seeking to kill me, because my word makes no progress among you. ³⁸I speak the things that I have seen with the Father; so also you do the things that you have heard from the Father.”

The Priority of Jesus Over Abraham

³⁹They answered and said to him, “Abraham is our father!” Jesus said to them, “If you are children of Abraham, do the deeds of Abraham! ⁴⁰But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who spoke to you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. ⁴¹You are doing the deeds of your father!”

They said^q to him, “We were not born from sexual immorality! We have one father, God!” ⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I have come forth from God and have come. For I have not come from myself, but that one sent me. ⁴³Why^r do you not understand my way of speaking? Because you are not able to listen to my message. ⁴⁴You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father! That one was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature,^* because he is a liar and the father of lies.^s ⁴⁵But because I am telling the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶Who among you convicts me concerning sin? If I am telling the truth, why^t do you not believe me? ⁴⁷The one who is from God listens to the words of God. Because of this you do not listen—because you are not of God.”

⁴⁸The Jews answered and said to him, “Do we not correctly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” ⁴⁹Jesus replied, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me! ⁵⁰But I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges! ⁵¹Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never experience death forever.”^u

⁵²The Jews^v said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham and the prophets died, and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death forever.’^w ⁵³You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, are you?^* And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself to be?” ⁵⁴Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ ⁵⁵And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you! But I know him and I keep his word. ⁵⁶Abraham your father rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it^* and was glad.”

⁵⁷So the Jews said to him, “You are^x not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am!” ⁵⁹Then they picked up stones in order to throw them^* at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple courts.^*

Read in Logos

John 8:34–36: Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Footnotes

qSome manuscripts have “Then they said”
rLiterally “because of what”
*The word “nature” is not in the Greek text but is implied
sLiterally “of it”
tLiterally “because of what”
uLiterally “for the age”
vSome manuscripts have “Then the Jews”
wLiterally “for the age”
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are you”
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
xLiterally “you have”
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself