John 8:21–45

²¹Once more Jesus spoke to them. “I am going away,” he said. “You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. You can’t come where I am going.”

²²This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘You can’t come where I am going’?”

²³But Jesus said, “You are from below. I am from heaven. You are from this world. I am not from this world. ²⁴I told you that you would die in your sins. Do you believe that I am the one I claim to be? If you don’t, you will certainly die in your sins.”

²⁵“Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been claiming all along,” Jesus replied. ²⁶“I have a lot to say that will judge you. But the One who sent me can be trusted. And I tell the world what I have heard from him.”

²⁷They did not understand that Jesus was telling them about his Father. ²⁸So Jesus said, “You will lift up the Son of Man. Then you will know that I am the one I claim to be. You will also know that I do nothing on my own. I speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹The One who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.”

³⁰Even while Jesus was speaking, many people put their faith in him.

The Children of Abraham

³¹Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. “If you obey my teaching,” he said, “you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth. And the truth will set you free.”

³³They answered him, “We are Abraham’s children. We have never been slaves of anyone. So how can you say that we will be set free?”

³⁴Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. ³⁵A slave has no lasting place in the family. But a son belongs to the family forever. ³⁶So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free.

³⁷“I know you are Abraham’s children. But you are ready to kill me. You have no room for my word. ³⁸I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. You do what you have heard from your father.”

³⁹“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

Jesus said, “Are you really Abraham’s children? If you are, you will do the things Abraham did. ⁴⁰But you have decided to kill me. I am a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do the things you want to do. ⁴¹You are doing the things your own father does.”

“We are not children of people who weren’t married to each other,” they objected. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

The Children of the Devil

⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me. I came from God, and now I am here. I have not come on my own. He sent me.

⁴³“Why aren’t my words clear to you? Because you can’t really hear what I say. ⁴⁴You belong to your father, the devil. You want to obey your father’s wishes.

“From the beginning, the devil was a murderer. He has never obeyed the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his natural language. He does this because he is a liar. He is the father of lies.

⁴⁵“But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me!