John 8:21–45

Jesus Foretells His Death

²¹Again he said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”^{* 22}Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” ²³He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are from this world, I am not from this world.^{* 24}I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.”^{b* 25}They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all?^{c 26}I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”^{* 27}They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he^d and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.^{* 29}And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.”^{* 30}As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

True Disciples

³¹Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”^{* 33}They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?”^*

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.^{* 35}The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever.^{* 36}So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷I know that you are descendants of Abraham, yet you look for an opportunity to kill me because there is no place in you for my word. ³⁸I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.”^e*

Jesus and Abraham

³⁹They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, you would do^f what Abraham did,^{* 40}but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹You are indeed doing what your father does.” They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have one Father, God himself.”^{* 42}Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God, and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me.^{* 43}Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. ⁴⁴You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.^{* 45}But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.^g