Lesson for August 3, 2025
The Book of John
Lesson 26
Chapter 8:37-59
Jesus Christ, the Son of God from Heaven
Verses 37-40
“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you are seeking to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak of the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore, you also do the things which you heard from your father. 39 They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.”
The information regarding God the Father’s plan for the human race was known by Jesus in eternity past, as deity. This information was passed on to His humanity by the Holy Spirit. Jesus made the contrast between His father and the father of the religious Jews. Jesus’ father was God the Father and the religious Jews’ “father” was Satan. (John 8:44) Of course, the Jews claimed Abraham as their father, but they did not follow in the footsteps of Abraham by believing in Jesus as the Messiah, otherwise they would not have been seeking to kill Jesus.
“The deeds of Abraham” have to do with salvation. (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6,7; Romans 4:1-16, 22-25) Justification by faith is the principle. They understood Him immediately. They understood that Jesus was not emphasizing physical birth but spiritual birth. Jesus was saying that while they were physically descended from Abraham, they had failed to do what Abraham did in believing in Christ. Therefore, they were the physical heritage, not the spiritual heritage of Abraham.
Verses 41-43
“You are doing the deeds of your father.’ They said to Him, ‘We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.’ 42 Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came forth from God and am here; for I have not even come on My own, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My word.”
The deeds of your father (Satan) were to reject Jesus as the Savior and continue teaching false doctrine that blinded people to the truth. Being born as a result of immorality is an idiom, meaning they were saying that they were legitimate descendants of Abraham. Jesus said that they would love Him, if Abraham was their spiritual father.
I have not even come on My own, but He sent Me. God the Father sent God the Son to make the payment for sin that would satisfy the righteousness and justice of God. (I John 2:2) Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My word. Jesus answered His own question by reaffirming that these unbelievers couldn’t understand spiritual information. The result of rejecting the words of Jesus was eternity in the Lake of Fire.
Verse 44
“You are of your father the devil and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Satan is a murderer, he hates the truth of God’s Word, and he is a liar. These three facets of Satan’s character are carried into his plan to destroy the human race. Satan uses evil when necessary to destroy nations, societies, and institutions. He uses religion to teach false doctrine. And he lies to counterfeit the truth of God’s Word.
Verses 45-49
“But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.’ 48 The Jews answered and said to Him, ‘Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan, and You have a demon?’ 49 Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.’”
II Corinthians 4:3-4, “And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God.” These verses explain what was going on with these religious Jews. Satan had blinded them to the truth with the lies of religion. They were in spiritual darkness and could not see the light of the Gospel.
Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? Jesus’ challenge to the Jews was legitimate, because He was sinless. The Jews could not accuse Jesus of any sinful deed. Jesus used the first-class condition of the word “if,” meaning “if and I do.” They did not believe Him because He spoke the truth, which they rejected. Their negative volition toward the Gospel created a vacuum in their soul into which was drawn the false teachings of Judaism.
The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God. The message of Jesus was the message of God the Father regarding the salvation plan for mankind. They rejected the plan of their own free will and they were not interested in the plan of God.
The Jews answered and said to Him, ‘Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan, and You have a demon?’ Now we have a racial slur when they called Jesus a Samaritan. The Jews in Jerusalem would not allow a Samaritan to build a house next to them, to move into a house next to them, to come to their temple, to do business in Jerusalem, and many other restrictions. The Jews hated the Samaritans and ostracized them, as they did with “the woman at the well.”
Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.’ The idea that Jesus was possessed by a demon was simply a ploy to discredit Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus denied their absurd accusations and turned the tables on them by stating the fact they were the ones dishonoring God.
Verses 50-51
“But I am not seeking My glory; there is One who seeks it, and judges. 51 Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone follows My word, he will never see death.”
God the Father glorified Jesus continually. He also judges those who do not honor Jesus Christ. Following the words of Jesus meant to believe the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died on the Cross as the payment for the sin of the entire world and by a simple act of faith in His payment a person can have eternal life as a free gift. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Jesus Christ is the Victor over Death
Verses 52-55
“The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets as well; and yet You say, ‘If anyone follows My word, he will never taste of death.’ 53 You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are You? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?’ 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you; but I do know Him, and I follow His word.”
Accusing Jesus of having a demon was another ploy to discredit Jesus as being the Messiah. Following His word meant to believe the Gospel. The first question regarding being greater than Abraham was designed to trap Jesus. Either Jesus will deny His deity or affirm it. If He affirms it, they will try to execute Him for blasphemy. If He denies it, they will try to discredit Him.
You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are You? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?’ The second question was sarcastic, meaning ‘Who do you think you are?’ Abraham was idolized as the father of the Jewish nation and yet he spoke about Jesus the coming Messiah, as stated in verse 56.
Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you; but I do know Him, and I follow His word. Jesus wiped out their sarcasm, just as He did their logic. Self-glorification wasn’t part of the plan of God for Jesus. God the Father was the author of the plan, and it called for the Father to glorify the Son. The Father honored the Son, but they had failed to even recognize Jesus as God. They could never glorify Jesus because God the Father is not their God. Their father was the devil, as Jesus had already pointed out to them.
Verses 56-59
“Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.’ 57 So the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?’ 58 Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’ 59 Therefore, they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.”
Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced. “Abraham rejoiced to see my day” means he understood that the Messiah would come in the future and bring salvation to the human race. He looked out ahead and saw the first coming of Christ, and he rejoiced. One of the reasons God brought Abraham to the mountain to sacrifice Isaac was to illustrate the salvation work of the coming Savior.
So, the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?’ 58 Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’ As usual, the Jews failed to understand that Jesus was speaking spiritually. Abraham had seen the coming of Jesus as the Messiah, by faith. He believed God and God counted it to Abraham for righteousness, according to Genesis 15:6. Furthermore, Jesus had seen Abraham by means of a theophany, according to Genesis 18:1-2. Jesus existed before Abraham as deity, which is the meaning of “I am.” Jesus was once again saying, “I am God.”
Therefore, they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.”Jesus had used logic, sarcasm, and doctrine. They could not handle being outwitted, so they resorted to throwing rocks! However, no one threw a rock at Him, and no one followed Him to stone Him. It was not His time to die, nor was it the manner in which God had planned. The plan of God called for Jesus to pay for our sins on the Cross. Therefore, God the Father protected Him so that the plan of salvation could be accomplished!!