John 8:39

They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. THEY ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, ABRAHAM IS OUR FATHER. JESUS SAITH UNTO THEM, IF YE WERE ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN YE WOULD DO THE WORKS OF ABRAHAM. He had just said He "knew they were Abraham's children" - that is, according to the flesh; but the children of his faith and holiness they were not, but the reverse....

39._Abraham is our father. _This altercation shows plainly enough how haughtily and fiercely they despised all Christ’s reproofs. What they continually claim and vaunt of is, that they are _Abraham’s children; _by which they do not simply mean that they are the lineal descendants of _Abraham, _but that they are a holy race, the heritage of God, and the children of God. And yet they rely on nothing but the confidence of the flesh. But carnal descent, without faith, is nothing more than a false pretense. We now understand what it was that so greatly blinded them, so that they treated Christ with disdain, though armed with deadly thunder. Thus the word of God, which might move stones, is ridiculed in the present day by Papists, as if it were a fable, and fiercely persecuted by fire and sword; and for no other reason but that they rely on their false title of “the Church,” and hope that they...

37-40 Our Lord opposed the proud and vain confidence of these Jews, showing that their descent from Abraham could not profit those of a contrary spirit to him. Where the word of God has no place, no good is to be expected; room is left there for all wickedness. A sick person who turns from his physician, and will take neither remedies nor food, is past hope of recovery. The truth both heals and nourishes the hearts of those who receive it. The truth taught by philosophers has not this power and effect, but only the truth of God. Those who claim the privileges of Abraham, must do Abraham's works; must be strangers and sojourners in this world; keep up the worship of God in their families, and always walk before God....

Verse 39. _IF YE WERE ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN_] _Griesbach_ reads εστε, _ye are_, instead of ητε, _ye were_, on the authority of BDL, _Vulgate, four_ copies of the _Itala; Origen_ and _Augustin_. _YE WOULD DO THE WORKS OF ABRAHAM._] As the son has the nature of his father in him, and naturally imitates him, so, if ye were the children of Abraham, ye would imitate him in his faith, obedience, and uprightness; but this ye do not, for ye seek to kill me-ye are watching for an opportunity to destroy me, merely because I tell you the truth: Abraham never did any thing like this; therefore, you have no spiritual relationship to _him_....

ABRAHAM IS OUR FATHER - We are descended from Abraham. Of this the Jews boasted much, as being descended from such an illustrious man. See the notes at Matthew 3:9. As Jesus did not expressly say who he meant John 8:38 when he said they did the works of their father, they obstinately persisted in pretending not to understand him, as if they had said, “We acknowledge no other father but Abraham, and to charge us with being the offspring of another is slander and calumny.” IF YE WERE ABRAHAM’S CHILDREN - The words “sons” and “children” are often used to denote those who imitate another or who have his spirit. See the notes at Matthew 1:1. Here it means, “if you were

EXPOSITION Verses 7:53-8:11 (8) _The pericope adulterae. _(A)_ Excursus on the genuineness of _John 7:53-43__John 7:53-43. It is our duty to examine the various grounds on which this passage has been almost universally concluded to have formed no portion of the original Fourth Gospel; and then the internal grounds on which it has been rejected, and some of the speculations as to its origin and value. Doubts have beset the authenticity of the passage from the fourth and fifth centuries in the Eastern Church, both on external and internal grounds. The authority and practice of Augustine, Ambrose, and Jerome gave it a secure resting place till the criticism of Erasmus re-awakened doubt. Calvin expressed a more favourable opinion con

THEY ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM,.... On account of his making mention of a father, whose works they did, and whom they imitated: ABRAHAM IS OUR FATHER; meaning their only one, nor had they any other: JESUS SAITH UNTO THEM, IF YE WERE ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN, YE WOULD DO THE WORKS OF ABRAHAM; for who should children imitate but their parents? Abraham was a merciful, charitable, and hospitable man, as well as a man of strict justice and integrity; he feared God, believed in him, and was ready to receive every message and revelation which came from him; and they are his genuine children and offspring, who walk in the steps of his faith, charity, justice, and piety: and this is a rule which the Jews themselves give m, whereby the seed of Abraham may be known: "whoever is merciful to the creature (man), it is evident that he is of the seed of Abraham, our father; but whoever has not mercy on th...

John 8:12. _Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees_ These wasps were always stinging him; when he drove them away once, they quickly returned to attack him again: «The Pharisees» John 8:13. _Therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them; Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man._ He did not come for that purpose the first time; he will come, a second time, to judge all mankind....

JOHN 8:39 evpoiei/te {B} It appears that the original text of this verse involved a mixed conditional sentence, with eiv … evste in the protasis, and evpoiei/te in the apodosis (“If you are really Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham”). The variant readings arose in an effort to make a more grammatically “correct” condition; thus, instead of evste (î66, 75 a B D L T Y 070 1321 ù60 itff2 vg syrs), the later text reads h=te (C N W X G D...

CHAPTER 8 _ 1. The Woman Taken in Adultery. (John 8:1 .)_ 2. The Light of the World. (John 8:12 .) 3. His Testimony Concerning Himself and the Father. (John 8:13 .) 4. His Solemn Declarations. (John 8:21 .) 5. Before Abraham Was, I Am. (John 8:48 .) The first verse belongs to the preceding chapter. The officers returned without Him, bearing their testimony that “never man spake like this man.” Nicodemus ventured his timid defense. Then every man went to his own house while the Lord went to the Mount of Olives. The story of the woman