31So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free?’ 34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35“The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38“I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”
39They 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. 41“You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 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 speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45“But because I speak 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 “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
48The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50“But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” 52The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ 53“Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55and 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 keep His word. 56“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” 59Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
Interesting Words
continue
(μένω Greek) – menó – remain, abide, stay, wait, wait for, sojourn, tarry – John 14:16, 15:4-5; 1Peter 1:23;
truly
(ἀληθῶς Greek) – aléthós – truly (adverb); in accord with fact, i.e. demonstrably valid and therefore genuine (reflecting true reality), certainly, surely – Matt 14:33; Luke 9:27; 1Thes 2:13;
free
(ἐλευθερόω Greek) – eleutheroó – make free, to exempt (from liability), set free, liberate, release from bondage; (figuratively) to remove the restrictions of sin (darkness) because delivered by God into true spiritual liberty – Rom 6:18, 22; 8:2; Gal 5:1; Col 3:11
slaves
(δοῦλος Greek) – doulos – someone who belongs to another; a bond-slave, without any ownership rights of their own, serve as a slave, having all personal ownership-rights assigned to the owner; (figuratively) to willingly give over the prerogative to be self-governing – Gal 4:8, 5:13; Phil 2:22; 1Tim 6:1, 2; James 1:1;
father
(πατήρ Greek) – patér – father; one who imparts life and is committed to it; a progenitor, bringing into being to pass on the potential for likeness, ancestor, elder, senior –
Cross References
▪︎ John 1:11-12, 13 – right to become sons of God
▪︎ John 14:17 – God’s pledge to be abode in His children forever.
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Discussion Questions
1. What are the conditions for true freedom according to John 8:31-32?
▪︎ Continue in His Word… hear, read, study, memorize, meditate on it daily (Josh 1:8; Ps 1:2-3)
▪︎ Abide in His life, feasting on Him thru the Spirit (John 6:35), and His word (John 15:7), allowing God to sovereignly rule your life.
▪︎ Continue in the faith, doing things that grow your faith.
▪︎ Foster truth in every aspect of your life (Ps 145:18; John 14:6).
2. Where did the Pharisees go wrong in their logic?
▪︎ They thought that righteousness was attained thru one’s birth right, genetics… John 8:33 (Abraham’s descendants)
▪︎ They failed to look at their own family history… Deut 6:12, (never been enslaved to anyone)
▪︎ They were not even willing to recognize their own sinful behavior (Jer 32:35), let alone admit to being slaves of sin (John 8:34; Rom 6:16).
▪︎ The felt they were sons of Abraham and didn’t need to change. Jesus admitted that they were physical sons (John 8:37) but their intensions proved that they weren’t spiritual sons (John 8:40).
3. What are the benefits to walking according to Jesus’s guidelines?
▪︎ We are true disciples of Jesus, not fake ones, deceiving ourselves that we are something other than our true state
▪︎ We will know the truth in reality and be free from lies, deception and sin… free indeed! Forever!
▪︎ Being true spiritual sons of God with all the rights, privileges and benefits (1Peter 1:3, 4; Gal 4:6-7 KJV)
▪︎ Being cared for by God and by our Good Shepherd as His children (John 10:28-30)
▪︎ Being removed from the domain of Satan and darkness, and be adopted into the Kingdom of Light (1Peter 2:9)
4. According to Jesus in John 8:37-45, what was the core problem for the Pharisees?
▪︎ They have no source of goodness in them but the root of their actions, their progenitor, their father, is Satan.
▪︎ Their father is the deceiver, who has and is deceiving the whole world. Naturally, they are totally deceived.
▪︎ They are deceived about their father, thinking him to be Abraham and/or God, but they are totally deceived.
▪︎ Their father is a murderer, the murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). Naturally, the want to kill Jesus.
▪︎ Because of these problems, they failed to recognize the One they claimed to be waiting for, the One sent to you by the True God, their Messiah.
▪︎ Why did they miss Him? Because their ears were shut, and their hearts were dull, closed (Isa 6:10; Jer 6:10, 17).
5. What role does perception play in the process of accessing truth and freedom?
▪︎ Truth has its source in God and His Word. As mentioned in #1 above, every aspect of getting that truth inside us has to start with perception.
▪︎ However, perception only brings truth to the doorstep, ears and eyes and have to be open to receive the truth into your heart.
▪︎ It is at this last point that God comes in. He opens our minds to the truth. He prepares the soil for the seed that He is planting and then waters it fully.
▪︎ This preparation may involve difficult times when God tries to get our attention; when He plows the ground to make it accept the seed He wants to sow in our lives.
6. What role does obedience play in the process of accessing truth and freedom?
▪︎ Perception is predicated on specific activities that generate stimuli… things to see… words to hear, etc.
▪︎ Thus perception is a result of activities that require obedience. You have to…
► Go to church to hear a sermon
► Open a Bible to read God’s word
► It takes time to pray
► to think about what God says
▪︎ Usually God does not give you the full understanding of what He is saying until He knows He has your full attention, your whole heart. Sometimes this is hard.
7. How would you describe the effect their progenitor (father) has on actions of the Pharisees??
▪︎ The progenitor is the root cause, the originator of their mindset and these activities.
▪︎ Satan not only affects their thought life, giving them these ideas, but he also is the the one behind their existence, Matt 13:24-30.
▪︎ Consequently, their lives are controlled by Satan until such time as God calls them out of this situation unto Himself (John 6:44), at which point they repent and they are transformed (2Cor 5:17)
▪︎ So, the actions of the Jews are their own doing, but they are still accountable. If God calls them to repentance, all is forgiven (possible examples include Nicodemus (John 3), Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50-51); otherwise, they are doomed.
8. What is the key indicator of spiritual state of the Jews talking to Jesus from John 8:39-47?
▪︎ The get frustrated because they cannot counter Jesus superior intellectual and wisdom, and loose control.
▪︎ They begin to show that frustration by hurl abuse at Him, bring up the claim that He was an illegitimate child (John 8:41), and later saying He was a Samaritan and has a demon (John 8:48).
▪︎ Their ears were already dull, but it appears that the emotional side of their brains took over and they lost control and lost hearing and the ability to think logically.
▪︎ They started to loose inhibitions that kept their outrageous desires and barbaric drives in check. Lying is also a possible alternative step.
▪︎ They start to loose logical connection to the point of the discussion.
9. What insight do you glean from John 8:56-58?
▪︎ Jesus is God. He existed from the beginning of time. So, naturally He saw Abraham at the time of his life. Heb 11:8-9, 10-11.
▪︎ The Jews and Pharisees, will miss the promises of God that He (Jesus) made to give them a better country, a heavenly one… Heb 11:15-16
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10. Describe the bottom-line situation for those in this discussion with Jesus?
▪︎ They are in the same situation as all men… if you do not repent and trust Christ for you salvation then you are doomed.
▪︎ They may have taken comfort that others are in a more perilous situation than they, but if they did not repent they will also likewise perish (Matt 11:20-24)
▪︎ Life is fleeting and judgement is swift only to those who are building a case for their destruction. Those who are repentant have already settled the issue.