The Strand Study Bible

JOHN 8:40

JOHN 8:57

1743

40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God : this did not Abraham . 41 Ye do the deeds of your father . Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understandmy speech ? even because ye cannot hear my word . Genesis 3:15 in action - Enmiity between Satan’s seed and her SEED 44 Ye are of 1 your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and 2 abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a 3 liar , and the father of it . 45 And because I tell you the truth , ye believe me not . 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin ? And if I say the truth, why do ye not be- lieve me ? 47 He that is of 4 G O D heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God . 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a

Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil ; but I honour my Father , and ye do dishonour me . 50 And I seek not mine own glory : there is one that seeketh and judgeth . 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see 5 death . 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. 6 Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him ; but I know him : and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him , and keep his saying . Abraham foresaw the time of the coming of CHRIST 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see 7 MY day : 8 and he saw it , and was 9 glad . 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

1. Mt 13:36-38 & 23:15 & Acts 13:10 & Eph 2:2-3 & I Jn 3:8-12 2. Isa 14:12-17 & Ezk 28:12-17 3. Gen 3:4,13 4. Isa 6:3a & 42:8 & 48:14 5. that is, “the second death; spiritual death” - Lk 12:4-5 & Rev 20:14-15 & 21:8 & Jn 5:24 6. Gen 25:7-8 7. or, “my day of redemption - Gen 22:8 8. Gen 15:5-6 & Rom 4:1-5 & Gal 3:6-8 9. Acts 2:25-27

8:40,41 It is not uncommon for “religious” believers to sacrifice others ( But now ye seek to kill me – vs 40) in order to preserve their own self-image of perfection ( We be not born of fornication – vs 41). Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897), kindly known as “The Little Flower of Jesus,” when speaking of what it meant to be a Christian, once noted: If you are willing to serenely bear the trial of being displeasing to yourself, then you will be for Jesus a pleasant place of shelter. 1 Meaning: Real Christianity looks into the mirror of the Word of God ( Amos 7:7 ) and sees only their own wretchedness, not the wretchedness of others. 8:44 The Devil’s chief weapon is deception ( for he is a liar ). Satan would rather peddle a lie than peddle dope. He knows full well that “thought” is the father of “deed.” 8:47 If you don’t know who G O D is ( Gen 1:1c ), how are you going to recognize His voice when He speaks? Jesus said, “ He that is of God heareth God’s words .” When the Jews under Judaism rejected Jesus’ claim to deity (that is, they rejected who God is – Jn 5:17-18 & 8:57-59 & 10:30-33), they closed their ears to what God was saying. In order to insure that the voice that we are hearing is truly God’s voice, we must know who God is ( II Sam 24:1 ). 8:56 People like Abraham (Gal 3:6-8), Adam and Eve (Gen 3:15,21), Moses (Heb 4:1-2 & 11:24-27), David (Acts 2:29-31), Isaiah (Rom 10:13-16), and others before and after them (Acts 3:20-24 & 7:51-52 & 10:42-43 and Mt 13:16-17), all rejoiced to one day see the redemptive work of the promised OT MESSIAH ( Lk 2:25,38 ). NOTE - While it is true that many of the OT saints may not have understood the actual death, burial and resurrection of CHRIST ( Lk 18:34 and I Pet 1:10 a ), it is also true that every OT saint understood the “facts” behind the death, burial and resurrection of CHRIST , and it is the “facts” behind the Gospel that save a person ( I Cor 15:1 ). 1 Saint Therese of Lisieux quote