John 8:40-45 (WEL) “But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 “You do the actions of your father.” Then they said to him, “We are not born by sexual sin; we have one Father—God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here, for I did not come on my own, but he sent me. 43 “Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you are not able to bear my message. 44 “You are of your father, the Devil, and you want to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not continued in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he tells it from himself because he is a liar and the father of it. 45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.
V40 “But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
Why do they want to kill him? It is because He speaks the truth, exposes their sins, and reveals the necessity of believing in Him for salvation. These people thought being a descendant of Abraham and keeping the law, they were already saved from God’s wrath. Jesus wanted them to know the truth so that they could be saved.
Principle: We must speak and reveal the truth even if rejected, but don’t intentionally irritate them.
There is also the problem of envy. Compare Mark 15:10 (envy of Jesus), Psalm 106:16 (envy of Moses), Ecclesiastes 4:4 (envy of neighbors), Matthew 21:38 (envy of the landowner’s son (Jesus Christ)), John 11:47-48 (the Pharisees and chief priests who reveal that their motive is envy and loss of power, authority), and Acts 13:45 (envy of Paul’s ministry).
These Jews are very proud that Abraham was their ancestor, so Jesus uses that belief against them: “Abraham did not do this.” Abraham never had a desire to kill God.
V41 “You do the actions of your father.” Then they said to him, “We are not born by sexual sin; we have one Father—God.”
People become like the god they serve. If we have the new heart/creation from God, we will want to glorify God by what we say and what we do. These people are the opposite.
These people think Jesus is one of the devil tools, instead of the reality that they are. They reject truth and believe lies, what they want to believe.
Principle: Deception and rejection of truth have eternal consequences.
We know spiritual reality by a standard of truth. The only standard of 100% truth is the Bible, the 66 books inspired by God. If these people honestly compared their thoughts, desires, words, and deeds with Bible standards, they would know how evil they are.
Psalms 49:18-19 (EHV) “Throughout his life he congratulates himself: “People praise you because you have done so well for yourself.” 19 He will go to the gathering place of his fathers. They will never see the light!”
V42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here, for I did not come on my own, but he sent me.
Principle: What we love will be our priority. It must always be love for God, not self or the world. Compare 1 John 2:15 Do not love this world, or the things in this world. If anyone loves this world, the love for the Father is not in him.
Since they are not born again/born from above, they have only the natural birth with the sin nature. It is only by faith in Jesus alone that one can be born again/born from above and be a new creation in righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Jesus wanted to come but would not unless He had permission.
Principle: If you want to serve God, make sure you have been commissioned by Him.
In the New Testament, we see that the Apostles were commissioned, Paul was commissioned, and all believers as well (John 15:8 and 2 Corinthians 5:20).
V43 “Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you are not able to bear my message.
Why can they not understand? Because most have already made their minds up that they will not believe Jesus. The reward for rejection is more and greater darkness of what is true, free, and blessed by God. Compare Romans 1:18.
Comments:
(Popular New Testament): “What He taught was hateful to them, though it was the truth which He heard from God (John 8:40). This antipathy to the substance of what He said made any recognition of the teaching as bearing on itself manifest tokens of Divine origin impossible.”
(Matthew Henry):
“Even because you cannot hear my word, that is, “You cannot persuade yourselves to hear it attentively, impartially, and without prejudice, as it should be heard.” The meaning of this cannot is an obstinate will not; as the Jews could not hear Stephen (Acts 7:57) nor Paul, Acts 23:22. Note, The rooted antipathy of men’s corrupt hearts to the doctrine of Christ is the true reason of their ignorance of it, and of their errors and mistakes about it. They do not like it nor love it, and therefore they will not understand it; like Peter, who pretended he knew not what the damsel said (Matthew 26:70), when in truth he knew not what to say to it.
V44 “You are of your father, the Devil, and you want to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not continued in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he tells it from himself because he is a liar and the father of it.
We learn some things about the devil:
- He is father to those who have not believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ through faith in Christ.
- The devil has lusts/desires, so these people have those same lusts.
- The devil was a murderer from the beginning (the Creation of Genesis 1 and 2), so these want to kill Jesus, God the Son, Messiah.
- He left truth and has no use for it, just like these people. The only time the devil tells the truth is to deceive or manipulate people.
- He has no truth whatsoever in his being.
- He is the originator of his lies. Some theologies believe God decrees all sins, so beware and flee such theology.
- He is a liar.
- He is the first liar (a father of a philosophy, trend, etc.).
V45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.
Since they are in alignment with the devil’s ways, they refuse to believe in Jesus, which is just like the devil who refuses.
Principle: There are eternal consequences for rejecting truth.
We learn:
- One of the principles of why people reject Jesus and His offering of salvation—they love their sin.
- Jesus is God and always tells the truth.
- The devil always lies by distortion, doubts, flattery, etc.
Questions:
- Which life do you want to live—the ways of God or of the devil?
- How important is it to tell the truth?