They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. 41 You are doing the works of your father!” [So] they said to him, “We are not illegitimate. 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; I did not come on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Can any of you charge me with sin? If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not listen, because you do not belong to God.”
The Jews indignantly insisted that Abraham was their father and Jesus told them that if Abraham was their father they would be doing his deeds not doing the work of their father by trying to kill God’s messenger who speaks truth. The Jews protested and angrily told Jesus that God was their Father and they were not illegitimate, that is born in immorality like the Gentiles (1 Thess. 4:3, 5). If they were legitimate heirs of Abraham, then Jesus would be illegitimate. Since they did not believe Jesus or understand what he was telling them, his words offended them, and they were trying to kill him. Their father was the devil (1 Jn. 3:8-12) and they were carrying out their father’s desires.
The devil was a murderer, a reference to Cain and Abel (Gen 4:1-16), and a liar (Gen 3:1-7) from the beginning. Truth comes from God but deceit, lies, and death come from the devil. Jesus cannot be convicted of any sin but blindness to Jesus is the sin of the Jews. Whoever belongs to God accepts the one sent from God and believes his words. They love him and understand what he is saying. The word of God, as spoken through the Son, gives life which neither Abraham nor the prophets could do.
Almighty God, send your spirit of truth upon your servants so that your word may enter our hearts and give us life. Cleanse us of all lies and deceit that convict us and lead us to everlasting life. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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