Reading the Bible Together

Passages for the Day

 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Those who love their life will lose it, while those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

27 ”Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

Points of interest:

·         ‘there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship’—these Greeks may or may not have been precisely from Greece.  Greek was the dominant culture of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, and anyone heavily influenced by that culture might be called ‘Greek.’  It was used by the Jews as a (probably more culturally sensitive) synonym for ‘Gentile.’  Nonetheless, these Greeks seem like a small down-payment on Isaiah’s promise (66:19-20) that someday Libyans, Lydians, Tubalians, and Greeks would stream to Jerusalem.

·         ‘They came to Philip’—I guess Philip is acting as Jesus’ handler, or his bouncer.

·         ‘who was from Bethsaida in Galilee’—unlike most of the disciples, Philip—while a Jew—has a Greek name; his hometown is also near some primarily Gentile towns (IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament).  So, perhaps he’s a bit more accessible to these Greeks than the other disciples.

·         ‘Philip went to tell Andrew’—apparently, Philip doesn’t quite know what to do with these Greeks’ request; so he consults with another of Jesus’ disciples.

·         ‘if it dies, it produces many seeds’—apparently, their understanding of how seeds work is a little different from ours, but I think we get the point: a seed is only one seed, until it’s planted; then it produces many seeds.  Jesus’ life is just the small start to something big.

·         ‘the prince of this world will be driven out’—in the Psalms, David spoke of the nations’ deep longing for justice and good government.  To bring that good rule, Jesus must get rid of an ill-intentioned prince who currently controls the world. 

·         ‘when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself’—this is a surprise twist on Isaiah’s banner (11:12).  The banner is actually Jesus’ body hanging from the cross.

Taking it home:

·         For you:  Do ever feel insecure? Maybe that pressing sense that if you just had this or that—that promotion, that sense of calling, that dissertation, that new car, that perfect group of friends, that smaller-sized waistline—then everything would be okay, and you could finally rest assured?  When Jesus recommends hating our lives, I don’t think he has walking around in misery in mind.  Rather, I think he’s talking about saying a firm, ‘No’ to that restless pursuit of security through some particular plan.  Somehow, ‘Loving this life’ can quickly become ‘trusting this life’ and getting our security from there.  Confess to God the specific things about which you feel insecure (I know I know, no fun…who wants to get in touch with their insecurity?) and ask him that, in spite of that feeling, you would come to know his security.

·         For your six: Have any of your six experienced a recent death of any sort?  It may be a literal death of a friend or family member, but could also be a closed door to a dream they had, an ending to a career endeavor, the failure of a particular goal, etc.  Pray for God’s comfort in the pain and disappointment of that death and that somehow through and out of the loss new life, possibilities and open doors would emerge?

.        For America: The Greeks coming to Philip, Philip coming to Andrew and then them both going to Jesus demonstrates an interdependence in spiritual pursuits and shows the power of diverse people groups interacting in the same place.  Pray today for more common ground—for more spaces where diverse groups of people mingle, interact and can come to the table on common terms and pursue God together.  Specifically pray for friendships, open doors and dialogues between followers of Jesus and both atheists and Muslims.

¹⁶ This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the LORD.

¹⁷ They keep saying to those who despise me,
‘The LORD says: You will have peace.’
And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’

¹⁸ But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?

¹⁹ See, the storm of the LORD
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.

²⁰ The anger of the LORD will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.

²¹ I did not send these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.

²² But if they had stood in my council,
they would have proclaimed my words to my people
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.

²³ “Am I only a God nearby,”
declares the LORD,
“and not a God far away?

²⁴ Who can hide in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the LORD.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”
declares the LORD.

²⁵ “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ ²⁶ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? ²⁷ They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship. ²⁸ Let the prophets who have dreams tell their dreams, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD. ²⁹ “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

³⁰ “Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. ³¹ Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’ ³² Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD.

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.

¹ I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.

² When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.

³ I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.

⁴ You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.

⁵ I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;

⁶ I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

⁷ “Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?

⁸ Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?

⁹ Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”

¹⁰ Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

¹² I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

¹³ Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?

¹⁴ You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.

¹⁵ With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

¹⁶ The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.

¹⁷ The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.

¹⁸ Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.

¹⁹ Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.

²⁰ You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Passages for the Day

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

    7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

    9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

    10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

    11 ”Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”

    13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

    15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

    16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

    17 ”I have no husband,” she replied.

    Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

    19 ”Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

    21 ”Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

    25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

    26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Points of interest:

·         ‘he had to go through Samaria’—Samaria is the Roman-era name of the area Isaiah called ‘Ephraim.’.  The tensions that always existed between the people of Ephraim and of Judah became far worse in the aftermath of the exile.  First of all, Samaritan opposition was to a large extent responsible for the post-exilic delays in rebuilding the Jerusalem temple.  Secondly, the two people were drastically affected by the different exile strategies used by the Babylonians and the Assyrians.  The Babylonians exiled their conquered people, like the Jews, in homogeneous groups; but the Assyrians scattered their conquered people, like the Ephraimites, in small groups around their empire.  The Ephraimites therefore did much more intermarrying with other people; and many other people were brought to Ephraim to mix with the remaining Ephraimites.  So, while the Jews remained relatively distinct ethnically and pure religiously, the Samaritans were a very mixed group.  The Jews looked at the Samaritans as heretical mutts, and the Samaritans resented it.

·         ‘How can you ask me for a drink?’—as you might be able to guess from my previous note, Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate.  A Jew would never ask a Samaritan for anything, and a Samaritan wouldn’t be inclined to give it.

·         ‘If you knew the gift of God’—Jesus is not only willing to ask something of this Samaritan woman, he’s even willing to give her something far more valuable.

·         ‘Are you greater than our father Jacob’—Jacob is the common ancestor of the Jews and the Samaritans.  The woman is giving Jesus a little dig by pointing out that her people’s history is just as ancient, and just as connected to Abraham’s blessings, as the Jews’ history.

·         ‘you have had five husbands’—this would have been very rare, and quite scandalous.

·         ‘I can see that you are a prophet’—the woman steers the attention away from her personal life and toward a theological dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans.

·         ‘neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem’—given the centrality of Jerusalem, even in the prophecies about the nations we’ve been reading, this is quite a radical thing for Jesus to say.

·         ‘salvation is from the Jews’—‘from the Jews’ but not necessarily only ‘for the Jews.’  Jerusalem and the house of David play a unique role in God’s plan, but as God had told Abraham it’s a plan meant to bless the whole world.

·         ‘in the Spirit and in truth’—it’s not where you worship, or what rules you follow, that will ultimately be important.  Jesus is about to do something that empowers anyone, anywhere to connect truly with God in a new way.

Taking it home:

·         For you:  The Samaritan woman came to Jesus with a pretty clear and defined picture of how she could interact with him and what he could do for her. I wonder if it’s ever the same for us—that maybe we come to God with some rigid unspoken limitations about what he will and will not do in our lives.  Are there things in life that you just expect will always go the same, your lot in life that God could never change: ‘I will always fail’; ‘I’ll always be single’; ‘I can’t ever break that habit’; ‘I can never trust people’; ‘God won’t ever speak to me’? Consider that Jesus, just like with the Samaritan woman, might want to exceed what you expect he can do in your life.

·         For your six: Are any of your six in some complicated relationship situations—with spouses, ex-spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc? The Samaritan woman demonstrates that relationship difficulties are anything but new.  Pray that their relationships would go well and that God would heal any consistent destructive patterns or wounds that have resulted from relationships gone bad.

·         For America: Jesus didn’t get hung up on the myriad of details—the life-circumstances, religious preferences, socio-cultural-gender specificities—regarding the Samaritan woman; he simply cared about people who would worship him in Spirit and in truth. Pray today that we wouldn’t get hung up on details (even really important-seeming ones), but that we as a nation would find ways of pointing ourselves simply toward Jesus.

⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jesus’ Claims About Himself

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

⁴⁹ “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

⁵² At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵ Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

⁵⁸ “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” ⁵⁹ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Paul’s Anguish Over Israel

¹ I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— ² I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, ⁴ the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. ⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

⁶ It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. ⁷ Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” ⁸ In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. ⁹ For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁰ Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. ¹¹ Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: ¹² not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴ What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. ¹⁷ For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Lying Prophets

⁹ Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.
I am like a drunken man,
like one overcome by wine,
because of the LORD
and his holy words.

¹⁰ The land is full of adulterers;
because of the curse the land lies parched
and the pastures in the wilderness are withered.
The [prophets] follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.

¹¹ “Both prophet and priest are godless;
even in my temple I find their wickedness,”
declares the LORD.

¹² “Therefore their path will become slippery;
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,”
declares the LORD.

¹³ “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.

¹⁴ And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:
They commit adultery and live a lie.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that none of them turn from their wickedness.
They are all like Sodom to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”

¹⁵ Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.

¹ God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.

² His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.

³ There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.

⁴ You are resplendent with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game.

⁵ The valiant lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.

⁶ At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot lie still.

⁷ It is you alone who are to be feared.
Who can stand before you when you are angry?

⁸ From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared and was quiet—

⁹ when you, God, rose up to judge,
to save all the afflicted of the land.

¹⁰ Surely your wrath against human beings brings you praise,
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.

¹¹ Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them;
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts to the One to be feared.

¹² He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.

Passage for the Day                            

 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 ”Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. 
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

Points of interest:

·         ‘the region of Tyre and Sidon’—like the region of the Gerasenes from yesterday’s passage, Tyre and Sidon are nearby Gentile cities. 

·         ‘A Canaanite woman from that vicinity’—you may remember that the Canaanites were the nation the Israelites destroyed and drove out to take possession of the Promised Land.

·         ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me’—this is a strange thing for the woman to call Jesus.  I don’t think David would have been a king the Canaanites usually remembered fondly.  Somehow, though, this Canaanite woman sees Jesus as Isaiah’s ‘shoot from Jesse,’ and she celebrates this second coming of David.

·         ‘take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs’—‘dogs’ was a common ethnic slur the Jews of Jesus’ time used for Gentiles.  To put it mildly, it’s disturbing to hear Jesus using a racial slur.  It may have something to do with Jesus’ intriguing practice of speaking in riddles (called ‘parables’) to test people’s trust and interest.  Perhaps Jesus is giving this woman a—very difficult, I must say—parable.

·         ‘Even the dogs eat the crumbs’—the woman passes the test with flying colors.  She takes Jesus’ parable, and makes it her own. 

·         ‘you have great faith!’—she does indeed have great faith; she’s willing to take the crumbs from Jesus, because she knows that just the crumbs will be enough.  Jesus’ opinion of her—or at least the words he uses about her—radically change.  His attention is shifted from her ethnicity to something he finds far more important: her faith.

·         ‘Great crowds came to him’—from Mark’s version of this same story, we know that Jesus is still in a Gentile area.  Apparently, the Canaanite woman is not alone.  Many of these ‘foreigners’ want what Jesus has to offer.

·         ‘they praised the God of Israel’—they may not be the ‘lost sheep of Israel’ but they recognize and honor Israel’s God.

·         ‘I do not want to send them away hungry’—Jesus’ tune has radically changed.  He goes from saying, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread,’ to, ‘I do not want to send them away hungry.’  The Canaanite woman’s faith not only leads to her daughter’s healing, but to a huge outpouring of generosity toward her entire people.

·         ‘They all ate and were satisfied’—this reminds me of the ‘feast of rich foods for all peoples’ from Isaiah 25 (March 17^th).

·         ‘the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over’—indeed, just as the Canaanite woman said, the crumbs are more than enough.

Taking it home:

·         For you:  Is there an area of your life in which you feel particularly under-resourced?  Where what you have doesn’t seem to line up anywhere close with what is needed, like the disciples when they realized all they had to work with was 7 loaves of bread and 2 fish? Take a moment to take stock of what you do have and ask God to multiply it—whether it be your time, energy, sleep, patience, creativity or financial resources.  Ask that what you have would, by God’s power, turn out to be more than enough.

·         For your six: While it definitely took some persistence on the Caananite woman’s part, it’s noteworthy that in the end her request is granted. Let’s embrace the persistent spirit of the Caananite woman, sending some extra prayers God’s way on behalf of our six.  Let’s ask that God would in fact grant our six any of their smallest requests, and that he would respond to any hopes or words that they have ever lifted up to him.

·         For America:  If feeding several thousand people is just a nonchalant afternoon activity for Jesus, what’s to stop us from believing that over 40 days God could move miraculously among several hundreds of thousands of people in America? Ask God that lots and lots (and lots) of people in America would come to him—that they would form crowds around him and all feel like they ‘ate and were satisfied’. 

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would ^[b] do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹ You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. ⁴³ Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”