John 8:39-47--You Are of Your Father the Devil

John 8:39-47
English Standard Version

You Are of Your Father the Devil
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

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This is the culmination of The Great Paternity Debate that we've been talking about over the past several days.  The Jews will come back to claiming that Abraham is their Father, feeling that somehow gives them special privilege by way of the Abrahamic Covenant.  Jesus then says that it's not your earthly parents that are going to matter in the end, but who your spiritual father is, and just like in real life, children look and act like their parents.  Jesus says that if these Jews were children of Abraham, they would be doing what Abraham did--believing in God by faith. 

The Jews don't like the message, so they attack the messenger and say that they were not born of sexual immorality (imply that Jesus was) so they know exactly who their earthly fathers are.  Each one of these men could give you their entire pedigree to establish that they were from the right tribe and the right clan and that there were no "black sheep" in their families.  They then change tactics and say that their real father is God the Father, who they view as the Creator of all things, so He is Father to everyone and everything.

Jesus doesn't give them a pass on this one either.  He says that if God was their Father, they would be doing what God the Father does and love the Son of God, and they would love the Son of God because He came from the Father.  Jesus then "goes nuclear" and says the reason they don't understand what He says and that they don't love Him is because they area children of their father the devil, and they act just like him.  It is their desire to do their father's will and that is he is a murderer, one void of all truth, and one who does not tolerate when others speak truth.  Lies are his native tongue and he is a liar from the beginning and the father of lies--this is his nature, his character, his identity.  Jesus is saying to them that this is their nature, their character and their identity too!  The reason they will not hear or listen is that they are not of God!

Notice how He also says that the fact that they are plotting to murder Jesus is evidence they are children of the devil and not children of Abraham or children of God.  The very one that they should not only love but listen to, obey and worship is the one that they are trying to assassinate.

Jesus says it is simply because He tells the truth about who God is, who man is and who He Himself is that they refuse to listen to Him, and like their father the devil they cannot handle the truth.  If Jesus spoke lies to them to tell them that they were all good people and God accepted them just the way they were then they would all love Him.  Look at the preachers and teachers of the day that are popular and that the media loves to talk to.  Are they the ones that preach a message of repentance or the ones that say the things that tickle people's ears so that they are told what they want to hear?  Be careful of this as the apostle Paul warns of men that will no longer endure sound teaching, but will want to have their itching ears tickled by the preachers to tell them what they want to hear--the things that are in line with their own passions and lusts.  Jesus is talking to such men in this passage and they don't like being confronted with that truth that they are part of the wrong kingdom and are serving the wrong king.

2 Timothy 4:1-5
English Standard Version

Preach the Word
4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

So, "Who's your daddy?"  Who do you look like and act like?  Do you act like Father Abraham, God the Father, or do you look and act like the devil?  Those who call themselves "Christians" are saying by using this name that they should look and act like Christ, as that is what the term originally meant--it was meant as a slur to say that someone thought they were a "little Christ."  We have taken that which was meant to be a slur and should wear it with a badge of honor, because we definitely should look and act like Jesus. 

Even with this "mic drop" moment, this is not the end of the debate.  We'll continue with one more article about it tomorrow when Jesus will make one of His clearest "I AM" statements, and it is clear to the Jews exactly what He says.  They were already really mad at Him and wanted to kill Him, but Jesus would say the one thing that they believed would give them just cause to stone Him to death on the spot, and that's exactly what they will try to do tomorrow.