John 8:42-47 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I have come. I did not come by my own accord, but that one who sent me. 43Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you are not able to hear my word. 44You are of your father the devil, and you want to do your father’s desires. That one was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks, it is a lie because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. 46Who among you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not from God.”
Verse 42 begins with a key theological statement in the form of a conditional sentence followed by the reason. The protasis of the condition expresses relationship. The Jews claimed God as their father, but that was in name only based on their heritage, which could be traced all the way back to Abraham. They basically built their faith on family ties and religious observation. They grew up in religion and practiced this religion but failed to follow this religion’s core values.
The apodosis gives proof that the first part is indeed true. The key idea of the whole sentence is loving Jesus. Those who claim to believe in God must also love Jesus. Love (ēgapate) is an important word in John’s writings because it was one of the key themes of Jesus’ teachings. Love is shown through believing in who Jesus is and obeying what he taught. We show we love Jesus by walking in his light and living like him.
Jesus gives the basis or reason to love him in the last part of the sentence. He is worthy of our love because he is the full revelation of God. The key theme of John’s Gospel is repeated. The Son came to earth to reveal the Father. The primary problem of the Jews was that they did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. They did not recognize and accept God’s power in him. He was right in front of them talking, but they could not see through the cloud of disbelief. Jesus explains their problem more in the following verses.
Verse 43 expresses the big problem: they refused to hear (akouein) Jesus’ word. In this verse, hearing is more than listening to Jesus’ teachings but requires accepting his claims in faith and obedience. Their understanding was influenced by their faith. Faith and understanding go together; faith must be supported by understanding, and understanding but be started by and lead to faith. Verse 43 indicates that the Jews’ problem was not only cognitive but much more spiritual. The Jews were acting like the devil. Since the Jews did not satisfy the condition of loving Jesus given in verse 42, they must have another father. There are only two fathers: God or the devil. If a person is not with God, he or she is with the devil. Jesus gives an insight into the character of the devil. The devil is a murderer and seeks to destroy life, which is what the Jews were trying to do with Jesus. The devil also lies and is full of deceit. The Jewish leaders were acting like the devil by not believing in the truth of Jesus and leading others astray by their rejection.
If they claimed God as their Father, they needed to live by God’s character of truth, which is what Jesus was doing. The Jews accused Jesus of lying but were themselves deceived and caught in the great lies of the devil. Jesus did not sin (Hebrews 4:15), and the Jews could find no sin in him to condemn him. They had to trump up false charges. Jesus told the truth and thus did not sin. The Jews were the opposite and stuck in a lie. The consequence of rejecting the Son is judgment. Verse 47 expresses the fundamental choice the Jews needed to make and what all people must make. The choice is in our lap; we can accept God’s words as expressed by Jesus and thus align ourselves with God and have him as our Father, or we can reject God’s words through Jesus and have the devil as our father.
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