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above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

26 I have many things to say, and to judge of you: but he that sent me, is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.

27 They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28 Then said Jesus unto

above; I am from heaven, and my disposition and aims correspond to my origin. For the meaning of the terms above and beneath, see Col. 3: 2. Jesus immediately repeated the same thought in other words. Thus the Saviour declared that they were destitute of pious, heavenly feelings, and were exposed to be rejected from heaven. Their refusing to enter into his views, and their whole treatment of him, sufficiently showed what spirit they were of.

24. I am he; I am the Messiah, whom I profess to be.

25. From the beginning. Jesus had, from the commencement of his public ministry, claimed to be the Messiah, the One that was to come from the Father. This claim he still and constantly maintained. The word translated from the beginning, is also by some translated altogether, most truly. The Saviour intended to say most solemnly, and in a tone of strong assurance, "throughout and entirely, I am what I have declared myself to be."

26. I have many things to say, and to judge, &c. The idea is, You give me just occasion to say much more

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them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

respecting you, and to pronounce an unfavorable decision concerning you. || But, &c. But notwithstanding your improper treatment of me, I have God's judgment in my favor; and his testimony ought to be regarded by you as valid. || And I speak to the world, &c. The truths also which I communicate are precisely such as he gave me to impart.

28. Shall have lifted up the Son of man. Jesus here alluded to his expected crucifixion. See 12: 32, 33. Compare, also, 3:14. || That I am he; that I am the Messiah, that it is I who was promised to the nation. The death and resurrection of Jesus were to furnish signal evidence of his being really the Messiah. Compare Matt. 12: 38-40. Rom. 1: 4. || 1 do nothing of myself; that is, by my own authority, distinct from that of the Father.

31. Continue in my word; be steadfast in adhering to my doctrine.

32. Ye shall know the truth, ye shall have a right discernment of what is true, and you will inwardly feel the truth of my doctrines. Compare 7: 17. Shall make you free;

33 They answered him, We be | soever committeth sin, is the Abraham's seed, and were never servant of sin.

in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Who

from the bondage of ignorance, of error, and of sin.

33. They answered him. The word they does not relate to those who had just declared their conviction that he was the Messiah (v. 30), and on whom he had enjoined a continued attachment to him. It is used in a general manner, as we often use it, equivalent to the people; and it refers to some then standing by, who were disposed to cavil at his language We be Abraham's seed, &c. They spurned the thought that they, descendants of Abraham, to whom such promises had been made, should be represented as needing to be set free, as though they were in bondage. The nation had indeed been in subjection to the Egyptians and to the Chaldeans, and had been dependent on other powers, and even then were in subjection to the Romans. But their lofty spirit could not bear, that their subjection should be called bondage, and that it should be distinctly charged on them. As the Saviour, however, was speaking to a few individuals merely, they probably thought of personal servitude, of being bond slaves to some master, in the same way that in past ages they had had domestic slaves from among foreigners. The people then present had never been in such bondage. Though the Saviour did not mean such bondage, yet the Jews were disposed to cavil, and to put an unfavorable construction on his words.

34, 35. Jesus answered, &c. Jesus proceeded to state distinctly that he spoke of a bondage to sin, and of their being in spiritual bondage. Moreover, though they might boast of belonging to the family of God, they were not in reality his children,

35 And the servant abideth

not in the house forever, but the son abideth ever.

36 If the Son therefore shall

and would not be allowed to possess the privileges of children; but, being slaves to sin, they would be cut off from the privileges which they now enjoyed, just as a slave, or a servant, is not entitled to a permanent connection with a family as an own child is, but may, whenever it seems best to the master of the family, be removed to another situation.

35. And the servant abideth not in the house forever. A servant has not the right of a permanent connection with the family; his connection is liable to be sundered, and he cannot claim, as his right, a lasting abode in the family — such a lasting abode pertains to children, to those that are free.

The house; the family. || Forever; a general term, indicating an indefinite length of time, continually, perpetually. A servant's connection with a family is liable to be only temporary; it is a son, a child, that enjoys the privilege of permanent connection. Those Jews, being servants, being in bondage (that is, to sin), could not justly claim the privileges which pertain only to children; and, however they might pride themselves on belonging to the family of God, they would soon be cut off from it, even in respect to external acknowledgment. The son; the son of a family. The Messiah is not here meant by this word. Jesus merely employed an illustration drawn from usages with which the Jews were acquainted.

36. If the Son, therefore, &c. The word Son here means the Messiah himself. Jesus declared to the Jews that they stood in need of being res cued from bondage, and that they could be rescued only by the Messiah, by himself. Should they receive from

make you free, ye shall be free | Jesus saith unto them, If ye indeed. were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father.

him freedom, their freedom would be indeed worthy of the name; they could obtain true liberty only by becoming his disciples.

37. Ye are Abraham's seed; the natural posterity of Abraham. || But ye seek to kill me, because, &c. The Saviour here showed that, though they were the natural posterity of Abraham, yet they did not resemble him in character; they were not his spiritual children; for they cherished a malicious disposition towards Jesus, through dislike of his instructions. My word; my instructions.

40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

they sought to avoid the conclusion to which the language of Jesus was conducting them. If ye were Abraham's children; his children, in the truly valuable sense of that expression, his spiritual children, like him in character, and entitled to such blessings as he enjoyed. Works of Abraham; works like Abraham's. Ye would be like him in your conduct.

40. Ye seek to kill me, a man, &c.; ye indulge a murderous spirit towards me, who am declaring truth from God.

38. With my Father; that is, God. With your father; that is, Satan. See v. 44. As if Jesus had said, While the instructions which I communicate are in perfect accordance with the will of my Father, you act in accordance with the will of Satan, in disliking and rejecting my instructions. In respect to character, my Father and your father are entirely opposite, just as I and you are entire-ine children of God. The terms adully opposite. Jesus was thus gradually bringing them to see that he regarded them as exceedingly sinful, and utterly opposed to God, and resembling the evil one.

41. Deeds of your father; you manifest a spirit and perform acts like those of your father, the devil. The Jews now saw plainly to what 1 conclusion Jesus was leading them, and they resolutely maintained that they were genuine children of God, that their Father and Abraham's Father was one and the same. || We be not born of fornication; we are genu

39. Abraham is our father. Mention having been made of their father, they at once called to mind Abraham, as the father of the nation, of whom they so much boasted. And their claim of him as their father implied the claim of being like him, and of being entitled to the divine favor. Thus

tery and fornication are frequently used in the Bible to signify apostasy from God, and an adopting of idolatry. The Jews, then, in their reply to Jesus, maintained that they had not apostatized from God, that they were not idolaters, that they had not descended from idolaters, but that, like Abraham, they were genuine children of God, not a spurious offspring. || One Father; one and the same Father; we have the same Father that Abraham had.

42 Jesus said unto them, If 1 God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth; because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

42. If God were your Father, &c. Jesus denied that they were true children of God. Their treatment of him, though he came from God and by the authority of God, sufficiently proved that their spirit was entirely at variance with God.

43. My speech; what I am saying. || Cannot hear; cannot hear with approbation; cannot receive. ||My word; my instructions. The spirit which the Jews were indulging was so entirely hostile to the character and the teaching of Jesus, that they could not approve him.

44. Lusts; evil desires. Jesus proceeds to mention two characteristics of the devil, in which the Jews resembled him, and proved themselves to be his children, rather than children of God. These two characteristics are, a murderous spirit, and a dislike of the truth. Their desires to put Jesus to death, and their dislike of his doctrines, constituted their resemblance to Satan. He was a murderer from the beginning. It was he who, in the beginning of the human race, tempted our first parent, and thus subjected men to death. || Abode not in the truth; departed from the truth, and beguiled Eve by falsehood. See Gen. 3:4. There is no truth |

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

47 He that is of God, heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?

49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honor my Father, and ye do dishonor me.

in him; no veracity, no love of truth. No dependence can be placed on what he says. He speaketh of his own; he speaketh in accordance with his own nature and character, according to his own heart. || Father of it; father of lying.

45. Because I tell you the truth, &c. As Satan loves not truth, so ye believe me not, because I declare the truth. Should I declare false religious sentiments, and profess to be the Messiah according to your false views of the character and designs of the Messiah, ye would believe me.

46. Convinceth me of sin? The word sin refers here particularly to what would be wrong in respect to the teaching and the claims of Jesus, and is equivalent to error and deception. The inquiry which our Lord proposed is, Which of you can convict me, can prove me to have been guilty, of erroneous and deceptive teaching, or of any departure from truth?

47. He that is of God; a child of God. Compare v. 44. || God's words; instructions delivered by the authori ty, and with the approbation, of God.

48. Thou art a Samaritan. An expression of bitter reproach. The Sa maritans were abhorred by the Jews Compare 7: 20.

50 And I seek not mine own glory there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

me, of whom ye say, that he is your God.

55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

56 Your father Abraham re

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou say-joiced to see my day: and he est, If a man keep my saying, saw it, and was glad. he shall never taste of death.

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

54 Jesus answered, If. I honor myself, my honor is nothing: it is my Father that honoreth

50. I seek not mine own glory. Though you greatly dishonor me, yet I am not solicitous about my own glory, nor shall I turn from my appropriate course in order to take vengeance on you. The vindication of my honor I leave to another, to my Father. There is one that seeketh; there is one (my Father) who will seek my glory, and vindicate my honor. And judgeth; that is, judgeth you; who will condemn you, while he vindicates me.

51. My saying; my doctrine. || Never see death; shall never die, but shall live forever. In this manner, Jesus again solemnly declared himself to be the Saviour, and required faith in him, and obedience to him, in order to the possession of eternal life. See v. 12. 7: 37, 38. Compare 6: 50, 54, 57, 58.

52. Now we know, &c. Again the Jews misunderstood, or affected to misunderstand, his language; they applied to natural death what he had spoken concerning spiritual and eternal death.

54. If I honor myself, &c. The Jews had just cast reproach on him as one claiming great honor for himself,

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

59 Then took they up stones

pretending to be greater than Abraham and the prophets. Jesus tacitly assents that he is far greater than Abraham and the prophets, but yet he remarks that he is not solicitous to vindicate himself from the reproaches of the Jews. The honor which he has, and the vindication which is due to him, proceed not from himself, but from the Father. Compare v. 50.

55. Ye have not known him; you have not a just knowledge of his character. Keep his saying; adhere to the instructions which he gave me. Compare vs. 28, 38.

56. Rejoiced to see my day; rejoiced that he could, by faith in the promises of God, and by a believing anticipation of the future, see and enjoy the time when I should be blessing the world. God had promised to Abraham that, through his posterity, all the families of the earth should be blessed; he believed this promise, and, by anticipation, enjoyed its fulfilment.

58. Before Abraham was, I am. Compare 1: 1, 2, 15, 30. 3:13. 17: 5, 24. Col. 1:17.

59. Jesus hid himself. He turned away from those with whom he had

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