Jesus is hammering His critics for their hypocrisy. While they profess to be sons of Abraham, their actions contradict that claim. Children follow the nature of their fathers, doing what their fathers do (John 8:39). So, those who are "true sons" of Abraham should be obeying God (John 8:40). Instead, these men are being dishonest (John 8:13–15), violent (John 5:18; 8:59), and obstinate (John 8:43). This suggests that their spiritual father is, in fact, one marked by lies and murder and rebellion: the Devil (John 8:44).

In prior verses, Jesus has pointed out that a person's willingness to accept God always comes before their ability to understand. Those who will not obey cannot understand. In other words, they do not reject God because they don't grasp His message—they fail to grasp the message because they don't want to accept it. Here, Jesus more or less says the same thing, for a third time in this gospel (John 7:17; 8:43). The reason these men reject His words is because they prefer lies, and since what Jesus says is true, they are committed to ignore it.

John 8:31–59 dovetails with John 2:13–22. There, Jesus drove corrupt businessmen from the temple. These Scriptures disprove any myths that Jesus was weak, timid, passive, or soft. In this exchange with the Pharisees, Jesus pulls no punches. Jerusalem's religious leaders, and their followers, continue to resist Jesus' preaching. They rely on arrogance and insults, to which Jesus responds with blunt, unfiltered condemnation. This culminates in Jesus making an overt statement of His own divinity, punctuating the debate by declaring ''before Abraham was, I am!''

This begins with the story of the adulterous woman, a well-known but controversial passage. Most scholars believe this story is authentic, but not originally found in this exact spot in Scripture. The rest of chapter 8 continues Jesus' preaching during the Feast of Booths, where He once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. Here, Christ will make His second ''I am" statement, using the analogy of light, which is a common theme in Hebrew theology. This conversation will become more and more heated. Jesus' opponents become so enraged that they attempt to kill Him right then and there.

Jesus is attending the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. There He once again conflicts with local religious authorities. Previously, Jesus referred to Himself as a source of living water (John 7:37–38). That built on the festival's ritual pouring of water in the temple. In this chapter, Jesus will do something similar with the imagery of lights also related to festival traditions. This demonstrates Jesus' willingness to be direct, even aggressive, with His critics. The next few chapters will complete Jesus' public ministry, as He prepares for His impending death.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

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