John 8:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

NIV: Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!

NASB: But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me.

CSB: Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

NLT: So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!

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

NKJV: But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.

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; John 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; John 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 is a passage which dovetails with John 2:13–22, where Jesus drives 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!''

John chapter 8 includes 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. This chapter 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. Eventually, Jesus' opponents are enraged enough to attempt killing Him right then and there.

Jesus is attending the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem, and has once again come into conflict with the local religious authorities. In the previous chapter, Jesus referred to Himself as a source of living water, playing off of the festivals' ritual pouring of water in the temple. In this chapter, Jesus will use the imagery of lights, also related to festival traditions. This chapter 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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.