John 8:19-51

¹⁹Then they said to Him, “Where is your father?” Jesus answered: “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me you would also know my Father.”

²⁰Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, while teaching in the temple; yet no one arrested Him, because His time had not yet come.

²¹Then Jesus said to them again: “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.”

²²So the Jews said, “He won't kill himself, will he, since he says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”

²³He said to them: “You are from below; I am from Above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

²⁴That is why I told you that you will die in your sins, because if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins.”

²⁵So they said to Him, “Who are you?” And Jesus said to them: “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

²⁶I have many things to say and to judge about you, but He who sent me is true, and what I myself have heard from Him—these things I say to the world.”

²⁷They did not understand that He was speaking to them about the Father.

²⁸Then Jesus said to them: “When you lift up the Son of the Man, then you will know that I am and that I do nothing from myself; but just as my Father has taught me, these things I speak.

²⁹And the One who sent me is with me. The Father has not left me alone, because I always do the things that please Him.”

³⁰While He was saying these things many believed into Him.

³¹So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed Him: “If you abide in my word, you really are my disciples;

³²and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free.”

³³They answered and said to Him: “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?”

³⁴Jesus answered them: “I tell you most assuredly that everyone committing sin is a slave of sin.

³⁵Now the slave does not remain in the household forever; the son does remain forever.

³⁶Therefore, if the Son should make you free, you really will be free.

³⁷I know that you are descendants of Abraham, but you are wanting to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

³⁸On my part, I speak what I have observed with my Father, while on your part you do what you have observed with your father.”

³⁹They answered and said to Him, “Our father is Abraham!” Jesus says to them: “If you were children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham;

⁴⁰but now you are wanting to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. This sort of thing Abraham did not do!

⁴¹You do the works of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”

⁴²So Jesus said to them: “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I came forth from God and I am here. Further, I have not come on my own, but He sent me.

⁴³Why don't you understand what I say?—because you are not able to really hear my word.

⁴⁴You are of your father the devil, and it is the desires of your father that you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks the lie he speaks from his own things, because he is a liar and the father of lying.

⁴⁵But since I speak the truth you do not believe me.

⁴⁶Which of you convicts me of sin? So if I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?

⁴⁷The one who is of God hears God's words; that is why you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

⁴⁸So the Jews answered and said to Him, “We say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon—are we wrong?”

⁴⁹Jesus answered: “ I do not have a demon; rather, I honor my Father, while you dishonor me.

⁵⁰Yet I do not seek my glory; there is One who seeks and judges.

⁵¹Most assuredly I say to you, if anyone should keep my word he will never ever see death.”