John 8:20-37

²⁰Jesus explained this while he was teaching near the Temple treasury. Yet no one arrested him because his time had not yet come.

²¹Jesus told them again, “I'm leaving, and you'll search for me, but you'll die in your sin. You can't come where I'm going.”

²²The Jews wondered out loud, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means when he says ‘You can't come where I'm going’?”

²³Jesus told 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'll die in your sins. For if you don't trust in me, the ‘I am,’ you'll die in your sins.”

²⁵Then they asked him, “Who are you?” “Exactly who I told you I was from the beginning,” Jesus replied.

²⁶“There's much I could say about you, and much I could condemn. But the one who sent me tells the truth, and what I'm saying to you here in this world is what I heard from him.”

²⁷They didn't understand that he was talking to them about the Father. So Jesus explained to them:

²⁸“When you have lifted up the Son of man then you'll know that I am the ‘I am,’ and that I do nothing of myself, but only say what the Father taught me.

²⁹The one who sent me is with me; he has not abandoned me, for I always do what pleases him.”

³⁰Many who heard Jesus say these things put their trust in him.

³¹Then Jesus said to those Jews who trusted in him, “If you follow my teaching then you really are my disciples.

³²You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³“We're descendants of Abraham! We've never been slaves to anyone,” they answered. “How can you say that we'll be set free?”

³⁴Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

³⁵A slave doesn't have a permanent place in the family, but the son is part of the family forever.

³⁶If the Son sets you free, then you're truly free.

³⁷I know you're Abraham's descendants, yet you're trying to kill me because you refuse to accept my words.