John 8 Verses 21-27      

John 8:21 “Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. 22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from 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.” 

“Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.”  The scriptures say concerning Jesus that He is the way.  The way under consideration to which the Lord was going could be called the way of holiness, or the way of righteousness.  Jesus was keeping perfectly the law of God and fulfilling all that was written concerning him.  Then he was going to the cross to redeem his people from their sins.  Then after his death and burial he would rise again the third day and then 40 days later he would ascend back to the Father.  No one could do what the Lord was doing.  However, to the Pharisees, the Lord said, “ye shall seek me, and ye shall die in your sins.”  These unregenerate hell bound Pharisees though they would seek after a natural king to rule over them, could not come to where Jesus went.  As the Lord said, “ye shall die in your sins.”   

“Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.”  Clearly, they had no understanding or concept of what the Lord was talking about.   

“And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from 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.”  The Lord set forth a great contrast between himself and these unbelieving Pharisees.  The Lord is from above, the Pharisees are from beneath: the Lord said he is not of this world, and that the Pharisees are of this world.  In contrast to these Pharisees a born again child of God has a nature that is of this world and an inward nature given to them of God that is from above.  These Pharisees had only the outward nature.  The Lord told these unbelieving Pharisees that they would die in their sins.   

“Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.”  It is obvious that these Pharisees were not believing Jesus because they asked him “Who art thou?”  The Lord answered them by saying that he was the same that he had said to them at the beginning.   

“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.  They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.”  The Lord affirmed that what he said came from the one that sent him and that he spoke those things that he had heard of him.  However, these Pharisees understood not that he spake to them of the Father.   

John 8 Verses 28-36 

John 8:28 “Then said Jesus unto 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. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” 

There were a mixed multitude of people gathered around the Lord.  There were the Pharisees, the scribes, and the rulers.  Also, there were many of the children of God around him as well.  Most of the passage above, the Lord addressed to the children of God.   

“Then said Jesus unto 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.”  This was addressed to the born again children of God.  In hindsight, the Pharisees, the scribes, and the rulers generally did not come to believe him after his death, burial, and resurrection.  However, many of the born again children of God did believe in him and understood that what the Lord did he did nothing of himself, but what the Father taught him.  They also believed that the Father had sent him and that the Father had not left him alone.   

“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.”  Only those who believe on Jesus can become his disciples.  The way to discipleship that the Lord pointed them to was to continue in his word and then they would be disciples indeed.  Further they would know the truth and the truth would make them free.  Truth delivers us from error and it delivers us from false teachings and from the bondage of false religious systems and from the bondage of sinful ways.   

“They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?”  Recall that there were also unbelieving Pharisees present who were questioning everything that the Lord said.  They were claiming to be Abraham’s seed and claiming to have never been in bondage to any man.  The interesting thing about this statement is that they were currently in bondage and were servants to the Roman Empire.  Previously they were in bondage to the kingdoms of Babylon, the Medes and the Persians, and to Greece.  The freedom the Lord was speaking of, however, was not from those empires, but to be delivered from the bondage of serving sin.   

“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” 

All of mankind at one time or other has been the servant of sin.  For whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin.  However, if the Son delivers you from the bondage of sin, then you are free from the bondage of sin.  We have been delivered from the bondage of sin by the miracle of the new or spiritual birth.  Whereas, before the spiritual birth we were slaves to sin, now being born of the Spirit we can mortify the deeds of the flesh and deliver ourselves from being the servants of sin.   

John 8 Verses 37-42 

John 8:37 “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. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 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. 42 Jesus said unto them, If 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.” 

“I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.”  Biologically in nature these Pharisees were Abraham’s seed.  They thought that because they were Abraham’s seed that they had favor with God.  Being Abraham’s seed in nature did not make one a child of God.  According to Rom. 9:6-8 being of the seed of Abraham did not make one a child of God: “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”  These Pharisees were resting on the fact that they were the natural seed of Abraham and thus children of God.  However, the very fact that they sought to kill the Lord verified that they were not children of God.  Furthermore, a person who has not been born of the Spirit of God has no place for the word of God.   

“I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.”  The Lord set up a contrast here between himself and these Pharisees.  The Lord spoke that which he had seen with the Father.  The Pharisees did that which they had seen with their father.  As the Lord will point out later, Satan is their father.   

“They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”  The Pharisees were claiming that they were Abraham’s children.  However, their very works denied that they were Abraham’s children.  Their works showed that they were the children of the devil.   

“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.”  The Lord elsewhere said of some, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”  The fact that these Pharisees sought to kill the Lord showed that they did not have the same spiritual father that Abraham had.  Also, Abraham is called the father of the faithful because of the example of faith that Abraham has left to God’s born again children.  The Pharisees were acting out of jealousy and hatred toward the Lord Jesus Christ.   

“Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If 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.”  The Pharisees insisted that God was their Father, whereas, their deeds proved that God was not their father.  A person who has God for their Father would love the Lord, whereas these Pharisees hated the Lord.