18 I am one that bear wit- | hands on him, for his hour was ness of myself; and the Father not yet come. that sent me, beareth witness of me.

19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple and no man laid

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

the temple. See Mark 12: 41. The name treasury is here given to that apartment. His hour. See 7: 30.

cordance with the requisition in the apartments of the temple were kept law of Moses, requiring the testimony thirteen chests for receiving the volof more witnesses than one. It is untary donations and the annual paywritten in your law. See Deut. 17: 6.ments of the Jews for the support of 19:15. Two men; two persons. The Mosaic law required at least two persons, as witnesses. In the present instance, Jesus came forward claiming to be the Son of God. His testimony concerning himself rested on the perfect knowledge which he had of his having come from heaven, and of his being about to return to heaven (v. 14); while no being could present a contradictory testimony. Besides being himself so well qualified a witness, God, his Father, who was Truth itself, was bearing a corresponding testimony.

21. To another company, probably, and on another occasion, Jesus spoke what next follows. I go my way, &c. See 7: 33, 34. || Shall die in your sins; shall perish in consequence of your sins. Jesus referred particularly, as he explained in v. 24, to the sin of refusing to become his sincere disciples.

22. Will he kill himself? There was probably couched under this inquiry of the Jews the profane intima19. Where is thy Father? They af- tion, that it was very likely that Jesus fected either not to understand whom would go to the world of misery, to he meant as his Father, or to cast which they indeed had no expectation contempt on him as claiming an un- of going! It was commonly believed warrantable dignity. They were in among the Jews, that those who coma frame of mind exceedingly unde-mitted suicide would be condemned vout, and unsuitable for forming a to a low place in the pit of woe. See judgment respecting Jesus. And Je-in 7: 35, the manner in which a simisus told them of this. Such was their lar remark of our Lord was treated ignorance of him, as to the object on another occasion. for which he had come, and such was their ignorance of the true character of God, and of his design in sending the Messiah, that they could not judge of him in a correct manner. They needed more knowledge and a better disposition in respect to him and to his Father.

20. In the treasury. In one of the

23. Without noticing the contemptuous language which had been used, Jesus most solemnly warned the Jews of their sinful condition, and of the doom which awaited them if they persisted in rejecting him. Ye are from beneath; ye are earthly, not spiritual, not heavenly in your dispositions and purposes. I am from

33 They answered him, We be | soever committeth sin, is the Abraham's seed, and were never servant of sin.

in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Who

from the bondage of ignorance, of error, and of sin.

35 And the servant abideth not in the house forever, but the son abideth ever.

36 If the Son therefore shall

and would not be allowed to possess the privileges of children; but, being slaves to sin, they would be cut off from the privileges which they now enjoyed, just as a slave, or a servant, is not entitled to a permanent connection with a family as an own child is, but may, whenever it seems best to the master of the family, be removed to another situation.

33. They answered him. The word they does not relate to those who had just declared their conviction that he was the Messiah (v. 30), and on whom he had enjoined a continued attachment to him. It is used in a general manner, as we often use it, equivalent to the people; and it refers to some then standing by, who were 35. And the servant abideth not in disposed to cavil at his language the house forever. A servant has not We be Abraham's seed, &c. They the right of a permanent connection spurned the thought that they, de- with the family; his connection is scendants of Abraham, to whom such liable to be sundered, and he cannot promises had been made, should be claim, as his right, a lasting abode in represented as needing to be set free, the family such a lasting abode peras though they were in bondage. tains to children, to those that are free. The nation had indeed been in sub-|| The house; the family. Forever; jection to the Egyptians and to the a general term, indicating an indefiChaldeans, and had been dependent nite length of time, continually, peron other powers, and even then were petually. A servant's connection with in subjection to the Romans. But a family is liable to be only temporatheir lofty spirit could not bear, that ry; it is a son, a child, that enjoys their subjection should be called bon- the privilege of permanent connecdage, and that it should be distinctly tion. Those Jews, being servants, charged on them. As the Saviour, being in bondage (that is, to sin), however, was speaking to a few indi- could not justly claim the privileges viduals merely, they probably thought which pertain only to children; and, of personal servitude, of being bond however they might pride themselves slaves to some master, in the same on belonging to the family of God, way that in past ages they had had they would soon be cut off from it, domestic slaves from among foreign- even in respect to external acknowl ers. The people then present had edgment. The son; the son of a never been in such bondage. Though family. The Messiah is not here the Saviour did not mean such bon- meant by this word. Jesus merely dage, yet the Jews were disposed to employed an illustration drawn from cavil, and to put an unfavorable con- usages with which the Jews were acstruction on his words. quainted.

34, 35. Jesus answered, &c. Jesus proceeded to state distinctly that he spoke of a bondage to sin, and of their being in spiritual bondage. Moreover, though they might boast of belonging to the family of God, they were not in reality his children,

36. If the Son, therefore, &c. The word Son here means the Messiah himself. Jesus declared to the Jews that they stood in need of being rescued from bondage, and that they could be rescued only by the Messiah, by himself. Should they receive from

make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

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.

him freedom, their freedom would be indeed worthy of the name; they could obtain true liberty only by becoming his disciples.

37. Ye are Abraham's seed; the natural posterity of Abraham. || But ye seek to kill me, because, &c. The Saviour here showed that, though they were the natural posterity of Abraham, yet they did not resemble him in character; they were not his spiritual children; for they cherished a malicious disposition towards Jesus, through dislike of his instructions. My word; my instructions.

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.

they sought to avoid the conclusion to which the language of Jesus was conducting them. If ye were Abraham's children; his children, in the truly valuable sense of that expression, his spiritual children, like him in character, and entitled to such blessings as he enjoyed. Works of Abraham; works like Abraham's. Ye would be like him in your conduct.

40. Ye seek to kill me, a man, &c.; ye indulge a murderous spirit towards me, who am declaring truth from God.

38. With my Father; that is, God. 41. Deeds of your father; you With your father; that is, Satan. manifest a spirit and perform acts See v. 44. As if Jesus had said, like those of your father, the devil. While the instructions which I com- The Jews now saw plainly to what municate are in perfect accordance conclusion Jesus was leading them, with the will of my Father, you act and they resolutely maintained that in accordance with the will of Satan, they were genuine children of God, in disliking and rejecting my instruc- that their Father and Abraham's Fations. In respect to character, my ther was one and the same. || We be Father and your father are entirely not born of fornication; we are genuopposite, just as I and you are entire-ine children of God. The terms adully opposite. Jesus was thus gradually bringing them to see that he regarded them as exceedingly sinful, and utterly opposed to God, and resembling the evil one.

39. Abraham is our father. Mention having been made of their father, they at once called to mind Abraham, as the father of the nation, of whom they so much boasted. And their claim of him as their father implied the claim of being like him, and of being entitled to the divine favor. Thus

tery and fornication are frequently used in the Bible to signify apostasy from God, and an adopting of idolatry. The Jews, then, in their reply to Jesus, maintained that they had not apostatized from God, that they were not idolaters, that they had not descended from idolaters, but that, like Abraham, they were genuine children of God, not a spurious offspring. || One Father; one and the same Father; we have the same Father that Abraham had.