Jn. 8:42. Jesus said to them: if God were your Father, you would love Me, because I came forth from God and have come; for I did not come of Myself, but He sent Me.
Since He excluded them from kinship with Abraham, they rose even higher, calling God their Father. He reproached them as murderers, but they, defending themselves, say that they are avenging God, and for this reason they form a counsel against Him. Therefore the Lord, showing that they are not championing God's cause, but by their very design wish to kill Him, and are not children of God, as they supposed, but rather opponents of God, says: "If God were your Father, you would love Me." For I came down from God into the world, that is, I appeared in the flesh. I am not an opponent of God. I came from Him. Therefore, by rising up against Me, you are enemies of God.
Jn. 8:43. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you cannot hear My word.
Why do you not understand My speech, do not comprehend and do not grasp what I am saying? Without doubt, for no other reason than that you cannot hear My word, that is, you do not want to. For "cannot" is used in place of "do not want to." As long as envy and murderous intent dwell in you, how can you listen to what I am saying?
Jn. 8:44. Your father is the devil, and you desire to carry out the lusts of your father.
He said "you cannot hear My word" instead of "you do not want to." Then He gives the reason why they did not want to hear: that they have their own father, namely the devil. Although you madly ascribe yourselves as children to God, as your father, your deeds testify that the devil is a more natural father to you. "You want to carry out his desires." He did not say "deeds," but "desires," showing that they are very inclined toward lying and murder, two kinds of evil which are very characteristic of the devil.
Jn. 8:44. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him.
"He was a murderer from the beginning." Therefore you also, seeking to kill Me, liken yourselves to him who murdered Adam. "He did not stand in the truth," but is the father of lies. And you, when you lie about Me and say that I am not from God, do not stand in the truth, do not abide in My word; you are children of him who begot the lie. For he slandered God to men as well, when he told Eve that He had forbidden them the tree of the knowledge of good and evil out of envy. Likewise he slandered men to God, for example Job, saying that Job did not honor God for nothing.
Jn. 8:44. When he speaks a lie, he speaks his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
People, when they lie, make use of what is, as it were, another's falsehood. But the devil employs falsehood as his own property, for it is his offspring; and the liar in the proper sense and the father of lies is he himself. He said to Eve: "In the day that ye eat thereof, ye shall be as gods" (Gen. 3:5). But they (Adam and Eve) received death.
Jn. 8:45. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.
But you do not believe Me, because I speak the truth. Having nothing to accuse Me of other than the truth, you rise up against Me for this very reason, as sons of the father of lies.
Jn. 8:46. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me?
They themselves called themselves sons of God. He says: "If you are sons of God, you certainly ought to hate the sinner. If you can convict Me, whom you hate, of sin, then obviously you hate Me justly. But if no one can convict Me openly, you hate Me for the truth." For what truth? Without doubt, for the fact that He called Himself the Son of God, which is completely true.
Jn. 8:47. He that is of God heareth God's words. Ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
"He who is of God hears the words of God." Therefore, if you too were sons of God, you would not turn away from Me, the Son of God, who came down from heaven and exalts the words of God.
Jn. 8:48. The Jews answered and said to Him: Do we not speak rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?
So meekly does the Lord speak to them, yet they permit themselves insolence. They say: "Do we not speak rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon in You?" They called Him a Samaritan as a violator of Jewish customs, for example, the Sabbath rest, since the Samaritans did not strictly observe the Jewish law. And they call Him demon-possessed, perhaps in the same way as they said that "He casts out demons by the prince of demons" (Luke 11:15). For all who slandered Him by saying that He cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub were saying that He had in Himself the demon of Beelzebub, by which He also performed miracles. And since He revealed their thoughts and desires, they perhaps considered Him demon-possessed also because they thought that the secrets of their hearts were disclosed to Him by demons.
When did they call Him a Samaritan? The Evangelist nowhere mentioned this. From this it is evident that the Evangelists did not write down everything, but omitted much, as we ourselves have noted about this very thing in another place.
Jn. 8:49. Jesus answered: There is no demon in Me; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
Thus they insult Him, yet He accepts their insults without malice. However, when they call themselves sons of God, He strongly rebukes them, standing up for the truth; but when He Himself is insulted, He does not defend Himself. By this He teaches us also to stand up for the glory of God and to bear meekly the insults that concern ourselves, just as He Himself meekly says: "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father."
How does He honor the Father? By defending Him and not allowing murderers and liars to call themselves sons of the Savior and the Truth. "You," He says, "dishonor Me because I honor My Father, whom you revile, since you falsely claim that He is your father. But even if I do not avenge Myself and endure the insults, do not think that this insult will remain unavenged. There is a Father who will punish for such an insult inflicted upon Me because I defend Him and do not allow you to call yourselves His sons."
Jn. 8:50. Yet I do not seek My own glory: there is One who seeks and judges.
There is One who seeks My glory, and not only seeks it, but is also able to judge and punish those who offend Me without cause. Often someone seeks redress for an offense, but cannot himself judge. But the Father both seeks the glory of the Son and is able to judge. Therefore He also said: "There is One who seeks and judges."
What love for mankind! He is offended, yet leaving the seeking of His own glory and vengeance to the Father, He turns to exhortation and teaching, and in this way does good to those who insult Him. So too must we repay our enemies.