John 8:39 (ASV)

Passage

They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham`s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

Nearby Context

John 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham`s seed: yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath not free course in you.

John 8:38 I speak the things which I have seen with [my] Father: and ye also do the things which ye heard from [your] father.

John 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham`s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

John 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I heard from God: this did not Abraham.

John 8:41 Ye do the works of your father. They said unto him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answered", "said", "father", "abraham", "jesus", "saith", and "children". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answered" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "I speak the things which I have..." into verse 40's "But now ye seek to kill me...", so "answered" and "said" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "answered" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.