John 8:56 (DBY)

Passage

Your father Abraham exulted in that he should see my day, and he saw and rejoiced.

Nearby Context

John 8:54 Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: it is my Father who glorifies me, [of] whom ye say, He is our God.

John 8:55 And ye know him not; but I know him; and if I said, I know him not, I should be like you, a liar. But I know him, and I keep his word.

John 8:56 Your father Abraham exulted in that he should see my day, and he saw and rejoiced.

John 8:57 The Jews therefore said to him, Thou hast not yet fifty years, and hast thou seen Abraham?

John 8:58 Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 55's "And ye know him not but I..." into verse 57's "The Jews therefore said to him Thou...", so "father" and "abraham" 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 "father" and "abraham" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.