John 8:39 (DRB)

Passage

They answered and said to him: Abraham is our father. Jesus saith them: If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham.

Nearby Context

John 8:37 I know that you are the children of Abraham: but you seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and you do the things that you have seen with your father.

John 8:39 They answered and said to him: Abraham is our father. Jesus saith them: If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham.

John 8:40 But now you seek to kill me, a man who have spoken the truth to you, which I have heard of God. This Abraham did not.

John 8:41 You do the works of your father. They said therefore to him: We are not born of fornication: we have one Father, even God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answered", "said", "abraham", "father", "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 that which I have seen..." into verse 40's "But now you 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.