John 8:41 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

John 8:42 Jesus therefore said to them: If God were your Father, you would indeed love me. For from God I proceeded and came. For I came not of myself: but he sent me.

John 8:43 Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "works", "father", "said", "therefore", "born", "fornication", and "even". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "works" and "father", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 40's "But now you seek to kill me..." into verse 42's "Jesus therefore said to them If God...", so "works" and "father" 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 "works" and "father" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.