John 8:40 (WEB)

Passage

But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this.

Nearby Context

John 8:38 I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father.”

John 8:39 They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

John 8:40 But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this.

John 8:41 You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.”

John 8:42 Therefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but he sent me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seek", "kill", "told", "truth", "heard", "abraham", and "didn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seek" and "kill", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "They answered him Our father is Abraham..." into verse 41's "You do the works of your father...", so "seek" and "kill" 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 "seek" and "kill" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.