John 8:38 Study Bible: I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have heard from your father."

◄ John 8:38 ►

I speak of what I have seen in the presence of the Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."

I speak
The Greek word for "speak" here is "laleō," which implies not just the act of speaking but conveying a message with authority and purpose. In the context of Jesus' ministry, His words are not mere human opinions but divine revelations. This highlights the authority of Christ as the Word made flesh, whose teachings are rooted in divine truth.

of what I have seen
The phrase "I have seen" comes from the Greek "heōraka," indicating a firsthand experience or witness. Jesus is not relaying secondhand information; He speaks from direct observation and intimate knowledge of divine realities. This underscores His unique relationship with the Father and His role as the ultimate revealer of God's will.

in the presence of the Father
The term "presence" is derived from the Greek "para," meaning "beside" or "in the company of." This phrase emphasizes the intimate and eternal relationship between Jesus and the Father. It reflects the Trinitarian nature of God, where the Son is eternally in communion with the Father, sharing in His divine essence and purpose.

and you do
The word "do" is translated from the Greek "poieite," which means to practice or carry out. This indicates a habitual action or lifestyle. Jesus contrasts His divine mission with the actions of His audience, suggesting that their deeds are not aligned with God's will but are influenced by another source.

what you have heard
The Greek word "ēkousate" for "heard" implies receiving information or instruction. This suggests that the actions of Jesus' audience are based on teachings or influences they have accepted. It points to the importance of discernment in what we choose to listen to and follow, as it shapes our actions and character.

from your father
The phrase "your father" is a critical point of contrast in this verse. Jesus is drawing a distinction between His divine Father and the spiritual father of His opponents, which He later identifies as the devil (John 8:44). This highlights the spiritual battle between truth and deception, and the necessity of aligning oneself with the true Father through Christ. It serves as a call to examine the source of one's beliefs and actions, urging a return to the truth found in Jesus.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this verse, Jesus is addressing the Jewish leaders and contrasting His divine origin and authority with their earthly understanding.

2. The Father
Refers to God the Father, with whom Jesus has a unique and intimate relationship, having seen and known Him directly.

3. The Jewish Leaders
The audience Jesus is addressing, who are often in conflict with Him throughout the Gospel of John.

4. The Concept of Fatherhood
Jesus contrasts His Father, God, with the "father" of the Jewish leaders, implying a spiritual lineage and influence.

5. The Setting
This conversation takes place in Jerusalem, likely in the temple courts, during one of Jesus' public teachings.

Teaching Points

Divine Authority and Witness
Jesus speaks with authority because He has seen and knows the Father. As believers, we are called to trust in His divine witness and teachings.

Spiritual Parentage
Our actions and beliefs reflect our spiritual lineage. We must examine whether our lives align with the teachings of God or the influences of the world.

The Importance of Discernment
Just as Jesus discerned the true nature of His audience's spiritual father, we must discern the influences in our lives and choose to follow God.

Living in the Presence of God
Jesus lived in constant awareness of the Father's presence. We are encouraged to cultivate a life that seeks and acknowledges God's presence daily.

Contrast of Truth and Deception
Jesus contrasts His truth with the deception of the Jewish leaders' "father." We must be vigilant in seeking truth and avoiding deception in our spiritual journey.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does Jesus' relationship with the Father in John 8:38 influence our understanding of His authority and teachings?

2. In what ways can we discern the spiritual influences in our lives, and how can we ensure they align with God as our Father?

3. How does the concept of spiritual parentage challenge us to reflect on our actions and beliefs?

4. What practical steps can we take to live more consciously in the presence of God, as Jesus did?

5. How do the themes of truth and deception in John 8:38 relate to other scriptures, and how can we apply these lessons to our daily lives?

Connections to Other Scriptures

John 5:19-20
Jesus speaks about doing only what He sees the Father doing, emphasizing His divine mission and unity with the Father.

John 14:10-11
Jesus explains His unity with the Father, reinforcing His authority and the divine source of His teachings.

1 John 3:10
Discusses the distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil, echoing the theme of spiritual parentage.

Sermons

A Glorious Liberator	Sunday School Times	John 8:31-59
Bondage and Deliverance	W. Arnot, D. D.	John 8:31-59
Bondage and Freedom		John 8:31-59
Christ Sets Free the Sinful	C. H. Spurgeon.	John 8:31-59
Constancy a Severe Test of Piety	J. Spencer.	John 8:31-59
Continuous Piety is Piety Indeed	J. Trapp.	John 8:31-59
Disciples Indeed	T. G. Horton.	John 8:31-59
Evidence of Discipleship	H. C. Trumbull.	John 8:31-59
Freedom Aided by God		John 8:31-59
Freedom and Responsibility	H. W. Beecher.	John 8:31-59
Freedom by the Truth	F. W. Robertson, M. A.	John 8:31-59
Freedom by the Truth	W. Birch.	John 8:31-59
Freedom by the Truth	J Todd.	John 8:31-59
Freedom by the Truth	P. N. Zabriskie, D. D.	John 8:31-59
Freedom Only to be Found in God	R. S. Barrett.	John 8:31-59
Glorious Liberty	W. Jay.	John 8:31-59
Jesus and Abraham	H. A. Edson, D. D.	John 8:31-59
Liberty	W. Arnot, D. D.	John 8:31-59
Moral Bondage	D. Thomas, D. D.	John 8:31-59
No Place for the Word	W. M. H. Aitken, M. A., G. S. Bowes.	John 8:31-59
Sin is Spiritual Slavery	Prof. Shedd.	John 8:31-59
Spiritual and Scientific Truth	Aubrey L. Moore, M. A.	John 8:31-59
Spiritual Emancipation	J. M. King, D. D.	John 8:31-59
Spiritual Freedom	C. H. Spurgeon.	John 8:31-59
Spiritual Liberty	Canon Stowell.	John 8:31-59
Spiritual Liberty	H. W. Beecher.	John 8:31-59
The Best Service is Constant		John 8:31-59
The Effects of the Rejection and the Reception of the Word	The Leisure Hour	John 8:31-59
The English Slave	S. S. Times.	John 8:31-59
The Freedom Which Christ Gives	John Howe.	John 8:31-59
The Grace of Continuance	A. T. Pierson, D. D.	John 8:31-59
The Great Liberator	C. H. Spurgeon.	John 8:31-59
The Hour of Emancipation	Heroes of Britain.	John 8:31-59
The Kingdom of the Truth	C. S. Robinson, D. D.	John 8:31-59
The Liberty of Believers		John 8:31-59
The Method of Christian Freedom	W. Arnot.	John 8:31-59
The Progress of the Lost Soul to Destruction	Bp. Samuel Wilberforce.	John 8:31-59
The Servant Abideth not in the House Forever	A. Maclaren, D. D.	John 8:31-59
The Son and the Slave Contrasted	Archdeacon Watkins.	John 8:31-59
The Spiritual Slavery of Man	T. Binney.	John 8:31-59
The Vain Boast of the Jews	Abp. Trench.	John 8:31-59
True Freedom	O. F. Gifford.	John 8:31-59
True Liberty	Canon Liddon.	John 8:31-59
Truth and Liberty	H. Bonar, D. D.	John 8:31-59
Truth and Liberty	H. G. Trumbull, D. D.	John 8:31-59
Ye Shall be Free Indeed	Archdeacon Watkins.	John 8:31-59
Because I Tell You the Truth, Ye Believe Me Not	F. Godet, D. D.	John 8:38-47
Children of the Devil	W. Baxendale.	John 8:38-47
Christ's Challenge to the World	Archbishop Trench.	John 8:38-47
Christ's Claim	J. Parker, D. D.	John 8:38-47
Christ's Language About Sin	W. S. Wood, M. A.	John 8:38-47
Conditions of Belief of the Truth	F. W. Robertson, M. A.	John 8:38-47
Does Christ Here Assert His Own Sinlessness	W. S. Wood, M. A.	John 8:38-47
He is a Liar and the Father Thereof	S. S. Times.	John 8:38-47
He that is of God Heareth God's Words	Family Churchman	John 8:38-47
He was a Murderer from the Beginning	Archdeacon Watkins.	John 8:38-47
Hereditary and Spiritual Interest in the Covenant	Bp. Lake.	John 8:38-47
If We Love God We Shall Receive Christ	C. H. Spurgeon.	John 8:38-47
Love of the Truth Essential to its Reception	J. Parker, D. D.	John 8:38-47
Love to Jesus the Great Test	C. H. Spurgeon.	John 8:38-47
Men Hate the Truth	Senhouse., R. Smith.	John 8:38-47
Men Ought to Love Christ as Coming from God	C. H. Spurgeon.	John 8:38-47
Noble Minds Welcome the Truth	J. Fletcher.	John 8:38-47
Nominal Christians -- Real Infidels	C. H. Spurgeon.	John 8:38-47
Now Ye Seek to Kill Me	F. Godet, D. D.	John 8:38-47
Pious Relatives or Friends Cannot Save Us	J. Trapp.	John 8:38-47
Standing in the Truth	Newman Smyth, D. D.	John 8:38-47
The Absolute Sinlessness of Christ	Canon Liddon.	John 8:38-47
The Children of God and of Satan	J. L. Hurlbut, D. D.	John 8:38-47
The Children of the Devil	J. Brown, D. D.	John 8:38-47
The Christ of History the Revelation of the Perfect Man	Archdeacon Farrar.	John 8:38-47
The Courage and Triumph of Truth	H. H. Dobney.	John 8:38-47
The Devil a Liar and a Murderer	Thos. Fuller	John 8:38-47
The Fate of the Truth Teller		John 8:38-47
The Folly of Unbelief	H. W. Beecher., C. C. Liddell.	John 8:38-47
The Hearer of God's Word	J. Slade, M. A.	John 8:38-47
The Inner Life of Christ	J. Parker, D. D.	John 8:38-47
The Marks of Divine and Diabolic Relationship	J. Fawcett, M. A.	John 8:38-47
The Need of Spiritual Insight to the Discernment of the Truth	J. Parker, D. D.	John 8:38-47
The Perfect Character of Jesus Christ	D. Trinder, M. A.	John 8:38-47
The Rationale of Unbelief	D. Thomas, D. D.	John 8:38-47
The True Children of God	D. Gregg.	John 8:38-47
The Works of Abraham and the Works of the Jews		John 8:38-47
Unbelief, its Cause	T. Carlyle.	John 8:38-47
Unregenerate Souls Do not Love the Truth	S. Charnock.	John 8:38-47
We be not Born of Fornication	F. Godet, D. D., T. Whitelaw, D. D.	John 8:38-47

People

Jesus, Disciples

Places

Jerusalem, Mount of Olives

Topics

Father's, Learnt, Presence, Speak

Dictionary of Bible Themes

John 8:38

     1513   Trinity, mission of
     2078   Christ, sonship of
     6022   sin, causes of

John 8:31-41

5724 offspring

John 8:33-41

5078 Abraham, significance

Library

Ascension Day
Eversley. Chester Cathedral. 1872. St John viii. 58. "Before Abraham was, I am." Let us consider these words awhile. They are most fit for our thoughts on this glorious day, on which the Lord Jesus ascended to His Father, and to our Father, to His God, and to our God, that He might be glorified with the glory which He had with the Father before the making of the world. For it is clear that we shall better understand Ascension Day, just as we shall better understand Christmas or Eastertide, …
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

December 18 Evening
Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.--JOHN 8:32. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.--The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.--If the Son . . . shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.--Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

September 15 Morning
Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.--ROM. 6:14. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.--My brethren, ye . . . are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.--Being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ.--The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

February 27 Evening
God . . . giveth . . . liberally, and upbraideth not.--JAS. 1:5. Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. The grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many . . . The free gift is of many offences unto justification. God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

December 10 Evening
The perfect law of liberty.--JAS. 1:25. Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

February 28 Evening
The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.--PROV. 20:27. He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her . . . And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last. Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.--If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

April 9. "I do Always those Things that Please Him" (John viii. 29).
"I do always those things that please Him" (John viii. 29). It is a good thing to keep short accounts with God. We were very much struck some years ago with an interpretation of this verse: "So every one of us shall give an account of himself to God." The thought conveyed to our mind was, that of accounting to God every day of our lives, so that our accounts were settled daily, and for us judgment was passed, as we lay down on our pillows every night. This is surely the true way to live. It is the …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Light of the World
'... I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'--JOHN viii. 12. Jesus Christ was His own great theme. Whatever be the explanation of the fact, there stands the fact that, if we know anything at all about His habitual tone of teaching, we know that it was full of Himself. We know, too, that what He said about Himself was very unlike the language becoming a wise and humble religious teacher. Both the prominence given to His own personality, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'Never in Bondage'
'We... were never in bondage to any man: how gayest Thou, Ye shall be made free!'--JOHN viii. 33. 'Never in bondage to any man'? Then what about Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Syria? Was there not a Roman garrison looking down from the castle into the very Temple courts where this boastful falsehood was uttered? It required some hardihood to say, 'Never in bondage to any man,' in the face of such a history, and such a present. But was it not just an instance of the strange power which we all have and exercise, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Three Aspects of Faith
'Many believed on Him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him....'--JOHN viii. 30,31. The Revised Version accurately represents the original by varying the expression in these two clauses, retaining 'believed on Him' in the former, and substituting the simple 'believed Him' in the latter. The variation in two contiguous clauses can scarcely be accidental in so careful a writer as the Apostle John. And the reason and meaning of it are obvious enough on the face of the narrative. His purpose …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

July the Fifth the Discipleship that Tells
"He that followeth Me." --JOHN viii. 12-20. Yes, but I must make sure that I follow Him in Spirit and in truth. It is so easy to be self-deceived. I may follow a pleasant emotion, while all the time a bit of grim cross-bearing is being ignored. I may be satisfied to be "out on the ocean sailing," singing of "a home beyond the tide," while all the time there is a piece of perilous salvage work to be done beneath the waves. To "follow Jesus" is to face the hostility of scribes and Pharisees, to …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

On the Words of the Gospel, John viii. 31, "If Ye Abide in My Word, Then are Ye Truly My Disciples," Etc.
1. Ye know well, Beloved, that we all have One Master, and are fellow disciples under Him. Nor are we your masters, because we speak to you from this higher spot; but He is the Master of all, who dwelleth in us all. He just now spake to us all in the Gospel, and said to us, what I also am saying to you; but He saith it of us, as well of us as of you. "If ye shall continue in My word," not of course in my word who am now speaking to you; but in His who spake just now out of the Gospel. "If ye shall …
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

Believing on Jesus, and Its Counterfeits
The Lord Jesus also told the contradicting sinners that the day would come when cavillers would be convinced. Observe how he put it: "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself." Cavillers may have a fine time of it just now; but they will one day be convinced either to their conversion or their confusion. Let us hope that many will see the truth before they die--early enough to seek and find a Saviour. But many in our Lord's day who discovered …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent
Of the power of the Word of God, of fiery desires, and the essence of self-renunciation. John viii. 47.--"He who is of God heareth the words of God." DEAR children, ye ought not to cease from hearing or declaring the word of God because you do not alway live according to it, nor keep it in mind. For inasmuch as you love it and crave after it, it will assuredly be given unto you; and you shall enjoy it for ever with God, according to the measure of your desire after it. There are some people who, …
Susannah Winkworth—The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler

Morgan -- the Perfect Ideal of Life
George Campbell Morgan, Congregational divine and preacher, was born in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England, in 1863, and was educated at the Douglas School, Cheltenham. He worked as a lay-mission preacher for the two years ending 1888, and was ordained to the ministry in the following year, when he took charge of the Congregational Church at Stones, Staffordshire. After occupying the pulpit in several pastorates, in 1904 he became pastor of the Westminster Congregational Chapel, Buckingham Gate, London, …
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume 10

Freedom.
The Truth shall make you free.... Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.--John viii. 32, 34-36. As this passage stands, I have not been able to make sense of it. No man could be in the house of the Father in virtue of being the servant of sin; yet this man is in the house as a servant, and the house in which he serves is not the house of sin, …
George MacDonald—Unspoken Sermons

Of the Imitation of Christ, and of Contempt of the World and all Its Vanities
He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,(1) saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ; and they teach us how far we must imitate His life and character, if we seek true illumination, and deliverance from all blindness of heart. Let it be our most earnest study, therefore, to dwell upon the life of Jesus Christ. 2. His teaching surpasseth all teaching of holy men, and such as have His Spirit find therein the hidden manna.(2) But there are many who, though they frequently hear the Gospel, …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Tobacco.
Tobacco wastes the body. It is used for the nicotine that is in it. This peculiar ingredient is a poisonous, oily, colorless liquid, and gives to tobacco its odor. This odor and the flavor of tobacco are developed by fermentation in the process of preparation for use. "Poison" is commonly defined as "any substance that when taken into the system acts in an injurious manner, tending to cause death or serious detriment to health." And different poisons are defined as those which act differently upon …
J. M. Judy—Questionable Amusements and Worthy Substitutes

Messianic Claims Met by Attempt to Stone Jesus.
(Jerusalem. October, a.d. 29.) ^D John VIII. 12-59. ^d 12 Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. [The metaphor of light was common, and signified knowledge and life; darkness is opposed to light, being the symbol of ignorance and death.] 13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true. [They perhaps recalled the words of Jesus …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Sin.
The time was when there was no sin in this world. At that time it was an Eden. By man transgressing God's holy law sin entered this world. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5:12. This is the origin of sin in this world and the awful consequence. God's design was that his creation be sinless and pure, but by disobedience sin has marred the scene of God's creative purity. The following texts will …
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

The Course of the World.
Unmistakably there exists a wide gulf of separation between the children of God and the children of the world. Christ is the only avenue of escape from the world. The wide, open door of salvation is the exit. He who would return from the blissful shores of Christianity to the beggarly elements of the world can do so only on the transporting barges of Satan. As a tree is known by its fruits, so is a true follower of Christ. The fruit borne by a Christian is directly opposite in its nature to the fruit …
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

The First Chapter: Imitating Christ and Despising all Vanities on Earth
HE WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness," says the Lord (John 8:12). By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort, therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ. The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they …
Thomas À Kempis—The Imitation of Christ

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