“Questions About the Family Tree”

In the 60s and 70s, there was a movement where people were trying to find themselves. It became a running joke that while people were trying to find themselves they ended up getting more lost.

Even now, there is still a search for personal values and identity as individuals continue to try to discover who they are. Many will attempt to go back to their ancestral roots. Others will look at their upbringing or their environment. Often, one will hear a comment referring to someone's importance in relationship to who their father is. It often is accompanied by the phrase, "do you know who my dad is?"

However, we still look at the adage, "the apple does not fall far from the tree." There is also the phrase, "like father, like son." 

We must also recognize that in our world, we know that children will often make choices because of outside influences that contradict their parents’ training of them. But for the sake of today’s Bible passage, we will look at it without stretching the application beyond what the Bible teaches.

Today, as we look at these verses, we will see how confused the religious leaders were. Sadly, they were mistaken in their understanding of who their real father was.

Warren Wiersbe comments on this passage by showing how Jesus gives characteristics of those who are of the devil.

A. They will not give place to the Word of God (v. 37).

B. They trust in the flesh—human birth, works (v. 39).

C. They hate Christ and seek to kill Him (vv. 40, 44). Satan is a murderer and his children imitate him.

D. They do not love Christ or the things of Christ (v. 42).

E. They do not understand the Word—blinded by Satan (v. 43).

F. They are liars and love lies more than the truth (v. 44).

G. They will not hear the Word of God; they hate it (v. 47).

In our home, there are pictures of our children ranging from Kindergarten through their senior year.  These are hanging on the wall, as you go up the stairs.  If you stop and look at some of them, you can pick a particular grade and look at each one and compare them.  It is quite obvious that they have the same parents as the similarities are very close.

So, let me get ready to delve into this passage by asking a couple of questions. When other people look at us, what do they see?  Do they see people that are just like them? 

Our desire should be that when people see us, they would see that we are children of God.

As we deal with some questions about the family tree, we will see three different areas this morning: first-who's the father?; second-what's the father like?; And finally, like father, like children.

Who’s the Father? - 8.37-38

“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”

Earlier in the chapter, the Pharisees claimed to be Abraham's descendants. Here, Jesus is acknowledging their physical ancestry. However, Jesus is showing them a paradox. It would make no sense to claim to be Abraham's descendants if you are looking to kill the Son of God. And the reason they want to kill him seems to be because God's word has no place in their lives. It is all about their self-centeredness and their focus on their physical heritage. It is all about outward appearances while avoiding an inner transformation.

Jesus goes on to show them that it makes sense for them to want to kill him because they are listening to someone other than the heavenly Father. Of course, you and I understand that they were doing the things which Satan desired.

You see, the books of Genesis, Romans, Galatians, and James reminds us that: Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. These religious leaders did not believe God and God's Word had no place in their lives; therefore, there was no righteousness to be found in them.

Sadly, these religious Jewish leaders thought they were going to get into heaven because they were related to Abraham in the physical sense. This is very much like what we see even today. Many individuals believe that they are going to heaven because of the fact that their parents or grandparents were Christians. Others believe that they are going to heaven because they go to church or do all the right stuff.

My friends, it does not matter what your ethnicity is, nor your denominational background, nor your physical lineage. Unless a person has individually accepted Jesus Christ into their lives as their personal Lord and Savior, they will never get to heaven.

What’s the Father Like? - 8.39-41a

They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.  But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.  You are doing the deeds of your father.” 

Religious leaders were trying to correct Jesus by stating that Abraham was indeed their father. It is a bit more helpful when we understand why they would have made such a comment. Most Bible scholars state that in Jewish tradition a child was considered to be anyone who imitated another one. Jesus turns the tables back on them by reminding them that if, in fact, they are children of Abraham, they should be doing righteous deeds, as Abraham would have done. It seems as though these individuals were trying to defend themselves by stating that they were living the way Abraham lived. Obviously, Jesus knew otherwise and stated so.

We know from Genesis 15, as well as in Hebrews 11 that Abraham showed himself to be a child of God, not by what he did, but by his faith. In fact, Paul took all of chapter 4 in the book of Romans to show clearly that it was not works, not the law or circumcision, but faith in God that saved him.

Then Jesus contrasts their statement with the reality. The reality was that they were actually trying to kill Jesus. He emphasizes how dastardly this is by showing them that he has told them the truth and that truth came from God the Father. Abraham would never have attempted to kill anyone with a message from God the Father. All of the good works which Abraham did were not in an effort to gain heaven, but we're simply showing that he believed God and would live accordingly.

Once again, Jesus point out to them that they are doing the deeds of their father. We must understand that Jesus has already stated that Abraham could not be their father. So the question is, who is their father?

Like Father, Like Children - 8.41b-47

They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”  Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.  You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Now these religious leaders seem to become a bit indignant. They try to present themselves as individuals with uprightness. They state that they were not born out of sin; but they were children of God. This was obviously an attack against Jesus.  The reason I say this is because the pronoun "we" is emphatic in Greek. They had heard of the stories of him not having a father. Other places, we see the Jewish leaders associating Jesus with the Samaritans. One reason they would do that is because the Samaritans were considered illegitimate Jews.  Jesus was considered by many to be an illegitimate child.

We need to understand a little difference in God being the father of the nation versus God being the father of individuals. Nationally, God promised to be the father of the Israelites. However, in order to be a child of God, one had to personally express their faith through Jesus Christ. It could not be based upon a national group.

God then reminds them that if they were truly sons of God, they would show love to him. Of course, that was not at all what was taking place, as they were trying to kill him. Jesus goes further by stating that he came from the Father because the Father sent him.

It is not so different now as there are many today who claim to love God. They claim to have faith and belief in God. They will even go so far as to say prayers to God. Yet, they reject Jesus Christ as being the only way for salvation. Thus, they truly do not have a relationship with God the Father. If a person says that they love God and that they will be going to heaven, then that same person must also love the Son, Jesus Christ, and believe everything that He said about Himself.

He then explains why they are unable to understand what he is saying. You notice that I said “understand” instead of “hear.”  That is because the word for hear means to “accept” or “understand.”  The reason is simply that because they are serving Satan and they want to do what the devil prompts them to do, it is impossible for them to comprehend or understand the Word of God. This had to be a major slap in the face as they considered themselves to be experts in God's Word. Jesus goes on and explains that the devil has been a murderer from the outset. He explains that the devil has no truth in him, so he cannot stand in the truth. In fact, Satan's natural vocabulary is that of lying.

What an incredible contrast. Jesus is the truth; Satan is a liar and the father of lies. Thus, it is impossible for those who are doing the bidding of Satan to understand truth in any way, shape, or form.

Only the people who belong to God are able to hear and comprehend the words of God. Quite simply, these so-called religious leaders could not hear, comprehend, or understand the words of God, spoken by Jesus, because those religious leaders did not belong to God, but rather were sons of Satan.

Jesus is not being vague any longer.  Yes, the Jews were physically children of Abraham, purely by genetics.  However, they were children of the devil, spiritually and morally.  Ouch!  So if they are like their father, what could be expected of them?  They would be liars and murderers.  That is exactly what happens.  They will one day prove Jesus’ words to be 100% truth.

Yet, we may wonder why Jesus stated that this had been the way it was since the beginning.  You remember that there was no death until Satan deceived Eve by lying and planting thoughts of unease and dissatisfaction with God.  He is the one who planted the ideas of murder into Cain’s heart.  I know there are those who would suggest that Satan simply manipulated the truth and Eve fell for it.  But remember when Satan said, You shall not surely die.  Once Adam and Eve disobeyed, death, did in fact, become part of life.  

It is interesting that Jesus practically dares them to convict Him of sin.  It would be impossible for them to legitimately do so.  I cannot make such a statement to anyone like this.  None of  you could make such a statement to anyone like this.  Only the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ, could make such a statement.  For He alone is without sin.  

Now, listen for the sound of crickets.  Nobody could convict Him of sin.  So, why would they not believe Him, or believe in Him?  Quite simply; they were not of God.  Thus, it was impossible for them to accept Him.

Reflections

If anyone dares to believe they can get to heaven by trusting in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ, they will be in for the eternal disappointment of their lives.  

Interestingly, if we look back over these verses and compare them to our world today, we can see some powerful similarities.  In addition, these people were not blatantly horrific people in everyday life.  Just like Satan does not necessarily appear as some Stephen King grotesque character. 

The people to whom Jesus was speaking were actually what many would refer to as “good people.”  The were self-righteous, however.  They were basing their destiny on their own merits and chose to reject Christ.  They were not much different from those today who base their righteousness and their hoped-for ticket to heaven as what they’ve earned by what they’ve done and what they haven’t done.

Very simply, one Bible commentary states:  Behavior, not bloodline, determines who are truly children of Abraham. Never should it be said that those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ are actually children of the devil.

When people look at us, we dare not present the fact that because we attend a particular church that we are going to heaven. When people look at us, we dare not suggest that it is because of our ethnicity or our parents' faith, that we are going to heaven.

Very simply, when people look at us they should recognize immediately that we are children of God. Everything that we do that is right and good should be seen as a result of our relationship with Jesus Christ.