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

“(Hom. liv. 2) He says this, that they might not attempt to answer, that they had no sin. He reminds them of a present sin; a sin which they had been meditating for some time past, and which was actually at this moment in their thoughts: putting out of the question their general course of life. He thus removes them by degrees out of their relationship to Abraham, teaching them not to pride themselves so much upon it: for that, as bondage and freedom were the consequences of works, so was relationship. And that they might not say, We do so justly, He adds the reason why they did so; Because My word hath no place in you.”

“After the Lord showed that the Jews had some spiritual origin, here he excludes from them the origins which they presumptuously attributed to themselves, and first he excludes the origin which they said they derived from Abraham; second, the origin which they thought they had from God, at the place, "They said therefore to him: We are not born of fornication." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down the opinion of the Jews about their origin; second he excludes it, at the place, "If you are the sons of Abraham, do the works of Abraham." Now it should be known concerning the first, that because the Lord had said to them, "what you have seen with your father, you do," therefore, glorying in their carnal generation, they transfer themselves to Abraham. Hence they say, "Abraham is our father," as if to say: if we have a spiritual origin, we are good, because Abraham our father is good; Psalm 104:6: "the seed of Abraham, his servants." And, as Augustine says, they were striving to provoke him to say something evil about Abraham, so that it might be an occasion for them to do what they were planning, namely, to kill Christ. But the Lord, consequently, when he says, "If you are the sons of Abraham, do the works of Abraham," excludes this opinion of theirs as falsely put forward, and he sets forth first the sign owed to sonship of Abraham; second he shows that this sign is not in the Jews, at the place, "but now you seek to kill me"; third he concludes his proposition, at the place, "you do the works of your father." Now the sign of someone's sonship is that he be made like him whose son he is: for just as carnal children, for the most part, are made like their carnal parents, so also spiritual children (if they are truly children) ought to imitate their spiritual parents; Ephesians 5:1: "Be imitators of God, as most dear children." And as to this he says, "If you are the sons of Abraham, do the works of Abraham"; as if to say: this would be the sign that you were sons of Abraham, if you imitated him; Isaiah 51:2: "Look unto Abraham your father, and to Sara that bore you." But here a doubt arises, because he seems indeed to deny that they are sons of Abraham, speaking doubtfully, "if you are the sons of Abraham," whereas he had affirmed above, saying: "I know that you are the sons of Abraham." To this a twofold answer is given. In one way, according to Augustine, that above he affirmed them to be sons of Abraham according to the flesh; but here he denies that they are his sons according to the imitation of works, and especially of faith. Their flesh, then, was from him, but their life was not; Galatians 3: "they who are of faith, these are reckoned in the seed." In another way, according to Origen, that both refer to spiritual origin. But where we have: "I know that you are the sons of Abraham," in the Greek it is had: "I know that you are the seed of Abraham"; but here he says, "If you are the sons of Abraham, do the works of Abraham"; because the Jews indeed, spiritually speaking, were the seed of Abraham, but not his sons. There is a difference between seed and son: for seed is something unformed, and yet it has in itself the natures of that of which it is the seed; but a son, once the seed has been transformed by the informative power, from the agent into the matter supplied to it by the woman, with nourishment superadded, has the likeness of the one who generated him. In the same way the Jews indeed were the seed of Abraham inasmuch as in them some trace of those things which God had infused into Abraham appeared; but because they had not arrived at the perfection of Abraham, therefore they were not his sons; and on account of this he says to them, "If you are the sons of Abraham, do the works of Abraham"; that is, strive toward the perfect imitation of his works. Now from the fact that he says, "do the works of Abraham," it seems that whatever he did, we too ought to do. Therefore we ought to take several wives, and go in to a handmaid, as Abraham did. I respond. It must be said that the chief work of Abraham is faith, by which he was justified before God; Genesis 15:6: "Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice." And therefore "do the works of Abraham" must be understood as: believe after the likeness of Abraham. But against this is the fact that faith does not seem able to be called a work, since it is distinguished as against works; James 2:26: "faith without works is dead." I respond. It must be said that faith can be called a work, according to that above, 6:29: "this is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." But an interior work is not manifest to men, but to God alone, according to that in 1 Kings 16:7: "men see the things that appear, but God looks upon the heart." Hence it is that we are more commonly accustomed to call "works" those things which are exterior. Faith, therefore, is distinguished not from all works, but only from exterior ones. But must we do all the works of Abraham? To this it must be said that a work can be considered in two ways: either according to the species of the work itself, and in this way not all his works are to be imitated; or according to their root, and in this way the works of Abraham are to be imitated, because whatever he did, he did out of charity. Hence Augustine says that the celibacy of John is not preferred to the marriage of Abraham, since the root of both was the same. Or it must be said that all the works of Abraham are to be imitated as to their signification, because "all these things happened to them in figure," as is said in 1 Corinthians 10:11. Consequently, when he says, "but now you seek to kill me," he shows that the aforesaid sign of sonship is not in them, and first the works of the Jews are set down; second he shows these to be unlike the works of Abraham, at the place, "this Abraham did not do." Now the wicked and perverse works of the Jews are shown, because they were murderers; hence he says, "but now you seek to kill me"; Isaiah 1:21: "How is the faithful city, that was full of judgment, become a harlot? Justice dwelt in it, but now murderers." But this murder was an inestimable sin against the person of the Son of God. Hence, because, as is said in 1 Corinthians 2:8, "if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory," therefore the Lord does not say that they seek to kill the Son of God, but a man: because although the Son of God is said to have suffered and died on account of the unity of the suppositum, this is not insofar as he is the Son of God, but on account of human weakness, because, as is said in 2 Corinthians, last chapter, 4: "if he was crucified through our weakness, yet he lives by the power of God." And in order the more to aggravate their murder, he shows that they had no cause of death against him; hence he adds, "who have spoken to you the truth, which I have heard from God." This truth is that he said he was equal to God; above, 5:18: "the Jews sought to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but also said that God was his father, making himself equal to God." He heard this truth from God inasmuch as from eternity, through eternal generation, he received from the Father the same nature which he himself has; above, 5:26: "as the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son also to have life in himself." Now he excludes two causes on account of which prophets were commanded to be killed in the law. First indeed on account of falsehood, Deuteronomy 13:5, where it is commanded that if any prophet should arise speaking falsehood, or a deviser of dreams, he should be killed: and this the Lord excludes from himself, saying, "who have spoken to you the truth"; Proverbs 8:7: "my throat shall meditate truth." Second, if any prophet should have spoken in the name of false gods, or in the name of God something which he himself had not commanded, he was to be killed, as is had in Deuteronomy 13:5. And this the Lord excludes from himself, when he says, "which I have heard from God." Consequently, when he says, "this Abraham did not do," he shows that their works are unlike the works of Abraham, as if to say: in this you prove yourselves not to be sons of Abraham, because you do works contrary to his works: for of him it is read, Ecclesiasticus 44:20, that "he kept the law of the most High, and was in testimony with him." But some object superfluously, that Christ did not yet exist before Abraham, and therefore Abraham did not do this: for he could not have killed one who did not exist. But it must be said that Abraham is not commended from the fact that he did not do this to Christ, but from the fact that he did not do it to a like person, that is, to those who at that time spoke the truth. Or it must be said that if Christ had not yet come in the flesh in the time of Abraham, he had nonetheless come into his mind, according to that in Wisdom 7:27: "through nations she conveys herself into holy souls"; and this one Abraham did not kill by sinning mortally: of which it is said in Hebrews 6:6: "crucifying again the Son of God, and making him a mockery." Consequently, when he says, "you do the works of your father," he concludes his proposition; as if to say: since you do not do the works of Abraham, therefore you have some other father, whose works you do. Something similar is had in Matthew 23:32: "fill up then the measure of your fathers." Consequently, when he says, "They said therefore to him: We are not born of fornication," he shows that they do not have their origin from God: for because they already knew from the Lord's words that he was not speaking of carnal generation, therefore they transfer themselves to spiritual generation, saying, "we are not born of fornication," and so on. Here first they set forth their opinion; second the Lord excludes it, at the place, "Jesus therefore said to them," and so on. Now in their opinion the Jews deny one thing and assert another. They deny that they were born of fornication: which indeed, according to Origen, they put forward to Christ as it were by way of reproach, covertly signifying that he had been produced from adultery; as if they said, "we are not born of fornication, as you are." But it can better be said that the spouse of the soul, spiritually, is God, Hosea 2:19: "I will espouse you to me." Now just as a bride commits fornication when, besides her carnal spouse, she admits another man; so, in the Scriptures, Judea was said to commit fornication when, deserting the true God, she clung to idols; Hosea 1:2: "the land committing fornication shall go a-whoring from the Lord." The Jews say therefore, "we are not born of fornication"; as if they said: if at some time our mother the synagogue, departing from God, committed fornication with idols, we nonetheless did not depart, nor did we commit fornication with idols; Psalm 43:18: "neither have we forgotten you, and we have not done wickedly in your covenant, and our heart has not turned back"; Isaiah 57:3: "come up hither, you sons of the fornicatress, the seed of the adulterer and of the harlot." They affirm, however, that they are sons of God: which seemed to follow from the fact that they did not believe themselves born of fornication; hence they say, "we have one Father, God"; Malachi 2:10: "is there not one Father of us all?" Jeremiah 3: "you shall call me Father." Consequently, when he says, "Jesus therefore said to them," etc., their opinion is refuted by the Lord, and first he sets forth the sign of divine sonship; second he assigns the reason for the sign, at the place, "for I proceeded and came from God," etc.; third he shows that they fall short of the aforesaid sign, at the place, "why do you not know my speech?" Now it should be known concerning the first, that above he said the sign of carnal sonship to be exterior works, which men perform outwardly; but here he sets down interior affection as the sign of divine sonship. For we are made sons of God through the communication of the Holy Spirit; Romans 8:15: "you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear, but the spirit of adoption." Now the Holy Spirit is the cause of the love of God, because "the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is given to us": Romans 5:5. The special sign, therefore, of divine sonship is love; Ephesians 5:1: "be imitators of God as most dear children, and walk in love." And therefore he says, "If God were your father, you would indeed love me"; Psalm 24:21: "the innocent and the upright," who are the sons of God, "have stuck close to me." Now he assigns the reason for the sign, saying, "for I proceeded and came forth from God," and first he sets down the truth; second he excludes error, at the place, "for neither did I come of myself." Now the truth which he sets forth is that he proceeded and came from God. But it should be known that every friendship is founded in a conjunction; hence brothers also love one another inasmuch as they take their origin from the same parents. The Lord therefore says: you say that you are sons of God; but if this were so, you would love me, because I proceeded and came from God. Whoever, therefore, does not love me, is not a son of God. "I proceeded," I say, "from God," as the Only-begotten from eternity, from the substance of the Father; Psalm 109:3: "before the day-star I begot you"; above, 1: "in the beginning was the Word." But "I came," as the Word made flesh and sent by God through the incarnation; below, 16:28: "I came out from the Father," as the Word from eternity, "and am come into the world," as flesh, made in time. He excludes the error, however, when he says, "for neither did I come of myself": and first he excludes the error of Sabellius, who said that Christ did not have his origin from another, but imagined the Father and the Son to be the same in person. And as to this he says, "for neither did I come of myself"; that is, according to Hilary, I came not existing of myself, but as it were sent by another, namely by the Father; hence he adds, "but he sent me"; Galatians 4:4: "God sent his Son, born of a woman, made under the law." Second, the error of the Jews, who said that Christ was not sent by God, but was a false prophet: of whom it is said: "I did not send them, but they ran of themselves." And as to this he says, according to Origen, "for neither did I come of myself, but he sent me." This one Moses was asking for: "I beseech you, Lord, send whom you will send." Now he shows that they fall short of this sign, when he says, "why do you not know my speech?" For, as was said above, love of Christ is the sign of divine sonship; but these men did not love Christ: hence it is manifest that they fall short of this sign. Now that they do not love, they show through its effect: for an effect of someone's love is that the one who loves gladly hears the words of the one loved. Hence Song of Songs 2:14: "let your voice sound in my ears, for your voice is sweet." And Song of Songs, last chapter, 13: "make me hear your voice: the friends hearken to you." Because, therefore, these men did not love Christ, it seemed hard to them even to hear his voice; above, 6:61: "this saying is hard: who can hear it?" Wisdom 2:15: "he is grievous to us, even to behold." Now it happens that someone does not gladly hear the words of another, because he cannot examine them and consequently cannot know them, and therefore they contradict them; Job 6:29: "answer, I beseech you, without contention... and you shall not find iniquity in my tongue." And therefore he says, "why do you not know my speech?" — saying and asking, "what is this that he said: where I go you cannot come?" And this, I say, you do not know for this reason, because you cannot hear my word; that is, you have so hard a heart toward me, that you do not even wish to hear my word.”

“But now ye seek to kill me,.... A temper and disposition very foreign from that of Abraham's: a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God; to seek to kill a man is a very great crime, and punishable with death; to kill an innocent one, that had done no sin, who was pure, holy, harmless, and inoffensive to God and man, was an aggravation of the iniquity; and to kill a prophet, and one more than a prophet, who brought a revelation from God himself, and declared the whole truth of the Gospel, and particularly that of his divine, eternal sonship, which incensed them against him, and put them upon seeking to take away his life, still increased the sin. This did not Abraham: the sense is not, that Abraham did not tell the truth he had heard of God; for he did instruct, and command his children after him, to walk in the ways of the Lord, which he had learned from him; but that Abraham did not reject any truth that was revealed unto him, and much less seek to take away the life of any person that brought it to him; and indeed not the life of any man that deserved not to die: and our Lord suggests, that if he had been on the spot now, he would not have done as these his posterity did, since he saw his day by faith, and rejoiced in the foresight of it, Joh 8:56. The Jew (o) makes an objection from these words against the deity of Christ; "you see (says he) that Jesus declares concerning himself that he is not God, but man; and so says Paul concerning him, Rom 5:15; and so Jesus, in many places, calls himself the son of man: for do we find in any place that he calls himself God, as the Nazarenes believe.'' To which may be replied, that Jesus does not declare in these words, nor in any other place, that he is not God; he says no such thing; he only observes, that he was a man, as he really was: nor is his being man any contradiction to his being God; for he is both God and man; and so those that believe in him affirm: and though Christ does not in express terms call himself God, yet he owned himself to be the Son of God, Mar 14:61, and said such things of himself, as manifestly declared him to be God; and upon account of which the Jews concluded, that he not only made himself equal with God, but that he made himself God, Joh 5:17. Besides, he suffered himself to be called God by a disciple of his, which he would never have done, had he not been really and truly God, Joh 20:28; yea, he seems to call himself so, when being tempted by Satan, he observed to him what is written, "thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God", Mat 4:7. The reason why he so often calls himself the son of man is, because it was more suitable to him in his state of humiliation; and indeed, there was no need for him to assert his deity in express words, since his works and miracles most clearly proved that he was God: and as for the Apostle Paul, though he sometimes speaks of him as a man, he also says of him, that he is God over all, blessed for ever; and calls him the great God, and our Saviour, and God manifest in the flesh, Rom 9:5. (o) R. Isaac Chizzuk Emuna, par. 2. c. 48. p. 436. & par. 1. c. 10. p. 118.”

“My word hath no place in you - Or, this doctrine of mine hath no place to you. Ye hear the truths of God, but ye do not heed them: the word of life has no influence over you; and how can it, when you seek to kill me because I proclaim this truth to you? It is a dismal omen when a person is regardless of the truth of God: it is more so to be provoked against it: but to persecute and endeavor to destroy those who preach it is the last degree of perverseness and obduracy. The word of God requires a heart which is empty. A heart filled with earthly projects, carnal interests ambition, thoughts of raising a fortune, and with the love of the superfluities and pleasures of life, is not fit to receive the seed of the kingdom. When a man shuts his heart against it by his passions, he at the same time opens it to all sorts of crimes. Quesnel. From what is here said, it is manifest, says Dr. Lightfoot, that the whole tendency of our Savior's discourse is to show the Jews, that they are the seed of that serpent which was to bruise the heel of the Messiah: else what could that mean, Joh 8:44 : Ye are of your father the devil, i.e. ye are the seed of the serpent.”

“ye seek to kill me--He had said this to their face before: He now repeats it, and they do not deny it; yet are they held back, as by some marvellous spell--it was the awe which His combined dignity, courage, and benignity struck into them. because my word hath no place in you--When did ever human prophet so speak of His words? They tell us of "the word of the Lord" coming to them. But here is One who holds up "His word" as that which ought to find entrance and abiding room for itself in the souls of all who hear it.”