John 8:31-59

Go Deep

Before Abraham Was, I am. (John 8:31-59)

Read John 8:31-59. What words best describe the give-and-take between Jesus and the Jews?

In verse 31, Jesus addresses the Jews who believed in him. Do you think they were the only ones present or were others present? Explain.

What identifies Jesus’s true disciples (verse 31)? What does this mean?

Why (verse 37) were some people ready to kill Jesus? Why were they in this state?

Explain why people said (verse 41, literal translation), “We were not begotten from fornication!”

Why (verse 43) were people “unable to hear what” Jesus said? What implications might there be for us today?

What can we learn from what Jesus says about the devil in verse 44? How can this knowledge help us?

Read verse 47. How do you think people responded to this statement from Jesus? What might Jesus’s purpose have been in making this strong statement?

Do you think there ever could be a time for you to say something like this to someone in your life?

In verse 41, people imply that Jesus was born illegitimately. In verse 48, they call him a Samaritan (an insult in itself and perhaps another jab at his lineage) and say he has a demon. Describe Jesus’s response to these insults.

How can Jesus say that anyone who keeps his word will never see death? What does it mean to keep his word?

Read verse 56? How could Abraham “see [Jesus’s] day?

A literal translation from verse 58: “Before Abraham was, I am.” What was Jesus telling people and why is that important?

How did people respond to this comment (verse 59)? Why did they respond in this way?