“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God” (John 8:47; all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version).

Most of John’s Gospel is structured around a series of miracles He performed, followed by a discussion or debate with Jewish leaders. John 8 is one example. At the beginning of the chapter, He rescued a woman who had been caught in “the act of adultery” by persuading the people that only someone without sin should cast the first stone while executing her (John 8:1-10).

In the ensuing discussion, Jesus declared that He is “the light of the world” (John 8:12) and, as a result of His debate with the Pharisees, “many believed in him” (John 8:30). So, He began speaking to the Jews who believed him:

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32).

Although they believed Him, they were willing to believe part-way. When confronted by their need for a Savior, they dug their feet in for rigid resistance. Jesus’ words will always confront self-righteousness, and self-righteousness will fight back to defend itself against divine truth.

“We … have never been enslaved to anyone” (John 8:33). Did they really believe this? Had they not heard of Moses and the slavery in Egypt? Had they not read about the Babylonian exile? Were they not aware that they were currently under Roman oppression? Jewish history was a long story of a people under oppression, longing for freedom, and awaiting final liberation by God. Perhaps they knew the truth but were not ready to accept the fact that Jesus could set them free.

The hostility would grow: They would say “Abraham is our father” (v. 39) and that they were not children of fornication (v. 41); this is probably a pot-shot at the fact that Joseph and Mary were not married when Jesus was conceived (a scandal that probably followed Him throughout His earthly life). In John 8:48, they would accuse Jesus of being a demon-possessed Samaritan (a double insult).

This is why Jesus said “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” If we are of God—if we have placed our faith in Jesus and are led and filled by the Holy Spirit—we will listen to Jesus. His words do not always make us comfortable. Sometimes those words sting, especially when they point out our sins, shortcomings, self-deception, etc.

However, if we are not of God, we will reject His word. We will make excuses for disobeying Scripture. We will slander those who speak the truth of God’s word. In doing so, we will even slander Jesus, whether we will admit it or not.

How do you respond when you hear one of the “hard sayings of Jesus” that sting like salt on an open wound? Your response will reveal if you are truly a child of God.

What does your response to the harder words of Scripture say about your relationship with Christ? Share your thoughts about this or anything else related to this passage in the comments field below.

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