John 8:54 — Community Reflections

JOHN 8:54 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:”

Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say that he is your God — Jesus deflects self-glorification (echoing 8:50): if he honored himself, that honor would be worthless. Instead, the Father honors him. The authorities claim God as their God ('of whom ye say that he is your God'), yet they do not recognize that God honors Jesus. Their claim to know God is false; they do not perceive God's action toward Jesus.

Church Fathers on John 8:54

As it is necessary that the good should grow better by contumely, so are the reprobate made worse by kindness On hearing our Lord’s words, the Jews again blaspheme: Then said the Jews to Him, Now we know you have a devil.
Gregory the Great · 6th century

Those who believe the Holy Scriptures, understand that what men do contrary to right reason, is not done without the operation of devils. Thus the Jews thought that Jesus had spoken by the influence of the devil, when He said, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death. And this idea they labored under, because they did not know the power of God. For here He was speaking of that death of enmity to reason, by which sinners perish: whereas they understand Him of that…
Origen · 3rd century

Are you greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? They might have said, Are you greater than God, whose words they are dead who heard? But they do not say this, because they thought Him inferior even to Abraham.
Chrysostom · 4th century · Again, they have recourse to the vainglorious argument of their descent

Read all 25 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

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