Verse 19
Perhaps the Pharisees misunderstood Jesus. They were perhaps continuing to think on the physical level while He was speaking of spiritual realities. If so, we should not criticize them too much because Jesus’ teaching that God was His Father was new (cf. John 5:18). However their request was probably an intentional insult (cf. John 8:41).
"In the East, to question a man’s paternity is a definite slur on his legitimacy." [Note: Tenney, "John," p. 93.]
The Pharisees virtually admitted that they did not know Jesus’ origins, which they had claimed they knew earlier (John 7:27). Their inability to recognize Jesus as the Son of God showed that they really did not know God. If they had known Him, they would have recognized Jesus as His Son. The rest of chapter 8 deals with the theme of fatherhood.
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