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The Children of the Devil
42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.43Whydo you not understandwhatIam saying?It is becauseyou are unableto acceptMymessage.44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.…

Treasury of Scripture

Why do you not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word.

do.

John 8:27
They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.

John 5:43
I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

John 7:17
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, orwhether I speak of myself.

ye cannot.

John 6:60
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heardthis, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

Isaiah 6:9
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Jeremiah 6:10
To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their earis uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

AbleBearClearEarsHearLanguageShutSpeakSpeechTeachingUnableUnderstandWhereforeWordWordsAbleBearClearEarsHearLanguageShutSpeakSpeechTeachingUnableUnderstandWhereforeWordWords1.Jesus delivers the woman taken in adultery.
12.He declares himself the light of the world, and justifies his doctrine;
31.promises freedom to those who believe;
33.answers the Jews who boasted of Abraham;
48.answers their reviling, by showing his authority and dignity;
59.and slips away from those who would stone him.

Why do you not understand what I am saying?
In this phrase, Jesus addresses the Jewish leaders and the crowd, questioning their inability to comprehend His teachings. This reflects a recurring theme in the Gospels where Jesus' spiritual truths are often misunderstood by those who are spiritually blind or hardened in heart. The question highlights the tension between Jesus and the religious authorities, who often misinterpret His words due to their preconceived notions and resistance to His message. This echoesIsaiah 6:9-10, where the prophet speaks of people who hear but do not understand, a prophecy Jesus Himself references inMatthew 13:14-15.

It is because you are unable to accept My message.
Here, Jesus identifies the root cause of their misunderstanding: an inability to accept His message. This inability is not intellectual but spiritual, indicating a deeper issue of the heart. The Greek word for "accept" implies a willingness to receive and embrace. The Jewish leaders' rejection of Jesus' message is tied to their spiritual condition, as seen inJohn 3:19-20, where people love darkness rather than light. This phrase also connects to the broader biblical theme of spiritual receptivity, as seen in1 Corinthians 2:14, where the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. Jesus' message challenges their beliefs and authority, and their inability to accept it is a reflection of their spiritual state.

1.Jesus Christ
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is addressing the Jewish leaders and people who are questioning His authority and teachings.

2.Jewish Leaders
The primary audience of Jesus' message in this chapter, they are often in conflict with Jesus, challenging His teachings and authority.

3.Jerusalem
The setting of this discourse, where Jesus is teaching in the temple courts during the Feast of Tabernacles.

4.The Feast of Tabernacles
A significant Jewish festival during which Jesus delivers this teaching, providing a backdrop of religious observance and expectation.

5.The Devil
Mentioned later in the chapter as the father of lies, contrasting with Jesus' message of truth.Spiritual Understanding Requires Open Hearts
Jesus highlights that understanding His message is not just an intellectual exercise but requires a heart open to spiritual truth.

The Barrier of Sin and Pride
The inability to accept Jesus' message often stems from sin and pride, which blind individuals to the truth.

The Role of the Holy Spirit
Understanding and accepting Jesus' message is facilitated by the Holy Spirit, who opens our hearts and minds to divine truth.

The Importance of Humility in Learning
Approaching Jesus' teachings with humility allows us to receive and understand His message more fully.

The Consequences of Rejecting Truth
Rejecting Jesus' message leads to spiritual blindness and separation from God, emphasizing the importance of accepting His truth.1.What is the meaning of John 8:43?

2.Why can't people understand Jesus' words according to John 8:43?

3.How does John 8:43 highlight the importance of spiritual discernment?

4.What other scriptures emphasize hearing and understanding God's word?

5.How can we ensure we are "able to listen" to Jesus today?

6.What steps can strengthen our ability to comprehend Jesus' teachings?

7.Why do you not understand what I am saying in John 8:43?

8.How does John 8:43 challenge our understanding of spiritual hearing?

9.What historical context influences the message of John 8:43?

10.What are the top 10 Lessons from John 8?

11.If Exodus 14:17 says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, how can Pharaoh be held responsible for his actions?

12.In the Gospel of John, what did Jesus say about bearing his own witness in John 5:31 and John 8:14?

13.In Mark 6:5, why would an all-powerful Jesus be unable to perform miracles in His hometown due to their unbelief?

14.2 Thessalonians 3:3 - How can believers claim 'the Lord is faithful' if historical evidence suggests countless faithful people still suffer or face calamity?Why do you not understand what I am saying?

“Why do you not understand what I am saying?” (John 8:43a)

• Jesus has been speaking plainly—declaring His identity (John 8:12), exposing sin (John 8:24), and inviting faith (John 8:31–32).

• The crowd’s failure to grasp Him is not due to lack of information; it is a heart issue. Isaiah faced the same closed ears (Isaiah 6:9–10), and Paul later wrote that “the mind of the flesh is hostile to God” (Romans 8:7).

• Spiritual truth requires spiritual receptivity. As1 Corinthians 2:14 notes, “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God.”

• Jesus’ question is diagnostic: it exposes their spiritual condition so they can see their need for Him (John 8:36).

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It is because you are unable to accept My message.

“It is because you are unable to accept My message.” (John 8:43b)

• “Unable” points to moral inability, not intellectual incapacity. Like soil that rejects seed (Matthew 13:19), their hearts resist the word.

• Their allegiance is elsewhere. In the next verse Jesus names their true father as “the devil” (John 8:44), echoing2 Corinthians 4:4, where “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers.”

• Sin enslaves the will; only the Son can set free (John 8:34–36). Until He does, people cannot “bear to listen to His word” (John 8:43, NIV alt.), because it confronts and condemns cherished darkness (John 3:19–20).

• Yet Christ’s statement carries hope: what humans cannot do, God can. The Father must draw (John 6:44), open hearts (Acts 16:14), and grant repentance leading to knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25–26).

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summary

John 8:43 shows that misunderstanding Jesus stems from an unwilling, sin-bound heart, not from unclear teaching. His probing question exposes spiritual deafness, and His answer reveals the root problem—an inability to receive His word apart from divine intervention. Recognizing this drives us to depend wholly on the Son, whose liberating truth alone breaks the chains of unbelief and opens ears to hear.

(43)Why do ye not understand my speech, . . . my word.--The distinction between "speech" (the form) and "word" (the matter which was spoken) is rightly preserved. Comp.John 12:48, "the word that I have spoken." A good instance of the meaning of "speech is found inMatthew 26:73, "thy speech betrayeth thee." FromJohn 8:33 onwards, they had constantly misunderstood His expressions. The reason is that the subject-matter of His discourse is altogether above them. He is speaking of spiritual things, which are spiritually discerned. They, if children of the Father whom they claimed, would recognise these spiritual truths and know the language of home.

Ye cannot hear.--Comp. Note onJohn 6:60. The sense is, "Ye cannot hear, so as to receive and obey." He supplies the answer to His own question. In the following verses (44-47), He expresses this answer more fully.

Verse 43. -Why do ye not understand - come to appreciate and penetrate the significance of -my speech? There is delicate subtle distinction betweenλαλιά andλόγος, corresponding to that betweenλαλέω andλέγω. The former word connotes the form, manner, and tone of utterance, and the latter its inner substance and power.Λαλιά is a, word used for any manifestation of sound, a voice, the babble of children, the cries and songs of beasts or birds, for which purposeλὲγω andλόγος are not used (Trench, 'Syn. of N.T.'). Peter'sλαλιά betrayed him to the Jerusalem crowd (Matthew 26:73).Λόγος is the substance of the message, the burden of the revelation. The speech (λαλιά) of Christ refers to the appropriate and significant clothing which he gave to his word (λόγος). He mournfully asks why they had failed to get to understand the method of his converse; why they perpetually failed to appreciate his discourse; why they persistently put wrong constructions upon his phrase, and imagined him to be speaking of earthly things when he was discoursing to them of heavenly ones. Why?Because ye cannot hear my word - the Divine communication I have made to you. They were morally so far from him that they could not listen so as to receive his revelation. The inward organ of receptivity was lacking, and "so the spiritual idiom in which he spake was not spiritually understood" (Alford). The Divine significance of the whole word of Christ, the new and strange doctrines of Messiah, of redemption, of the Father, of a sacrifice and death on the part of the Son of man for the salvation of the world excited their animosity and bitter antipathies. They were not conscious of any of the need he came to satisfy, and so they failed to apprehend the entire manner of his revelation. They were from beneath (ver. 23). He is disclosing heavenly things. "Their ears have they closed, lest they should hear."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Why
Διὰ(Dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223:A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

do you not understand
γινώσκετε(ginōskete)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 1097:A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

what
τὴν(tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

I
ἐμὴν(emēn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Feminine 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1699:My, mine. From the oblique cases of ego; my.

am saying?
λαλιὰν(lalian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2981:(in classical Greek: babble, chattering) speech, talk; manner of speech, dialect. From laleo; talk.

[It is] because
ὅτι(hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754:Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

you are unable
δύνασθε(dynasthe)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 1410:(a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.

to accept
ἀκούειν(akouein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 191:To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.

My
ἐμόν(emon)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1699:My, mine. From the oblique cases of ego; my.

message.
λόγον(logon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3056:From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.


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NT Gospels: John 8:43 Why don't you understand my speech? Because (Jhn Jo Jn)