Why Did Jesus Say Jews Were Children Of The Devil?

Answer: Kevin, thank you for the question and your readership.

In John 8, Jesus will tell us two times, the Jews He was speaking with are Abraham’s descendants, so they are not Cain’s descendants. From there, I’ll explain the phrase, “O generation of vipers.” Additionally, I’ll discuss who the Kenites are, and what little we know about them from the Bible.

We Be Abraham’s Seed

We begin our study by discussing a conversation between Jesus and the Jews who had believed on Him in the past. Hence why Christ said, “to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed… and the truth shall make you free,” (John 8:31-32).

Notice, their belief was in the past. They did not continue in Christ, therefore, they are not of Christ, and that is why they are not His disciples.

Let’s read the Jew’s response very carefully.

John 8:33
They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

The word “seed” used here is the Greek word “sperma” which means, “the male sperm” in this sense.

The Jews are stating, they are the genealogical descendants of Abraham.

What does Jesus say about their assertion?

In verse 34, “Jesus answered them” saying,

John 8:37
I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

Jesus confirms their statement by acknowledging they are Abraham’s “seed,” the same Greek word used in verse 33 which means, “male sperm” in this sense. It is certain, the Jews (Judeans) that are talking with Jesus are the genealogical descendants of Abraham. They are a part of the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Notice, Scripture makes it clear, Jesus is talking to one and the same group of Jews in the verses we are covering.

Later in this study, I will explain this verse further.

Let’s see what Jesus says next.

John 8:38
I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

Jesus was no longer speaking genealogically, but rather spiritually. Christ will now make the case, that while the Jews are Abraham’s descendants, they are spiritually children of the Devil.

Let us continue.

John 8:39
They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

Jesus did not contradict Himself when He said, “If ye were Abraham’s children.”

Christ already acknowledged the Jews are Abraham’s literal descendants.

Jesus is teaching them a spiritual lesson, which is “they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham,” (Galatians 3:7). These Jews did not have the faith of Christ, as they did not continue in His Word.

That is why Jesus said, “If ye were Abraham’s children” in verse 39. If the Jews had the faith of Christ, they would become spiritual children of Abraham, in addition to already being genealogical children of Abraham.

This ties right into Galatians 3:29 which states, “if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Jesus is explaining, genealogical roots are not going to cut it, the Jews must turn from their evil deeds and accept Christ. Otherwise, they are not heirs of the Kingdom regardless of their genealogy.

Jesus continues,

John 8:41-42
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Notice how the conversation changes gears from discussing Abraham as their father to God as their father?

This clearly shows the spiritual lesson.

Ye Are Of Your Father The Devil

Now let’s read verse 44.

John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Jesus already explained the Jews are the literal descendants of Abraham, so why did Christ make this statement?

For what Christ said in verse 41, “Ye do the deeds of your father,” therefore, “Ye are of your father the devil.”

In verse 42 Jesus said, “If God were your Father, ye would love me” which indicates their spiritual nature was not of God, which means their spiritual nature was of their “father the devil.”

Where have we heard this before?

Turn your Bible with me to,

1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Just as anyone who has the faith of Christ becomes “the children of Abraham.” Anyone who “committeth sin is of the devil” in the spiritual sense. That is why Jesus told the Jews their father was the Devil.

In the spiritual sense, due to their deeds of sin, they are of Satan. Yet, as Christ had already confirmed, Abraham was their genealogical father.

So ensure you do not confuse that which is flesh, with that which is spirit.

Further, in the last two verses, we are told the Devil “was a murderer from the beginning,” and “the Devil sinneth from the beginning.” Satan’s fall away from God is the root source of these sayings, which brought sin and death into the world from the beginning, (Hebrews 2:14).

Notice, Cain is not the subject, nor is Cain ever mentioned or implied in either of the last two verses. Jesus Christ made it clear, the subject is the Devil who is Satan.

Let’s further the point of our discussion.

1 John 3:10
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

The Jews of the synagogue were certainly not righteous. Scripture makes that abundantly clear, this made them spiritually, “children of the devil,” and that is what Jesus was explaining to us in John 8:44.

Now let’s turn back to John 8, and read what Jesus tells the Jews a few verses after telling them, “Ye are of your father the devil.”

Your Father Abraham

John 8:56
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

Jesus goes back to the genealogical aspect to further confirm, the Jews He was conversing with are Abraham’s descendants. Therefore, it becomes impossible for these Jews to be descendants of anyone else but Abraham.

While their flesh genealogy was of Abraham, their spiritual deeds were of the Devil.

For completeness, some explain the word “know” in John 8:37 can mean “perceive.” Christ would not need to perceive anything. He was the Son of God who even knew who touched the hem of His garment, (Matthew 9:20-22).

Further, some explain an alternate word for “know” can mean “appear,” to indicate, Christ was stating they “appear” as children of Abraham. That is adding to the Scripture, as in that case, the Scripture would read, “I appear that ye are Abraham’s seed” which makes no sense.

As we have learned, none of this Scripturally holds up. Even if Jesus was saying they “appear” to be sons of Abraham, but are not, then Christ never would have said, “Your father Abraham” after the fact in verse 56.

Instead, Jesus told us twice, the Jews are descendants of Abraham so there would be no doubt. To believe otherwise goes against Christ’s own words, and would indicate, He contradicted Himself in John 8:37, 39, 44, and 56. We know that is not true, Jesus never contradicts Himself.

This further confirms, the Jews are not children of Cain or Satan.

O Generation Of Vipers

We have more to discuss concerning this topic.

• In Matthew 12:34, Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees as, “O generation of vipers.”
• In Matthew 23:33, Jesus calls them, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers.”

Some believe this means, they are the literal “offspring” of the serpent who is Satan, (Revelation 12:9).

However, that is not accurate either.

Please turn your Bible with me and listen to the words of John.

Matthew 3:7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Also: Luke 3:7-8

We see John making the same statement to the Pharisees that Jesus would later make.

Let’s read what John says next.

Matthew 3:9
And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Therefore, the statements of John and Jesus did not indicate the Pharisees were literal children of the Devil, quite the contrary.

John is confirming, the Pharisees were in fact descendants of Abraham. John makes the point, God could “raise up” children to Abraham from stones, so their genealogy would not save them. Instead, they would need the faith of Jesus to obtain salvation.

We should note, many Israelites assumed they were saved as they were descendants of Abraham. That is why John told them, do not say “We have Abraham to our father,” (Galatians 3:16, Romans 4:13-16).

Christ’s message was that we must believe in Him, not that our genealogy would save us. We find this message over and over in Scripture, (Ephesians 2:11-22).

Let’s now discuss the Kenites.

Who Are The Kenites?

Some Christians have attempted to link Cain to the Kenites, and the Kenites to the Jews.

However, is it Biblical?

I don’t believe so.

It is true, the word “Kenite” in the Strong’s Concordance means, “the tribe of Kajin.” Moreover, the root word means,

Kajin, the name of the first child, also of a place in Palestine, and of an Oriental tribe: – Cain, Kenite (-s).

Therefore, “Kajin” could refer to one of three things:

• Kajin could refer to Cain, the first child who murdered his brother Abel.
• Kajin could refer to someone else named Cain.
• Kajin could refer to the city named Cain (Kain) in the land of Canaan, (Joshua 15:57).

Now, it’s possible, the Kenites could be the descendants of Cain, but it’s not probable. The reason is simple, there’s not a single Scripture that makes the claim. Instead, this theory is derived from a definition in the Strong’s Concordance which is certainly not Gospel.

In fact, there are more reasons to believe the Kenites are unrelated to Cain, than related.

1. The Bible explains, Cain went east of Eden, not west to Canaan.
2. The Bible never said individual Kenites are evil.
3. The Bible never said the Kenites are descendants of Cain.
4. Many of the nations that occupied Canaan were descendants of Canaan, Noah’s son.
5. Some state, the Kenites inherited evilness from Cain, but we don’t inherit evil traits from our parents. Our soul makes us evil, not our DNA.

This is a brief overview, please read my in-depth study on the Kenites for details.

Summary

When the Jews said, “We be Abraham’s seed,” Jesus confirmed their statement not once, but twice. Therefore, Christ left no doubt to the fact, the Jews were the literal descendants of Abraham.

Jesus not only provided us with the genealogy of the Jews, but He provided a spiritual lesson as well. Evident as their conversation went from agreeing that Abraham was their genealogical father, to disputing if God or the Devil was their spiritual father.

We also learned, John and Jesus both used the same phrase, “O generation of vipers” to address the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees who John said were descendants of Abraham.

When we bring this together, Jesus and John both confirmed, the Jews are descendants of Abraham. That means they are not the descendants of Cain or Satan’s literal children. That means they are not Kenites.

Further, as Scripture explained, even the word Kenite cannot be used with certainty to identify wicked people beyond Genesis 15:19.

This all confirms as Scripture indicates, it was the Israelites who ensured our King was crucified. Our King who was rejected by His own people, the same He came to save, (Joh 1:11, Act 3:12-15, 17, 25, 1 Th 2:14-15).