Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and you say, If a man keeps my saying, he shall never taste of death.
All Commentaries on John 8:52 Go To John 8
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Again, they have recourse to the vainglorious argument of their descent: 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.
This is to answer their suspicions as above, If I bear witness of Myself My witness is not true.
He adds, Of whom you say that He is your God; meaning to tell them that they werenot only ignorant of the Father, but even of God.
As if to say, As you, saying that you know Him, lie; so were I a liar, did I say I knew Him not. It follows, however,(which is the greatest proof of all that He was sent from God,) But I know Him.
In answer then to their question, Are you greater than our father Abraham, He shows them that He is greater than Abraham; Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: he saw it, and was glad; he must have rejoiced, because My day would benefit him, which is to acknowledge Me greater than himself.
They are aliens from Abraham if they grieve over what he rejoiced in. By this day perhaps He means the day of the cross, which Abraham prefigured by the offering up of Isaac and the ram: intimating hereby that He did not come to His passion unwillingly.
