Note 14 at Joh 8:37: Jesus acknowledged these Jews' nationality in this verse; however, as explained in note 10 at Joh 8:33, being a Jew was primarily a spiritual matter involving Abraham's kind of faith, from which these Jews had long since departed. Jesus said that they were of their "father the devil" (Joh 8:44), showing that God (Jesus) looks on the heart, while people (these Pharisees) look on the outward appearance (1Sa 16:7).