Note 14 at Jn. 8:37: Jesus acknowledged these Jews' nationality in this verse; however, as explained in note 10 at John 8:33, above, 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" (Jn. 8:44) showing that God (Jesus) looks on the heart while men (these Pharisees) look on the outward appearance (1 Sam. 16:7).