John Chapter 8

Introductory remarks:

Many of the best Greek manuscripts do not include the last verse of chapter seven and the first eleven verses of chapter eight, the account of the woman caught in adultery. It is not that it is considered 'apocryphal', that is, non-canonical, but some ancient translators did not think it belonged to John. Westcott and Hort put this account at the end of John's Gospel. Some place it in Luke. McGee notes: "The episode of the woman, covering the first eleven verses, is not found in some of the better manuscripts. As I am sure you know, our English Bibles are translated from the original languages [OT in Hebrew and the NT in Greek]. Extant [existing] manuscripts were used to compile a Greek New Testament; then our English translations were made from that. The Greek text of Westcott and Hort omits the incident of the woman taken in adultery from its position in the eighth chapter of John but insert it at the end of the Gospel. Nestle's Greek text includes it but encloses it in brackets. Augustine writes that it was omitted because of a prudish fear that it would encourage adultery. However, if we read the account carefully, we will see that it does not condone sin. Rather, it condemns sin. We have both a scholarly and moral basis for considering it part of the inspired Word of God."

The consensus among the Bible Expositors I have consulted are in agreement that it is part of the Word of God, it is just not agreed upon as to where it is to be placed.

The Woman caught in Adultery

Verse 1, "Jesus went unto the mount of Olives."

LGT "But Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives."

A.T. Robertson says that Jesus was probably lodging at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He must have his reasons for thinking this; I am just quoting him, so don't take me to task over it.

Verse 2, "And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down and taught them."

LGT "And at dawn again He came into the temple and all the people came to Him, and He took a seat and was teaching them."

The night before, there was a meeting between the Sanhedrin, where Nicodemus had spoken up about how it was illegal for the rulers to try Jesus without hearing from Him. The people who were listening to Jesus teach were divide as to whether or not He was the Messiah.

Verses 3, 4, "And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery; and when they set her in the midst, they say unto Him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act."

LGT "And the scribes and Pharisees bringing to Him a woman having been taken in adultery and having set her in [the] midst, they say to Him, Teacher, this woman was taken in the very act committing adultery."

"And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery;"

It was unlawful for them to bring this woman like this, for they had courts to decide these cases; they were only trying to trap Jesus (Robertson). The religious rulers were not able to trap Christ the day before; they resume their devious efforts with this woman.

"And when they set her in the midst, they say to Him, Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act."

They were not only breaking the law themselves, they were being very rude to boot. It wasn't enough for them to interrupt Christ teaching the people, they fling this woman to the ground in front of Christ and add, 'she was caught in the very act'.

Verse 5, "Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?"

LGT "But in our law Moses commanded such a one should be stoned. Therefore what do you say?"

The whole point of their question did not have the woman in mind at all; they were only trying to trick Jesus in giving the wrong answer. These rulers were well aware of the Lord's reputation for forgiveness. Remember how they tried to get the Lord convicted when He healed the impotent man at the pool of Siloam. McGee writes, 'these were correct in their interpretation of the law, someone caught in adultery should be stoned, but these rulers were not interested in stoning this woman, they wanted to stone Jesus'.

"Stoning was specified for the case of a betrothed woman guilty of adultery (Deut. 23:23f.) and for a priest's daughter if guilty. In other cases just death was commanded (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22). The Talmud [Jewish commentary explaining the Law] prescribes strangulation. This case may have strictly come within the regulation as a betrothed virgin" (WPNT A. T. Robertson).

Verse 6, "This they said, tempting Him, that they might accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not."

LGT "And this they said tempting Him, in order that they might have [a reason] to be accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down with [His] finger wrote down upon the earth."

"This they said tempting Him, that they might accuse Him."

What they said in verse five, that according to the Law of Moses she should be stoned, was said to 'tempt' Christ to say something contrary to the law, and then they would be able to say. Aha!

"Hoping, whatever He might answer, to put Him in the wrong; - if He said, Stone her, that would mean a stepping out of His providence [divine intervention]; if He forbade it, that would hold Him up as a relaxer of the public morals. See how these cunning hypocrites were overmatched" (JFB Comm. on the Gospel of John).

"But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not."

This is the only time in the scripture that it mentions that Christ wrote anything. It was not that Jesus could not write, but the method Christ used was to hand pick men to write the Word of God for Him, and thus we have the doctrine of Divine Inspiration. Jesus did not answer these fools verbally, but He casually bent down and wrote on the ground. It does not say what he wrote, and I do not think it necessary to speculate on what it was; if it were important for us to know, John would have told us. As I have said before, speculation is idle babbling to no good or profitable end. I have come up with a formula about speculation I believe is fairly sound. If we speculate about the past, we can most assuredly bet that we will be wrong; if we speculate about the future, we are merely exercising our vivid sanctified imagination. The Word of God has everything for us to search out and find, with the help of the Holy Spirit, of course, but there is no room for speculation [guesswork]. John Calvin in his 'Institutes', quotes Augustine (354-430): "When an old pious Sunday school teacher was teaching from Genesis about the creation of the world, a smart-aleck young student asked, sarcastically, 'What was God doing before He made the universe?' the old teacher replied, 'He was busy making hell for the inquisitive.'"

The phrase 'as though He heard them not' is not in the Greek Mss. that records this event. I believe that the reason Jesus turned and bent down and wrote on the earth was to totally disregard the self-righteousness of these idiots, and this is born out by the rest of the narrative, it is not speculation. I found one commentator who agrees with me; John Calvin writes: "Christ by doing nothing, shows how unworthy they were of being heard; just as if any person, while another was speaking to him, were to draw lines on the wall, or turn his back, or to show, by sign, that he was not attending to what was said."

Verse 7, "So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

LGT "But as they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself and said to them, The one who is sinless among you first at her let him cast a stone."

This sounds like a bunch of spoiled little brats; they kept badgering the Lord about what He thought should happen to this woman caught in adultery; they 'continued asking Him' what He thought should be done. They get their answer, but not the one they wanted. Robertson says that they notice Jesus is embarrassed, but not because of 'the brazen hardness of the prosecutors,' but because of the shamelessness of their deed.

"He that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her."

Christ's words here are not designed to do away with the law, He was only responding to the self-righteousness of the accusers. The Lord is not condoning this woman's sin, as some would interpret, but He is making a point that these men were displaying improper motives. The Lord responds to their continued questioning with an answer only He could give, 'If you are sinless, stone her;' the Lord is the only One who can forgive sin, for under the Law of Moses she would have to be put to death. Jesus is showing these rulers that they are as corrupt, even more, than the woman.

Verse 8, "And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground."

LGT "And again having stooped down He wrote on the ground."

And then Jesus turns away from them to let them consider for a moment what He had just said.

Verse 9, "And they which heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst."

LGT "And they having heard went out one by one beginning from the elder men, and [He] was left alone also the woman being in the midst."

"Being convicted by their conscience went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last."

The phrase 'being convicted by their conscience' is not found in the better manuscripts. It does not mean that they weren't convicted, just that this phrase is not included. Calvin notes on their being stricken by their conscience thus: "Though it is possible that shame, with which they were struck before men, had greater influence over them than the fear of God, still it is a great matter that, of their own accord, they acknowledge themselves to be guilty, when they thus fly away as if they were confounded."

There are two ways of looking at this phrase 'beginning at the eldest, even unto the last.' The first is the older ones had more sense than the younger ones, and could see the errors of their ways and were more embarrassed, or secondly that they had more sins to recount than the younger ones, so they left in a hurry without throwing a stone.

"And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst"

When Jesus looked up He was left alone with the woman in front of Him. This does not mean that the people He was teaching left just her accusers had left. She was still in front of the audience where she had been placed, for her embarrassment. Robertson notes: "The woman was left behind also 'being in the midst' as they had placed her (verse 3) before they were conscience stricken and left." How different this action of these scribes and Pharisees is compared to the true believer. When these religious rulers were pierced by their consciences they fled away from Christ; when we today are convicted, we go directly to Him for forgiveness.

Verse 10, "When Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?"

LGT "And Jesus having lifted up Himself said to her, Woman, where are [they]? Did no one judge you?"

"When Jesus had lifted up Himself,"

Jesus kept on writing on the ground the entire time the elders had one by one slipped away. By the time He was through, He lifted up Himself and saw only the woman (Robertson).

"And saw none but the woman."

This phrase is not in the better manuscript, probably added by some scribe for clarity. The woman could have left also, but maybe she was attracted to the words of the Lord that had caused these religious rulers to flee. Maybe she wanted to hear more.

"He said unto her, woman, where are those thine accusers?"

When He had seen that He was left alone with the woman He asks this question. Why did they not stay around to judge you?

"Hath no man condemned thee?"

No man dared to cast a stone at her at Christ's terms (Robertson).

Verse 11, "She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

LGT "And she said, No man, Sir. And Jesus said, Neither do I judge you: go, [and] from now on no longer sin."

It would be speculation here to say that the woman was saved. In the original Greek she addresses Christ as Sir, not Messiah or Lord. I believe that speculation about the Scriptures is foolishness. I believe the Word of God tells us all we need to know. I believe that to speculate about the future is harmless enough, but to speculate about the past, that is, about things the Scriptures are silent on, is playing the fool. Jesus is simply making a point that he was not sent to judge the world, but to save the world. I am not sure whether the woman stayed around to hear the rest of the story or not; it seems likely after she heard these impressive words that set her free she would stick around, however, this is mere guess work, and I would not speculate about it. Jesus is not condoning the sin of adultery; He is simply making a point that He is not doing the job reserved for the courts that had been set up. The men who brought her to Him were doing so unlawfully, and He as much as told them so. They have the proper channels to follow, but they didn't. They were bound and determined to accuse Him of passing judgment that was reserved for the courts, but they really bit off more than they could chew. He turned the tables on them, and none of them felt they could stone her after Christ put it to them in His spiritual way. The fact that he says, Go, and do not continue sinning is proof that He doesn't condone adultery. Augustine, in the fourth century, said that the reason some of Mss. did not have this incident, is that some felt that it was spurious because they felt that it would tend to lead to promiscuity. The internal evidence is overwhelming in favor of its canonicity. There might be some question of whether it belongs here or in Luke, but it certainly doesn't permit adultery.

"A great many people think they are lost because they have committed a certain sin. I have news for you. One is not lost because he is a murderer, or a liar, or a thief, or an adulterer, or because he has borne false witness or committed other sins. A person does these things because he is lost and does not believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ forgives sins. He is the Savior. He died for the sins of the whole world. Any person who comes to the Lord Jesus Christ is forgiven" (T.T. B. J. Vernon McGee).

Jesus the Light of the World

Verse 12, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life."

LGT "Again therefore Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the Light of the world: the one who follows Me will never [by no means] walk around in the dark, but he will be having the Light of Life."

"I am the light of the world."

Those who connect this verse with 7:52 leave out the narrative of the woman taken in adultery. Jesus had used the pouring out of the water ceremony by the priests as a background for His saying 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink', as a promise of the Holy Spirit; now He uses the parade of torches, signifying the pillar of fire at night that led the people in the wilderness out from Egyptian bondage; Jesus says that He not only is their light, but that He is the light of the whole world. Jesus (the Logos) had already been called the true light of men (1:9; 3:19). [Robertson]. Jesus use human terms to explain Bible Doctrine to people.

"Jesus uses the ordinary (human terms) to speak of the extraordinary (heavenly), the physical to speak of the spiritual, the temporal to speak of the eternal, the here-and-now to speak of the hereafter, the earthly to speak of the heavenly, the limited to speak of the unlimited, and the finite to speak of the infinite. Jesus gives us a revelation of God when He tells us that He is Bread, He is Water, He is life. Then we understand that not only is God self-existing, but that He also meets our every need. Jesus said, 'I am the bread of life' (John 6:35), 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:12), 'I am the door' (John 10:9), 'I am the good shepherd' (John 10:11), 'I am the resurrection, and the life' (John 11:25), 'I am the way, the truth, and the life' (John 14:6), and 'I am the vine, ye are the branches' (John 15:5)" [T.T. B. J. Vernon McGee].

"He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

The word 'follow' in NT Greek is akalothon an active participle meaning 'the one [man or woman] who follows' Me. The one who follows Christ is obviously the one who has seen the Light for what it is in Christ, and has accepted the Light. One important point to be made is that the Light is offered to the world, and anyone who wills can come to the light and be saved. Of course the 'Supralapsarian Predestinarians' will argue that only the ones whom God has chosen will come to the Light. One of the reasons I believe they hold to their 'Predestinarian' position is that, as grandma says, 'They just don't understand fellowship'. Another reason they stick to their position is that they don't understand positional truth. Let me try and explain a little. The verses that apply to a believer's position in Christ, and the Scriptures that teach fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are temporal verses, that is, they are verses that teach us to be faithful in order to receive rewards at the 'Bema Seat'. Now the Predestinarian will argue that there are no works involved in salvation, therefore they interpret all the Scriptures that deal with our temporal fellowship in an eternal perspective; so the only way they can satisfy their position is to say that the ones who are the chosen and the elect are the ones who will inevitably come to the light and be saved, and everyone else are predestined to Hell. As I have pointed out before they just can't grasp the concept that predestination is applied to our position after salvation, not before. Positional truth says that once a person accepts Christ, that is, believes on Him, they are eternally saved and are placed in all these eternal positions mentioned in Scripture; we also are the recipients of all the divine riches of grace, that are reserved only for the elect.

Verse 13, "The Pharisees therefore said unto Him, Thou bearest record of Thyself; Thy record is not true."

LGT "Therefore the Pharisees said to Him, You are witnessing concerning Yourself: Your witness is not true."

Thou bearest record of Thyself; Thy record is not true."

The Pharisees that were in the audience that remained to hear Christ teach are saying that according to their interpretation of the law what Jesus is saying is false. "This technical objection was according to the rules of evidence among the rabbis. 'No man can give witness for himself' [Mishna, Ketub. 11:9]. Hence, they [the Pharisees] say 'not true' (ouk alethes), not pertinent. 'They were still in the region of pedantic [nit-picking or hair-splitting] rules and external tests" (Robertson).

Verse 14, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I came, and whither I go."

LGT "Jesus answered and said to them, Even if I witness concerning Myself, My witness is true, because I know where I came and where I go: but you do not know where I am coming or where I am going."

"Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true."

The Greek word for record is marturo, which means a witness. Even though this phrase of Jesus contravenes [opposes] the Pharisees technical rules for evidence Jesus makes this claim, because He is the author of their law. McGee says, "There is a sharp conflict between the religious rulers and Christ. They are really accusing Him of boasting when He claimed to be the Light. Jesus gives them a threefold reason why His witness is true".

"For I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go."

There is no way on earth that the Pharisees would understand the words of our Lord because they had only one thing in mind, that is, to silence Him by killing Him. They could not believe Him because they were judging strictly by the standard of the flesh, flesh and blood can not understand the Spirit of God; 'The natural man can not understand the things of the Spirit because they are spiritually discerned [made manifest]'.

"In this terse sentence with two indirect questions Jesus alludes to His pre-existence with the Father before His incarnation as in 17:5 and to the return to the Father after the death and resurrection as in 13:3; 14:2f. He again puts both ideas together in one crisp clause in 16:28 for the apostles who profess to understand Him then. But here these Pharisees are blind to the words of Jesus. 'But ye know not whence I came nor whither I go'. He had spoken of His heavenly destiny (7:33). Jesus alone knew His personal return to the Father; Stier (Words of the Lord Jesus) argues that one might as well say to the sun, if claiming to be the sun, that it was night, because it bore witness of itself. The answer is the shining of the sun" (WPNT A. T. Robertson).

Verse 15, "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man."

LGT "You according to the flesh are judging: I judge no one."

The Lord did not come into the world to judge the world; He came to save the world (John 3:17). McGee says, "If a man judges after the Spirit He will accept divine revelation; if He judges after the flesh, he will naturally follow after speculation."

"They did not know His true origin or destiny; they could judge only 'according to the flesh' - by outward appearance (cf. John 7:24) - and so their judgment about Him was misguided. He was indeed the One to whom all judgment was committed by the Father (John 5:22), even if at present He did not exercise His prerogative of judgment; He had come to bring salvation, not to pronounce judgment (John 3:17)".

The verb, to judge (krino), is used here in two senses - the judicial sense ('I judge no one') and the sense of coming to a well-informed decision. In the latter sense their judgment was wrong, because it was superficial (cf. I Sam. 16:7); His judgment was right, because He reached it in fellowship with the Father. There is the implication here that, while they were sitting in judgment on Him and His claims and reaching an adverse verdict it was in reality He who was judging them, and judging them beyond the possibility of error because of His oneness of mind with the One who had sent Him" [The Gospels and Epistles of John F. F. Bruce].

Verse 16, "And yet if I judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me."

LGT "And if I also judge, the judgment of mine is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me."

"And yet if I judge, My judgment is true;"

The Lord is saying although He did not come to judge the world, if He does make a judgment they can be sure it is the truth. The only way anyone can judge correctly is to be born again and accept the divine viewpoint of all things. Christ was able to see everything from this divine perspective, because He came from His Father. We believers can have the divine viewpoint, because we have the inspired Word of God. The Greek word for true is allithine' meaning 'true to the perfect ideal of judgment' (Vincent). Christ continues to explain why they can depend on His judgment.

"For I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me."

Here Christ is claiming deity again. Jesus Christ existed with the Father before our time began, and this is why they could be assured that His testimony is sure and true. In verse fifteen He tells them that they can only judge according to the flesh, and because of this, their testimony is based on human speculation and not fact.

"Either man accepts speculation or he accepts revelation. If one judges according to the flesh, he will naturally follow speculation. The Lord Jesus says that He does not judge according to the flesh. He gives the judgment that comes from heaven. He gives God's viewpoint, God's estimation. This is revelation, and it differs from man's point of view. That is why the hostility of these religious rulers is mounting" (T. T. B. J. Vernon McGee).

Verse 17, "It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true."

LGT "And in the law, that which is yours, it has been written that the witness of two men is true."

Jesus is making reference to the Law of Moses regarding the testimony of two witnesses required, "A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed" (Deut. 19:16). We must always keep in mind that the Law was given to unbelievers to bring them to Christ (Gal. 3:24). Now the unbelieving Jews were in front of Christ, and instead of believing in Him, as was the intention of the Law, they wanted to kill Him.

Verse 18, "I am One that bear witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me."

LGT "I am the One who is witnessing concerning Myself and the Father who sent Me He is witnessing."

Here is His claim that He has the Father in heaven as a witness, and He witnesses of Himself, that makes two needed to confirm His claim to be the Light of the world [verse 12] (Robertson). Jesus says that His Father in heaven has an absolute claim to authority as the second witness. What better witness could anyone want than the author of the Law?

Verse 19, "Then said they unto Him, Where is Thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father: if ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also."

LGT "Therefore they said to Him, Where is Your Father? Jesus answered, Neither Me you know nor My Father: if Me you had known, also My Father you would have known."

"They said unto Him, Where is Thy Father?"

The testimony of an unseen witness would not satisfy them (Vincent). The Pharisees ask 'where' is your Father, not 'who' is your Father? McGee thinks this is a reference to His birth; some of the ancient theologians as Cyril in the Talmud (Jewish commentary on the Law) make reference to Him being a Bastard (Robertson). Joseph had already died, so He had no earthly father as they thought Joseph was. Jesus never had an earthly father, so He was making reference to His Father; and by the way, He was the only One who could make reference to God as His Father. We are able to call God Father now because of Christ's finished work on the cross, now that we are adopted into His family.

"Ye neither know Me, nor My Father: if ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also."

If these Jews had believed their own Scriptures they would have believed what the prophets had foretold about the Christ, and they would have known Him now; if they would know Him, they would also know the Father. These Jews could not pass the physical Jesus to know the divine Christ. No one is able to know Christ without a firm belief in the Word of God, and no one is able to understand the Word of God without a firm belief in Jesus Christ. These Jews were natural men, and the natural cannot understand the supernatural. Calvin says, "For on good grounds does God declare that, by the mirror of the Gospel, we clearly behold God in the person of Christ, (II Cor. 3:18). And certainly it is an astonishing reward of the obedience of faith, that whosoever humbles himself (or herself) before the Lord Jesus, penetrates above all the heavens, even to those mysteries which the angels behold and adore."

"When questioned by the Pharisees about His Father, Christ explained that this question revealed their ignorance. They were ignorant of the Father because they were ignorant of Him. Pharisaic tradition had not led them to a knowledge of the Father. Christ was the only One who could introduce the Father to them. The fact that Christ appeared in the temple openly to teach and to proclaim Himself as the Light of the World and the Water of Life was an open challenge to the Pharisees. There were two most significant features in the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles. The first was to light the golden lamp stand so that the court might be illuminated during the evening hours of the week of Tabernacles. The second was to proceed to the Pool of Siloam to draw water to pour around the altar. The lighting of the lamps signified Israel's need for light, which God was the only true source. Pouring out the water was a confession of sin and an acknowledgment of the need of cleansing. Thus Tabernacles not only looked backward to God's past provision for His people's need but also looked forward to the coming of Messiah, who would provide illumination and cleansing (today we have the written Word of God for both these needs). In declaring Himself to be the Water of Life and the Light of the World, Christ was claiming to be Messiah, who fulfilled all that was anticipated in the Feast of Tabernacles. As He challenged the Pharisees to disprove His claim, they desired to seize Him but were not able to do so because God's time had not yet arrived" (The Words and Works of Jesus Christ - J. Dwight Pentecost).

Verse 20, "These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as He taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on Him; for His hour was not yet come."

LGT "These words Jesus spoke in the Sacred Treasury while teaching in the Temple: and no one took Him, because not yet had come His hour."

"These words spake Jesus in the treasury,"

The treasury abutted the outer Court of the Women; it was not named this because this is where the women worshipped, but because they were not allowed to proceed any farther, except to offer sacrifices.

"The 'treasury' was that part of the Court of the Women where thirteen-trumpet shaped containers were placed for the reception of various dues, six of them being for voluntary offerings. It was in this neighborhood, 'opposite the treasury', that Jesus sat on the occasion during Holy Week when He saw the widow put her two 'mites' into one of the containers (Mark 12:41-44)" [The Gospel and Epistles of John F. F. Bruce].

"And no man laid hands on Him; for His hour was not yet come."

John uses this term 'no man took Him' again emphasizing the fact that until it was His appointed time to go to the cross, it was impossible for anyone to change God's timetable.

Where I am Going You Cannot Come

Verse 21, "Then said Jesus again unto them, I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins: wither I go, ye cannot come."

LGT "Therefore he said again to them, I go away and you will seek Me, and in your sin you will die: where I go you all will not be able to be coming."

"I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins:"

Robertson says that the tragedy of today is that the Jews are still seeking the Messiah and they will all die in their sin because when they had Him, they rejected Him. Jesus Christ came unto His own people and His own people received Him not. To this present generation and all the succeeding generations who pretend to be seeking their Messiah, they will all die in their sin and go to a sinners hell and shall all likewise perish. The original Greek has singular 'sin' not plural 'sins', because Christ could not die for the 'sin' of rejecting Him; all other 'sins' have been paid for on the cross.

"Again Jesus makes a statement which His hearers cannot quite grasp. Their uncomprehending response to it then provides Him with an opportunity to explain it and apply it to their condition. The incarnate Word is to be on earth in a visible form for a limited period only. This limited period is their opportunity: if they accept Him for what He is, then they will receive the right to become God's children; eternal life will be theirs. But if they let the opportunity slip, it will not recur. The time of His visible presence with them will have passed, and they will seek Him after that (even unto our present generation) in vain. Instead of enjoying eternal life through faith in Him, they will die in their sin - without having their sin (of unbelief) removed. The 'sin' (singular) is preeminently their failure to believe in Him (cf. John 16:9), their refusal to come to the light while it is available (cf. John 3:19-21)" [The Gospel and Epistles of John F. F. Bruce].

"Whither I go, ye cannot come."

Jesus Christ is using language only a believer is able to understand. These Jewish leaders will seek Him, to kill Him, but they will not find Him. His disciples will also seek Him, but will not find Him, until they finally realize that He has gone to prepare a place in heaven for all His followers.

"The words are intensely sad - Christ's farewell to His rebellious people, His tear-words over lost Israel; abrupt also, as if they were torn sentences, or, else, heading for special discourses: 'I go My way' - 'Ye shall seek Me, and in your sin (not 'sins' as in the Authorized Version) shall ye die' - 'Whither I go, ye cannot come!' And is it not all most true? These many centuries has Israel sought its Christ, and perished in its great sin of rejecting Him; and whither Christ and His kingdom tended, the Synagogue and Judaism never came. They thought that He spoke of His dying, and not, as He did, of that which came after it. But how could His dying establish such separation between them? This was the next question which rose in their minds" (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah - Alfred Edersheim).

Verse 22, "Then said the Jews, Will He kill Himself? Because He saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come."

LGT "Therefore the Jews said, Will He kill Himself, because He is saying, Where I go away you are not able to be coming?"

This question from the Jews is obviously one of unbelief; of course He will not kill Himself, He will give His Life a Ransom for many.

"Will He kill Himself (meti apoktenei heauton)? The mockery in these words is alike subtle and bitter. The interrogative particle, meti, signifies surely He will not by any chance kill Himself; and the sense of the whole clause is, He will not surely go where we cannot reach Him, unless perchance He should kill Himself; and as that would insure His going to Gehenna, of course we could not go to Him there. The remark displays alike the scorn and the self-righteousness of the speaker (the Jews)" (Vincent's Word Studies in the NT).

Calvin has an excellent paragraph in his commentary on the stupidity of this question by the Scribes:

"The Scribes persevere not only in fearless scorn, but likewise in effrontery (impudence); for they ridicule what He had said, the they cannot follow whither He shall go; as if they had said, 'If He kill Himself, we acknowledge that we cannot accompany Him, because we do not choose to do so." They regarded Christ's absence as a matter of no moment, and thought that in all respects they would gain a victory over Him; and so they bid Him begone wherever He pleases. Shocking stupidity! But thus does Satan infatuate the reprobate that intoxicated with more than brutal indifference; they may throw themselves into the midst of the flame of the wrath of God. Do we not in the present day behold the same rage in many who, having stupefied their consciences, insolently play off their jests and buffoonery on every thing that they hear about the dreadful judgment of God? Yet it is certain that this is an affected (pretentious) or sardonic (sarcastic and mocking) smile, for they are pierced inwardly with unseen wounds; but all on a sudden, like men bereft of their senses, they burst out into furious laughter" (John Calvin's Commentary on The Gospel of John).

Verse 23, "And He said unto them, ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world."

LGT "And He said to them, you all are from the things beneath, I am from the things above: you all are of this world, I am not of this world."

In this verse Jesus is contrasting the heavenly with the earthly. In the phrases 'from beneath' and 'from above' I have translated 'from the things beneath' and 'from the things above' because the genitive plural ek ton in both cases can be either masculine or neuter. The context seems to lend itself to the neuter 'things' rather than 'ones'. F. F. Bruce has a nice section on this:

"Jesus once again cuts into their debate with a peremptory (dogmatic) declaration. He and they belong to two different realms, as is shown by the different presuppositions and perspectives of their very thought and language. They were 'from those below' (ek ton kato), He said; He Himself was 'from those above' (ek ton ano). The genitive plural ton may be either masculine or neuter; which is it here? Is He relating to 'the persons below' or to the 'things below'? And is He relating Himself to 'those above' or to the 'things above'? Elsewhere in this Gospel, when Jesus' origin is designated by means of the preposition ek or apo followed by a personal noun, the personal noun is always singular, denoting God or Father (cf. John 13:3; 16:28). It is more probable, then, that He speaks of Himself here as coming from 'the things above' - the upper realm. And if this is so, His opponents will similarly be described as coming from 'the things below' - the lower realm (the world system). This indeed is confirmed by the words immediately following, where 'the lower realm' is replaced by 'this world' and 'the upper realm' is said to be 'not…this world' (but rather the heavenly world). 'This world' is the cosmos of John 1:10, which gave the divine Word no recognition when He came to it, the cosmos of which Jesus said to His brothers, 'it hates me, because I bear witness concerning it that its deeds are evil' (John 7:7). Jesus has described Himself as 'the Light of the cosmos', but it is only those who follow Him that have the 'Light of Life' and avoid darkness (verse 12). By following Him they show that they, like Him, are 'not of this world'. The others choose darkness and accordingly die in their sins. The plural 'sins' is used in verse 24, as against the singular 'sin' in verse 21; if the singular expresses the root sin of unbelief, the plural expresses those particular attitudes, words and actions which make up its fruit" (The Gospel and Epistles of John - F. F. Bruce).

Verse 24, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins."

LGT "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins: for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins."

This is not just a message to the Jews; it is for every member of the human race from Adam and Eve on.

"For if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins."

Notice in my 'LGT' Jesus actually says, "For unless you believe that I am", not as the Authorized Version has it, "That I am He." If the "He" were to be left in, it would mean that "I am the Messiah" in context (Robertson says that Jesus avoids the term "Messiah" because of the legalistic connotations from the Jews). This is not to say it is bad, I just think that to leave it that "I am" as in the Greek Text it includes all that He has said about Himself up to this point; He has claimed to be "the Light of the World"; "the Water of Life"; "the Bread of Life"; "I and My Father are One"; and what John the Baptist said pointing to Christ, "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." Also I believe that we are to believe everything the Bible says about Christ; if we are to leave out one of His characteristics, as did some of the early heretics in the Church, and as the false cults of today are doing, there is no salvation. We cannot believe some of what the Scriptures say, and reject others. We must believe the entire Word of God to be saved.

Verse 25, "Then said they unto Him, Who art Thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning."

LGT "Therefore they said to Him, Who are you? Jesus saying to them, I am essentially that which I even speak to you (Vincent)."

This is a very difficult verse to translate and the commentators that I have at my disposal are divided; I have adopted Vincent's translation because of the previous verse when Jesus says "I am". I believe it safe to say that Christ is saying I am all that I say that I am, and also all that your fathers have told you I am.

Verse 26, "I have many things to say and to judge of you: but He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him."

LGT "Many things I have concerning you to be speaking and judging, but the One Who sent Me is true, and what I heard from Him these things I am saying unto the world."

"I have many things to say and to judge of you:"

Jesus is saying everything I have said to you so far is true; instead of concentrating on His own claims he turns to speak to them from the Father (Robertson). These Jews claim to believe in God so Jesus turns the conversation towards the God Whom they claim.

"Perceiving that He is in the position of one who sings to the deaf, He pursues His discourse no farther, but only declares that God will defend that doctrine, which they despise, because He is the Author of it. 'If I wished to accuse you,' says He, 'your malice and wickedness supply Me with ample materials; but I leave you for the present. But My Father, who committed to Me the office of a teacher, will not fail to fulfill His promise; for He will always vindicate His word against the wicked and sacrilegious contempt of men" (John Calvin's Commentary of The Gospel of John).

"But He that sent Me is true: and I speak to the world those things which I have heard."

All through His ministry, Jesus did the will of His Father Who sent Him.

"The Pharisees professed ignorance of who Jesus Christ claimed to be and asked Him to state who He was. This was designed to elicit from Christ a public statement that He was the Son of God. Such a statement made in the presence of many witnesses could be used against Him to accuse Him of blasphemy. Christ replied that He was who He had been claiming to be all along. Thus He again sidestepped their clever trap. If He was who He claimed to be, then His word must be believed. He had just spoken a word to them concerning judgment that would fall on them because of sin" (The Words and Works of Jesus Christ - J. Dwight Pentecost).

Verse 27, "They understood not that He spake to them of the Father."

LGT "They perceived not that the Father to them He was speaking."

I don't believe that they were so ignorant they did not perceive what He was saying to them; I believe they were deliberately refusing to believe because He did not fit their pre-conceived picture in their minds of their Messiah.

"Hence we see how stupid those men are whose understandings are possessed by Satan. Nothing could be more plain than that they were summoned to the judgment-seat of God. But what then? They are altogether blind. This happens daily to other enemies of the Gospel; and such blindness ought to instruct us to walk with fear" (John Calvin's Comm. on The Gospel of John).

Verse 28, "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things."

LGT "Jesus therefore said [to them] When you will have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and from Myself I do nothing, but just as the Father taught Me I am speaking these things."

"When ye have lifted up the Son of man,"

Jesus is obviously making reference to when they would nail Him to the Cross, and lift Him to hang there and die for all our sin. His making reference to Himself as the Son of man is from Daniel 7:13,14:

"I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him,

And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations,

And men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an

Everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed."

These Jewish leaders had read Daniel the Prophet, so they should have been aware of His words, except for their hatred for Him, and their intense desire to crucify Him.

"Then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself."

The Cross of Christ will be testimony of all He said is true; but for some it will be too late. This verse as verse 24 reads 'Then you shall know that I am.' The word 'He' is not in the Greek text. (See notes on verse 24).

"To the question 'Who are you?' no adequate answer will be given until the Son of Man has been 'lifted up'; that will be the definitive answer. The cross is the complete revelation of the divine glory manifested in the Son. Jesus had told the first disciples of the coming time when they would see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man; they could see no greater vision than that (John 1:50 f.). 'The Son of Man must be lifted up', He said to Nicodemus, 'in order that every one who believes may have eternal life in Him' (John 3:15). As we have seen before, His being 'lifted up' on the cross is not only pictured as the first stage of His journey back to the Father: it is in itself His exaltation, the occasion of His being glorified (cf. John 12:23, 31-33). Mark, the earliest evangelist, expresses the same truth when he tells how, at the moment of Jesus' death, the temple curtain which concealed the divine glory was torn in two from top to bottom, while the centurion in charge of the execution confessed, 'Truly this man was God's Son' (Mark 15:38 f.)" (The Gospel and Epistles of John - F. F. Bruce).

The Lord Jesus Christ was sent to earth with a mission; this mission was to do the perfect will of the Father, and this plan included the salvation of every soul who would believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus Christ fulfilled all that the Father sent Him to do; this includes, that in His humanity he was completely subjected to the will of the Father; He would not do one thing outside the will of God.

Verse 29,"And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him."

LGT "And the One who sent Me is with Me: He has not left Me alone, because I am always doing the things pleasing to Him."

What a great lesson for all believers; if we walk in the light of His Word, He will never leave us alone, because we will be in fellowship with Him, and we will be doing the things which are pleasing to Him. When we get out of fellowship, we wander around like blind people not knowing where we are going; we stumble around like drunken bums. He will never leave us nor forsake us, but how much more wonderful is it when we know we are walking in the light and pleasing our heavenly Father. We know when we are in fellowship; it is just that when we are out of fellowship we then pretend that we are having a great time; the reality is, there is no joy in carnality. The joy of the Son is doing the will of the Father, "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34). Calvin writes, "By these words, 'The Father hath not left Me alone', Jesus indirectly complains of the treachery of His nation, in which He found scarcely any that gave Him support. Yet He shows that He reckons this alone to be abundantly sufficient, that He has God to protect Him."

Verse 30, "As He spake these words, many believed on Him."

LGT "As He was speaking these things, many believed on Him."

Robertson says that 'believed' Gr. episteusan is an ingressive aorist active indicative, that is, they were beginning to believe, or coming to believe; for now He would test their new faith. This believing of the mixed crowd was as when they saw Jesus perform a miracle. True faith is when they would put their complete trust in Him; this would not happen for most of them, until after His resurrection, as in the case of the disciples.

The Truth Will Make You Free

Verse 31, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed;"

LGT "Therefore Jesus said to the Jews, the ones who had believed Him, If you remain in the word, the one of mine, truly My disciples you are."

"Those Jews which believed on Him."

Lit. 'To the Jews, which believed Him' not yet 'on Him' (Vincent). There were some that did believe the claims He made about Himself. The true test of their discipleship will come in the next phrase. Its one thing to believe in Christ and be saved, and quite another to believe on Christ, and be a follower of His Word, that is, to remain in His Word. It is possible to be a believer and remain stupid all of our lives; the result of such a tragedy is to go to glory a loser.

"If ye continue in my word, then ye are My disciples indeed."

The Greek word for 'continue' is 'meinete' meaning to abide or remain. The word 'if' is a third class condition that maybe you will, and maybe you wont; if you do you will benefit. Robertson notes: "Your future loyalty to My teaching will prove the reality of your present profession. So the conclusion of this future condition is put in the present tense. As then, so now. Continuance in the Word (doctrine) proves the sincerity or insincerity of the profession. It is the acid test of life."

Verse 32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

LGT "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Christians and non-Christians alike have quoted this line. The fact of the matter is only truth can set the mind free. However, what the unbeliever doesn't realize is that truth can only be found in the Bible. Facts of nature are all around us, and these are what the unbeliever is referring to when he or she quotes this phrase; they are referring to scientific facts as truth; what they won't credit, is God, the One who created all scientific facts, So you see, all truth is in His Word, and there is no truth outside His Word. It is important to know what freedom Christ is speaking of. Everyone who commits sin (and that is everyone) is a slave to sin. We are all under the bondage to sin until we are set free by believing on Christ. I don't want to get sidetracked here so I will stick with the context, for Christ will go on to explain further.

Verse 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?'

LGT "They answering to Him, we are Abraham's seed and to no one have we been under bondage never: How are you saying you will become free."

"We be Abraham's seed.'

This is the Jews claim to fame that they are the chosen seed of Abraham. To them,

this claim had benefits that were offered to no other. Robertson notes on this phrase of the Jews bragging about being a Jew: "We are Abraham's seed," the proudest boast of the Jews, of Sarah the freewoman and not Hagar the bondwoman (Gal. 4:22f.). Yes, but the Jews came to rely solely on mere physical descent (Matt. 3:9) and so God made Gentiles the spiritual children of Abraham by faith (3:7 ; Rom. 9:6f.).

"And were never in bondage to any man:"

The Greek word for 'bondage' is dedouleukamen a perfect active indicative of douleo' to be a slave. "This was a palpable untruth (a flagrant lie) uttered in the heart of controversy. At that very moment the Jews wore the Roman yoke as they had worn that of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Alexander, the Ptolemies, the Syrian (Seleucid) Kings. They had liberty for a while under the Maccabees. But even so they had completely missed the point in the words of Jesus about freedom by truth" (WPNT A. T. Robertson).

"How sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?"

These poor Jews missed the whole message of Christ offering Himself for their eternal deliverance.

Verse 34, "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin."

LGT "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily I am saying to you that everyone who is doing the sin is a bondservant or slave (Vincent) to the sin."

"Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin."

The word 'committeth' is a present active participle 'ho poion' a continuous habit or practice (Robertson).

"Jesus reminds them that there is another kind of slavery than social or economic slavery. Sin is a slave-master, and it is possible even for people who think of themselves as free to be enslaved to sin. The words 'of sin' may not be part of the original text, but the context makes it clear that 'a slave of sin' is what is meant. The teaching here is quite similar to Paul's in Romans 6:12-23" (The Gospel and Epistles of John - F. F. Bruce).

"Since they were sinners, they were sin's slaves; and Christ had come to deliver them from bondage to sin. Moses was revered because he delivered the nation from bondage to Egypt, but a greater One than Moses was here; and He offered to deliver them from bondage to sin" (The Words and Works of Christ - J. Dwight Pentecost).

Notice in the LGT 'sin' has the definite article 'the sin' which means that Jesus does not mean just one sin, but a life of sin, habitual doing of sin (Vincent).

Verse 35, "And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever."

LGT "But the bondservant is not remaining in the house forever, the Son is remaining forever."

"And the servant abideth not in the house for ever:"

Bruce thinks this verse is a parenthetical expression between these verses. The servant is never on secure footing because he may be sold at any time, and then is subject to his new owner; a son however is on secure ground in the house, once a son always a son. The Jews were slaves to many nations and have been scattered out throughout the world for over twenty five hundred years, and Christ is now offering them a secure position in Him.

"Jesus adds a comparison, taken from the laws and from political law, to the effect that a slave, though he may have power for a time, yet is not the heir of the house; from which he infers that there is no perfect freedom, but what is obtained through the Son. In this manner He accuses the Jews of vanity, because they hold but a mask instead of the reality; for, as to their being Abraham's offspring, they were nothing but a mask (façade). They held a place in the Church of God, but such a place as Ishmael, a slave, rising up against his freeborn brother, usurped for a short time, (Gal. 4:29). The conclusion is, that all who boast of being Abraham's children have nothing but an empty an deceitful pretence" (John Calvin's Comm. on The Gospel of John).

Verse 36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

LGT "If therefore the Son will set you free, indeed free you will be."

Jesus is saying that if these Jews wanted to be truly free, He is just the One to be able to set them free. These Jews were not looking for this type of freedom from sin, for they did not think they were slaves to sin. Before any of us are saved, we are all slaves to sin, and are in bondage to sin. Some of us stay in bondage to sin, even after we are saved. Thank God He gave us way of escape through the application of Bible doctrine. We have the ability to apply I John 1:9 after we have sinned, and regain fellowship with the Father, and then, and only then, we can walk in the light, and not be in bondage to sin. The unbeliever has not this fellowship offered, nor can he go to the Father and confess sin. The unbeliever must spend his or her entire life in bondage to sin.

"Verse 36 has a closer relation to verse 34: the sinner is enslaved, but can be liberated. His liberator is the Son - not the son of his slave master, but the Son in the sense in which this designation is used throughout the Gospel of John. The son in a free household, when once he comes of age, can act with authority because of his status in that household: the Son of God acts with supreme authority because 'the Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand' (John 3:35). If, acting by authority with which the Father has invested Him, the Son emancipates a slave, that slave henceforth is "really free" (The Gospel and Epistles of John - F. F. Bruce).

Verse 37, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you."

LGT "I know that Abraham's seed you are; but you are seeking to kill Me, because My word has no free course in you."

"I know that ye are Abraham's seed:"

Jesus never did deny that the Jews were descended from Abraham, but so were the sons of Ishmael, and they were bastards from the bondwoman. Jesus is interested in their moral relationship rather than biological relationship.

"But ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you."

This truly is proof that these Jews were not believers. Once Jesus explained the spiritual aspect of words, these Jews had no room for the truth, and they wanted to kill Him, as they did after He healed the impotent man at the Pool of Siloam. You will find this true as you speak with an unbeliever; if you happen to speak about spiritual things they will either laugh and scoff, or get angry and fly into a rage. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a great separator of mankind.

Verse 38, "I speak that which I have seen with My Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father."

LGT "Which I have seen [face to face] with My Father I am speaking: and you therefore which you have heard from your fathers are doing."

"I speak that which I have seen with my Father:"

In this verse Jesus is making a comparison between what He does motivated from His fellowship with His Father and that they are responding to what they heard from their Fathers. The preposition 'with' is para meaning by the side of or face to face with the Father. Christ existed in eternity past and was face to face with God the Father. These Jews were only reacting to what they had heard from their fathers.

"And ye do that which ye have seen with your father."

The best manuscripts have 'that which you have heard' not seen, which fits the context better, for they were doing only what they thought they heard from their fathers. Edersheim notes: "Their deeds were what they had heard from their father [According to the proper reading, the rendering must be 'from your father', not 'with your father', as in the KJV] - the word 'seen' in our common text depending on a wrong reading."

Your Father the Devil

Verse 39, "They answered and said unto Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham."

LGT "They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus says to them, If you are children of Abraham, the works of Abraham you would do."

They continually make reference to their father Abraham, as though in their pride they have some worthiness. Jesus doesn't deny their claim, but He is telling them that moral excellence is the only thing that can be accepted by God, and this moral Excellency is what He is there to offer them. Jesus says that if they were true children of Abraham they would be accepting Him as their Savior, 'and their faith would also be counted to them for righteousness'. And if they were true children by faith of Abraham they would not be there plotting to kill the Christ.

"Christ now distinguishes more plainly between the bastard and degenerate children of Abraham, and the true and lawful children; for He refuses to give the very name to all who do not resemble Abraham. True, it frequently happens that children do not resemble, in their conduct, the parents from whom they are sprung; but here Christ does not argue about carnal descent, but only affirms that they who do not retain by faith the grace of adoption are not reckoned among the children of Abraham before God. For since God promised to the seed of Abraham that He would be their God, saying, I will establish My covenant between Me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, (Gen. 17:7,) all unbelievers, by rejecting this promise, excluded themselves from the family of Abraham" (John Calvin's Comm. on The Gospel of John).

Verse 40, "But now ye seek to kill Me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham."

LGT "But now you are seeking to kill Me a man who has been speaking truth to you which I have heard from God: this Abraham he did not do."

"But now ye seek to kill me."

Jesus beginning this sentence with 'but now' He is stating the fact that because they are trying to kill Him, they could not possibly be Abraham's spiritual seed.

"A man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard from God:"

This is the only time Christ refers to Himself as a man. I think I am safe in implying that he is referring to His humanity, for the Apostle John called Satan a 'manslayer.' This is what they will all be when they lift Christ up on the Cross. These Jews who seek to kill Christ are all children of the devil, that evil 'manslayer.' The message Christ was giving them was the message He received from God; so in their rejecting Christ's claims, they are rejecting God's message. Robertson says, "The only crime Jesus was committing was telling the truth He received from God."

"This did not Abraham."

Abraham surely did not act as you are acting; you claim Abraham as your father, yet you act in direct opposition to him (David Brown).

Verse 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."

LGT "You are doing the works of your father. [Therefore] they said to Him, We out of fornication are not born: We have one Father the God."

"Ye do the deeds of your father."

Lit. 'You are doing' the works of your father. Jesus is obviously not referring to Abraham or God, both of whom these murderous Jews refer to as their Father.

"We be not born out of fornication; we have one Father, even God."

They did know their OT Scriptures, for they are referring to the fact that they were legitimate sons of Abraham's relationship with Sarah, and not from the illegitimate relationship with the bondwoman, Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, who is the head of the Arab race. The Jews look down on all Arabs as bastard sons of Abraham; they all are if they are unbelievers, as all unbelievers are. Spiritually all believers are sons and daughters of Abraham by faith. They claim to have God as their Father; however, this is not true; for if they believed God they would of necessity believe the Son of God.

Verse 42, "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceed forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me."

LGT "Jesus said to them, If God were your father you would have loved Me, for I came out of the God and am come: for neither of Myself have I come, but He sent Me."

"If God were your Father, ye would love Me,"

They were children of Abraham by descent, but they were not children of God by adoption because they did not love the Lord. 'Hypocritical religion, indeed, presumptuously shelters itself under the name of God; but how can they agree with the Father who disagree with His son?' (Calvin)

"For I proceed forth and came from God;"

Jesus says to them that He has come 'out from God' to them. This is an absolute statement of His deity (He is God) and His incarnation (He came to earth). He came forth from God and to God He will return. 'They did not understand His outward speech (lalia), which the ear could pick up, because they did not hear the word (logos), the message it expressed, which could be apprehended only by the enlightened mind' (Bruce).

"Neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me."

Jesus is telling them in this verse, 'I came from God' and I am here, but I did not come of Myself, for 'He sent Me' and here I am (Robertson).

Verse 43, "Why do ye not understand My speech? Even because ye cannot hear My word.

LGT "Why are you not knowing My speech? Because you are not able to be hearing My Word."

In the first phrase Jesus uses the term 'lalian' (speech) meaning manner of speaking. Then in the second Phrase He uses 'logon' (word) referring to the content of His speech. They will not listen to the substance of Christ's teaching and hence they are impatient with the way that He talks (Robertson). If they understood the substance they would understand the form (Vincent). In the former clause, therefore, He reproves their stupidity; in the latter, He reproves their obstinate and ungovernable hatred of His doctrine (Calvin). They could not possibly understand either His manner of speech or the content of His speech because without believing on Him they had no capacity to understand; just as with us, without being born again, we could never understand the Word of God, because 'it is spiritually understood.'

Verse 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."

LGT "You are out the father the devil and the lusts of your father you desire to go on doing. He was a man-killer from [the] beginning and in the truth he has not stood, because the truth is not in him. Whenever he may speak the lie, out of himself he is speaking, because a liar he is and the father of it."

"Ye are of your father the devil,"

Jesus lets them know that they claim God as their Father, but in reality, they worship the devil because they refuse to believe the Son. 'Certainly they can understand this talk, however, they will be greatly angered' (Robertson). Children imitate their parents, and these Jews were imitating the devil, 'the man-killer' by trying to kill Him. 'Their rejection of Him proved that they were not the children of God. Christ said, 'You belong to your father the devil' (Pentecost).

"And the lusts of your father ye will do."

The verb 'will do' is a present active infinitive 'thelete poiein' meaning to desire to keep on doing. The constancy of the sinning is a sign of unbelief as John taught in his first epistle. The unbeliever sins as a way of life and has no help because they are motivated from their father the devil. When a believer sins, there is conviction of the Holy Spirit that checks them and leads them to confess sin, so sin is not a way of life, but contrary to the way of life prescribed by their Father. "Jesus' enemies had tried to bring about His death; they showed themselves incapable of accepting the truth which He brought. In both respects they made it plain that they were children not of God but of the devil. God is the life-giver and the fountain of truth; the devil is the life-destroyer and the father of lies" (Bruce).

"These Jews thought they were children of God when they were actually the children of the devil. We find the same idea today. This doctrine of the universal Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man has brought us into a lot of trouble. It has shaped the philosophy of our nation. We sit down at a conference table with the children of the devil, and we call them children of God. I am afraid that our nation has been deceived by other nations of the world because our wise diplomats and smart politicians are simply working on the wrong premise. The Bible does not teach the universal Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man. Obviously Jesus did not teach the universal Fatherhood of God because He was saying to these religious rulers that they were children of the devil. Apparently, there are some people who are not children of God! One becomes a child of God only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" (T. T. B. J. Vernon McGee).

"He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him."

The word 'murderer' in the Greek is 'anthropoktonos' which is from 'anthropos' (a man) and 'kteino' (to kill) and thus we get 'a man killer' as in my LGT. The statement that he was a murderer from the beginning must have reference to his leading the first pair into sin and thus introducing death into the world (Bruce). Satan is the author of sin and thus also as the author of death to the race (Vincent). There is no truth in the devil as there could not be, just as there is no sin in the Savior, not even a speck.

"When he speaketh a lie. He speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

Whenever the devil speaks he speaks lies, because he is the father of lies. If we go back to the beginning in the Garden of Eden when the first lie was recorded (Gen. 3:4) the serpent said to the first pair, 'you shall not surely die' contradicting what God had said 'you shall surely die' if you eat the forbidden fruit (Gen. 2:17). "The devil utters falsehood as naturally and spontaneously as God utters truth: if 'it is impossible for God to lie' (Heb. 6:18), equally it is impossible for the devil to speak the truth - even when he chooses to 'quote scripture for his purpose'. The children of God, then, will be characterized by their love of the truth; the children of the devil by their refusal to accept the truth" (Bruce). "In attempting to kill Him, they were carrying out the desire of Satan, who was born a murderer and a liar. Christ had presented them God's truth, and they had rejected that truth. They had chosen Satan's lie, showing that they were of their father, the devil. They had sought to kill the One who had presented the truth to them, showing by their murderous intent that they were children of their father, the devil" (Pentecost).

Verse 45, "And because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not."

LGT "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me."

These Jewish leaders, because they were of their father the devil, they could not recognize any truth, let alone believe the Truth Himself. Jesus says here, because it is 'I' who speak the truth, you do not believe Me. The 'I' is emphatic (Vincent). By believing 'the lie' perpetrated by Satan, they show that they are of their father the devil.

Verse 46, "Which of you convicteth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me?"

LGT "Which of you convict Me concerning sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?"

The Lord speaks very directly here to these Jews; if they had any shred of evidence, they would certainly use it now (McGee). What Christ is here saying is proof positive of the irrationality of the Jewish leaders. Christ's question is rhetorical (not requiring an answer) but I am sure He paused before He made the next statement, "And if I say the truth, why do you not believe Me?' The fact that 'truth' does not have the article it is not referring to God's Word specifically, but every word that proceeds out of His mouth. They claim to believe Moses and the Prophets, however, they have chosen to follow Satan their new father, rather than follow God's dear Son. Calvin says, "Christ is defending His doctrine not His person." "Which of them could convict Him of sin? If therefore He spake truth, and they believed Him not, it was because they were not of God, but, as He had shown them, of their father, the devil" (Edersheim).

Verse 47, "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

LGT "The one who is out of God is hearing the word of God: because of this you do not hear, because you are not out of God."

All children of God are not eager to hear from Him, but all will not say that His word is not truth. Everyone who is a believer and has been adopted into the family of God got there by one way only, that is, by putting faith in the word of God as truth, proclaiming that Jesus Christ paid the price for their sins, so now they can be a family member (John 1:12). These Jews proved who they have as a father, that old serpent, the devil, because they refuse to believe the truth; so it is today with all unbelief, if they do not posses God as their Father, they are children of the devil.

Before Abraham was, I am

Verse 48, "Then answered the Jews, and said unto Him, Say we not well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?"

LGT "The Jews answered and said to Him, [are] we not saying well (beautifully) that you are a Samaritan and are having a devil?"

O! How clever these Jews are. Jesus just proves that they are of their father the devil and they respond, no we're not, you are. Jesus as a matter of fact was born in Bethlehem and was not a Samaritan. They say, We have spoken well, have we not, that you are a Samaritan, and are possessed with a demon. The Jews of anyone who was a heretic used the term Samaritan, just as we today would say to an unbeliever; he is a Darwinist or an evolutionary. So what they are saying in effect is, 'You are of your father the devil and are possessed with a demon' (Edersheim).

"They show more and more how greatly they are stupefied by Satan; for, though they are fully convicted, still they are enraged, and are not ashamed to show that they are utterly desperate. Besides, though they bring a double reproach against Christ, still they wish to do nothing more than to say in a few words, that He is a detestable man, and that He is actuated by a wicked spirit. The Jews reasoned the Samaritans to be apostate and corrupters of the Law; and therefore, whenever they wished to stamp a man with infamy (ill repute), they call him a Samaritan. Having no crime more heinous (scandalous), therefore, to reproach Christ with, they seize at random, and without judgment, this vulgar taunt. To express it in a few words, we see that with effrontery (rudeness) they curse Him, as men are wont to do when, infuriated like enraged dogs, they cannot find any thing to say" (John Calvin's Comm. on the Gospel of John).

Verse 49, "Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honor My Father, and ye do dishonor Me."

LGT "Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you all dishonor Me."

Even though these Jews seek to kill Jesus and completely dishonor Him, He responds very calmly, ignoring the 'Samaritan slur', and He answers them with the words, 'I honor My Father' and this is not blasphemy, as you will claim. If I had a demon, I could not glorify My Father as you are now dishonoring Me. You all are dishonoring the Father by dishonoring Me.

Verse 50, "And I seek not mine own glory: there is One that seeketh and judgeth."

LGT "But I am not seeking My glory: [there] is One who seeks and judges."

The Lord is saying that He is not concerned with His own reputation for He is sent to glorify the Father and that is His chief concern. Jesus knows that a day is coming when He will be vindicated.

Verse 51, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep My saying, he shall never see death."

LGT "Verily, verily I say to you, if anyone is keeping My word, he will by no means see death forever."

Of course we know that Christ is speaking about eternal death that all unbelievers will suffer. The Lord is speaking of the two commands He gave 'to love God, and to love the brotherhood.' The Lord also use the double negative 'ou me' which means 'by no means' will he ever see death. Just as those who believe in Christ will inherit eternal life, those who reject will inherit eternal death.

Verse 52, "Then said the Jews unto Him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, if a man keep My saying, he shall never taste of death."

LGT "[Therefore] the Jews said to Him, Now we are knowing that you are having a demon. Abraham died and the prophets, and you are saying, If anyone is keeping My word he will by no means taste death forever."

"Then said the Jews unto Him, Now we know that thou hast a devil."

The Jews, intent on killing Jesus, are now convinced that he is demon possessed.

"Abraham is dead and the prophets."

The Jews continue, are you saying that Abraham and the prophets were wrong, for they did die. The Jews heard what Christ said; they just did not understand what He said. They were so full of hatred for Christ that they could never have understood what He was saying to them, or they would have known that Abraham had faith and it was counted unto him for righteousness; and so the same with the prophets; they never tasted eternal death. These Jews feel justified in saying that Jesus was demon possessed because they were thinking of physical death only. Calvin says, "The reprobate persist in their stupidity, and are not moved by promises any more than by threatenings; so that they can neither be led nor drawn to Christ. No believer shall see death, because believers, having been born again of incorruptible seed, (I Peter 1:23), live even when they die; because, united to Christ their Head, they cannot be extinguished by death; because the Spirit, dwelling in them, is life on account of righteousness, (Rom. 8:10), until He swallow up all remains of death."

Verse 53, "Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets are dead: whom makest Thou Thyself?"

LGT "Not greater are you of our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets died. What Yourself You make?"

"Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead?"

The question is asked with a negative answer expected (Robertson). The attitude of the Jews is expounded in the previous verse.

"Whom makest Thou Thyself?"

The Jews are setting a trap for Jesus trying to get Him to say that He is equal with God. The Jews are hoping that Jesus will claim that He is greater than their father Abraham. These fools have no idea that all the brightness of the saints of old is shaded by the brightness of the Son of God (Robertson).

Verse 54, "Jesus answered, If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing: it is My Father that honoreth Me; of whom ye say, that He is your God."

LGT "Jesus answered, If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing: My Father is the One who is glorifying Me, Whom you are saying is your God."

Jesus is so calm in His declarations. He says that you think I am out for My own glory, and yet I say to you that the God, whom you claim as your father, is the One who is glorifying me.

Verse 55, "Yet ye have not known Him; but I know Him: and if I should say, I know Him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know Him, and keep His saying."

LGT "And you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I know Him not, I will be like you, a liar: but I know Him and His word I keep."

"Yet ye have not known Him:"

Jesus uses 'egnokate' the perfect active form of 'ginosko' meaning that they did not know Him in the past, and they do not know Him even now. When the term 'ginosko' is used it implies 'experiential knowledge'. Jesus is equipped with personal eternal knowledge of His Father (Robertson).

"And if I should say, I know Him not, I shall be a liar like unto you."

By your claiming to know the Father is as ridiculous as for Me to say I did not know Him, you're lying! To call someone a liar is not polite by our standards; I don't believe the Lord is too concerned now with etiquette but with eternal reality, for these Jews will not need too much more from the Lord to take Him under arrest.

"But I know Him, and keep His sayings."

The fact is I know Him, and if you listen for a moment you can know Him too.

Verse 56, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad."

LGT "Abraham your father took pride in order that he might see My day, and he saw and rejoiced."

Abraham and the prophets saw the day of Christ in the OT types and rejoiced in the fact that it would take place; these Jews just the opposite became angry when Christ came. Abraham believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that he would come and die on the cross, and rise again the third day, and ascend to the Father. Now that He is here the Jews want to kill Him.

Verse 57, "Then said the Jews unto Him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?"

LGT "The Jews therefore said to Him, Fifty years not yet you are and you have seen Abraham?"

See how the Jews twist what Jesus had really said; He didn't say that He was a contemporary of Abraham at all; what He did say is that Abraham by faith saw 'Christ's day' and rejoiced in it. How utterly absurd is the logic of these stupid Jews. If these Jews were offended with what Jesus said thus far, just wait till the next verse.

Verse 58, "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am."

LGT "Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham came to be I Am."

For those skeptics who like to say that the Bible doesn't say that Jesus was with God in eternity past, let them ponder this verse for a while. This is the main reason that the Jews wanted to put Christ to death He claims deity. Jesus doesn't speak after considering what might offend the Jews or what might not offend the Jews, He speaks the truth pure and simple. Jesus says 'I Am' speaking of timeless existence. He speaks of Abraham as 'came to be' temporal existence (Vincent).

Verse 59, "Then took they up stones to cast at Him: but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

LGT "They took up therefore stones in order that they might cast at Him. But Jesus hid Himself and went out from the temple."

His time had not yet arrived, so even though the Jews took up stones to kill Him, He quietly passed out from the temple. Jesus was using language only God could use, and to the Jews this was blasphemy (Bruce). The best Greek texts omit 'going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

"The liberal theologian today teaches that Jesus Christ was a great teacher, but that He never really claimed to be God. My friend, listen to this; 'Before Abraham was I Am.' Not, I was - I Am. He is the Jehovah, the I Am, God. The Jews understood perfectly. Because they knew precisely what He was claiming, they took up stones to kill Him for blasphemy" (T.T. B. J. Vernon McGee).

"It was as if they had only waited for this. Furiously they rushed from the Porch into the Court of the Gentiles - with symbolic significance, even in this - to pick up stones, to cast them at Him. But, once more, His hour had not yet come, and their fury proved impotent. Hiding Himself for the moment, as might so easily be done, in one of the many chambers, passages, or gateways of the Temple, He presently passed out.

It had been the first plain disclosure and avowal of His Divinity, and it was 'in the midst of His enemies,' and when most contempt was cast out upon Him. Presently would that avowal (declaration) be renewed both in Word and Deed; for 'the end' of mercy and judgment had not yet come, but was drawing terribly nigh" (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah - Alfred Edersheim).

"Full of rage and fury, they rush to take stones from the incomplete building parts of the Temple, to put an end to Him by stoning - the penalty for blasphemy. But in the confusion (of their rage), Jesus passed into the midst of those who were His friends in the crowd and quietly but boldly came out from the Temple. He escaped this time the violence of the mob, but would not be able much longer to evade the wicked plots of His enemies, the Pharisees (only because when His time comes to go to the Cross, He will let them take Him)" (The Words and Works of Jesus Christ - J. Dwight Pentecost).

Go To Chapter 9

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