JOHN 8

We have noticed the ways in which the narrative draws upon the matters relevant to the feast of tabernacles, and we now come to the counterpart of the pillar of cloud, given by God to guide the Israelites across the desert, and also to shelter them from the burning heat of the sun. John shows how the Lord Jesus sheltered a woman from unjust treatment, and also spoke of Himself as the one able to guide those who believe in Him.

(d)   A reminder of the pillar of cloud.

8:1
Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives- the last verse of chapter seven tells us that “every man went to his own house”. The verses previous to that record a conversation between the chief priests and Pharisees in which it was clear that they did not recognise Him as being a prophet of God. It is no surprise then that they did not invite the Lord to their house for the night. As it was the end of the feast of tabernacles, perhaps the Lord preferred to be alone in His booth on the mount.

As He sat upon the Mount of Olives, situated as it is on the east side of the city, He was positioned on the mount to which He will return to set up His kingdom, the very time to which the feast of tabernacles looked. In fact the very chapter which says, “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives”, also speaks of the nations coming to Jerusalem to “keep the feast of tabernacles”, See Zechariah 14:4,9,16.

8:2
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.

And early in the morning he came again into the temple- the feast is over, and the ceremonial year has run its course. The lamps are extinguished, and the people prepare to return to their homes. They did this quite literally, because the feast of tabernacles was celebrated, not in one’s house, but in a temporary booth made of tree branches pitched either in a garden, or by the roadside.

Christ comes early to the temple to make Himself available to any who linger in the sacred precincts, perhaps meditating on the current condition of the nation, and wondering whether the land of promise will ever be their land truly. Looking over the temple courts is the Roman Fortress of Antonia, with its watchmen keeping an alert eye on the situation below; a grim reminder that the age of glory had not yet arrived. Who will lead the nation, Joshua-like, into the liberty and glory of the kingdom? And on what basis will that kingdom be governed? Roman law, as represented by the Fortress of Antonia, or Jewish law, as represented by the scribes and Pharisees who figure in the next narrative, or the law of Christ as Messiah? This is one of the matters addressed in this section. The Court of the Women is reached by coming through the east gate of the Temple, the place where the light of the rising sun first strikes. But the Lord will claim in verse 12 that He is the “Light of the World”.

And all the people came unto him- we know from verse 20 that He taught in the Treasury. Now the Pharisees considered it their right to be the only teachers in the Treasury, so this is a confrontation with them, and explains why they were involved in the attack upon the authority of Christ which follows. It was here that members of the Sanhedrin would be on feast days and on the sabbath, to answer questions. How annoyed they must have been that the crowds are gathering around Christ. They respond to this situation by trying, once again, to undermine His authority and popularity as a teacher.

And he sat down, and taught them- this was the usual posture. It was the practice to stand to read the Scriptures, and sit to teach them. We see this happen when the Lord went to the synagogue in Nazareth, Luke 4:16,20. The Lord Himself referred to Moses’ seat, meaning the chair on which those who taught the law of Moses would sit, Matthew 23:2.

8:3
And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery- these are the men the people looked to for the interpretation of the law, whether in principle or in practice. The scribes were the learned men who sought to carefully explain the law. The Pharisees were those who professed to be very diligent about the keeping of the law.

This is the only time John mentions the scribes. Interestingly, the passage contains the only reference to the Lord Jesus writing. The scribes were “the writers”, and they are set against another Writer in this passage.

The sin of adultery is very serious, for it is an act of rebellion against God, an act of treachery against one’s spouse, and undermines the basis of society. God as Creator and Moral Governor of the world instituted marriage as a relationship of love, care, and fellowship, in which men and women might show mutual respect and love, and raise children in a stable environment.

The law of Moses was the code of conduct for Israel, and constituted the terms upon which the Lord covenanted to continue with the nation, and be their God. Failure to keep this covenant had already resulted in them being carried away into captivity.

There was the additional factor in the Old Testament, that the Messiah was going to be born of the line of David, and it was vitally important that that line should be preserved and known. Hence there were severe penalties imposed on immorality, lest a child should be born whose exact genealogy was not known. So it was that Joseph, the espoused husband of Mary, could be addressed as “son of David” by the angel that visited him, Matthew 1:20, for his genealogy in that chapter shows him to be of David’s line, and the angel, by addressing him in the way he did, authenticates the genealogy as Matthew gives it. Mary also knew that she was descended from David, for we have her genealogy in Luke 3:23-38.

And when they had set her in the midst- they are using every means whereby they might embarrass the Lord, and put Him into a difficult position, and thus undermine His authority, and His popularity with the crowds. One of the things that impressed the people was that “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes”, Matthew 7:29. By putting the woman in the midst they interrupt His teaching, and make their question unavoidable.

8:4
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

They say unto him, Master- they cannot deny that He was an accomplished teacher, (this is the idea with the word “Master”), even though He had not learnt in their schools. He was recognised as being competent enough to be asked to teach in the synagogue, and when He did this, “they were astonished at his doctrine, for his word was with power”, Luke 4:31,32. There is a touch of sarcasm here, however, in their description of Him as Master, for they are trying to destroy His role as a teacher.

This woman was taken in adultery- the feast of tabernacles brought many pilgrims to Jerusalem, and the celebration involved living and sleeping in temporary shelters, to symbolise the journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness. The fact that the shelters, or booths, were made of branches from trees growing in the land of Israel, highlighted the fact that their wilderness journey was over. In these circumstances there were a great many temptations, and it may be that this woman had fallen in this way. It may be, of course, that she had not sinned at all, but the Lord’s words to her, “go, and sin no more”, verse 11, would suggest otherwise.

In the very act- now this statement is crucial, for if it is true, then they must know who the man is with whom the adultery was committed. They are going to refer to the law of Moses, but that law stated very clearly that both the man and the woman involved in this sin were to be put to death. But they have not arrested the man. Nor have they brought him to the temple. They thereby show disregard for the law they are claiming to uphold. This is the first reason why the Lord Jesus does not condemn the woman. A court of law would wish to establish the facts of the case, and cross-examine the accused, as well as any witnesses. The Jews were very cautious and scrupulous in a “trial for life”, that is, one in which the charge carried a death penalty.

At His own trial, He refused to answer at certain points, for the law was being broken by their actions and accusations, and He would not condone the illegality of the proceedings. And this is the case here. To go along with their suggestions would be to sanction unrighteousness, and to Him, “Jesus Christ the Righteous” as John calls Him, 1 John 2:1, that is unthinkable, even if it gives the wrong impression. Truth is more important than reputation.

8:5
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned- one of the features of the feast of tabernacles was the reading, once every seven years, of the whole of the Books of Moses, Deuteronomy 31:10-11. In fact, one of the names the Jews gave to the feast was “the feast of the joy of the law”.

There had been a discussion the previous day about the Law of Moses, as recorded in 7:14-36, and the Lord had accused them of not keeping the law, verse 19. The scribes and Pharisees had no doubt felt the force of that charge, and were now seeking to show that He was wrong, hence they appeal to Moses in the Law.

The sense of the word “such” is “such women”, so they are concentrating wholly on her, whereas Moses in the law said, “And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 20:10. And the book of Deuteronomy is just as clear, “If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.” Deuteronomy 22:22. It is noticeable in both statements that the emphasis is put upon the man, even though both he and the woman were guilty, whereas the Pharisees were emphasising the woman. They also conveniently ignore the fact that it was not lawful for them to put anyone to death, (except a person who went beyond the middle wall of partition in the temple), for the power to stone to death had been taken away from them by the Romans. They acknowledged this to Pilate a few months later, John 18:31.

But what sayest thou? By the word “but” they acknowledge that His teaching had a different character to simply expounding the law. And indeed that was the case, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:17. In the synagogue at Nazareth “they marvelled at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth”, Luke 4:22. It is also said, “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes”, Matthew 7:29. They are trying to manipulate this difference to suggest He was teaching contrary to the law. This may explain the presence of the scribes in this incident, for the people can see the difference between Christ’s word and theirs, and their authority is being undermined.

8:6
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though Hhe heard them not.

This they said, tempting him- this is the only place where the word “tempt” occurs in John’s Gospel. John does not record the temptation of the Lord by the Devil in the wilderness, but he does record this temptation during the feast which recalled Israel’s wilderness experience. They had been tempted there more than once in the matter of immorality, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:7,8.

That they might have to accuse him- if He says the woman should not be stoned, then they will take Him before the Jewish court as a false prophet. If He says she should be stoned, then they will take Him before the Gentile court, and say that He is a rebel against Rome, for the Romans had withdrawn the right of Israel to execute the death penalty. To call for stoning was to go against the law of Rome.

But if He refuses to answer, this may look to the crowd as if He has been out-witted, and His authority will be destroyed, for He had been unsparing in His criticisms both of the scribes and the Pharisees, Matthew 5:20; 12:38,39.

But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not- we know from verse 2 that He was sitting down to teach, and He is not said to rise. The fact that He said nothing, and that we are not told what He wrote, leads us to see in His actions truth symbolised rather than spoken.

Consider the following things:

1. The Lord required the people to read the whole law every seven years, during the feast of tabernacles, and therefore it is no surprise to find references to the law in chapter 7. “Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?” verse 19. “If a man on the circumcision receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken”, verse 23. “But this people that knoweth not the law are cursed.” verse 49, (the words of the chief priests and Pharisees, not Christ). And in verse 5 of this chapter the scribes and Pharisees speak of “Moses in the law”. And the whole incident has to do with the relationship between law and grace, with the scribes representing law, and Christ representing grace. It is highly significant therefore that, whilst still sitting in the attitude of a teacher, the Lord should be said to write with His finger. But this is what God had done in connection with the law, for we read that the tables of stone had the ten commandments written on them, not by Moses, but by the finger of God, Exodus 31:18. Furthermore, Moses said in his blessing, “From his right hand went a fiery law for them”, Deuteronomy 33:2. They surely cannot fail to note the significance of this silent action.

2. It is said that a person sitting down and stooping forward is able to write about sixteen Hebrew letters on the ground. The Lord wrote twice on the ground. Could it be that He wrote, “and that will by no means clear the guilty”, the first time, and then, “forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin”, the second time? The first expression has ten letters, and the second, fifteen. They are the words of God to Moses, when He showed him His glory, Exodus 34:5-7. Significantly, they are spoken in the interval between the breaking of the first tables of stone, (because the people had broken the law), and the writing of the second. Significantly, also, that in that interval the words “grace” and “gracious” are mentioned seven times. The Lord is indicating to Moses that when the law is broken, God glorifies Himself by acting in grace. So it is in John 8. As far as sin is concerned, He is prepared to act in grace. But that does not mean the guilty will be cleared, but that He will provide a substitute for the guilty. This corresponds to the words of Christ to the woman in verse 11, and will result in Him showing His glory, as God did to Moses.

3. The writing was on the ground, in the dust of the temple courts. As soon as the incident is over and the bustle of the pilgrims in the temple courts resumes, the writing will be trampled underfoot. This was how the people were treating the writing of God in the law, and alas, the writing of God in grace in the gospel. When Moses broke the tables of the law, he ground it to powder, Exodus 32:20, and put it upon water, and made the children of Israel drink it, which is a very similar thing to what happened at the trial of jealousy, as we shall see in point 5. God had declared in the law that He was a jealous God, jealous for the affection of His people, but they were unfaithful.

4. Jeremiah wrote, “O Lord, the Hope of Israel, All that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the fountain of living waters.” Jeremiah 17:13. Note the reference to God being the fountain of living waters, for this is what the Lord claimed to be the previous day, when He cried, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink”, 7:37. And then He went on to speak of living water, verse 38. The warning in Jeremiah was that those who forsake the fountain of living waters will be written in the earth, or dust. Could the scribes avoid seeing the connection? And were they not being warned of their downfall if they persisted in their unbelief? When Moses volunteered to die for the nation after they had made the golden calf, he spoke in terms of being blotted “out of thy book that thou hast written”. God replied, “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book”, Deuteronomy 32:32,33. David referred to this book also in Psalm 139:16 when he referred to himself before he was born, “And in thy book all my members were written”. So God records all who are conceived amongst men, and who, because of sin, if they do not obtain life from Him, will die, and thus their names will be erased from that book, as not being upon the earth any more.

So it may be that the Lord wrote the names of those who were accusing the woman, beginning with the eldest. When they persisted in asking Him for His verdict, He continued until He had listed them all. The fact that He knew their individual ages would convince them of His God-given authority. They knew that soon those names would be obliterated by the feet of the pilgrims, the sure sign that their names were not written in God’s heavenly book of life, but only in the dust of earth.

8:7
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.

So when they continued asking him- instead of drawing conclusions from what He was doing, however, they merely kept questioning Him, pestering for an answer, because they thought they had trapped Him. Or did they continue like this to cover up their embarrassment if they did see the significance of His actions?

He lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her- raising Himself from His stooping position, He looks the accusers in the eye, and challenges them to do what the Law required them to do if due process had been followed, and the woman was indeed guilty. The honour of their God demanded it, since He does not “clear the guilty”. They know very well that they cannot prosecute the woman without prosecuting the man, and since they arrested this woman in the act of adultery, they could, and should, have arrested him as well.

“Without sin” in this context would not mean without sin absolutely, for if that was the requirement, then the penalty of the law could never be exacted, (for all have sinned), and no stoning could ever take place even though God required it is some circumstances. The sense is, “He that is without the sin of not complying with the relevant procedures the law requires in this situation”. This is the reason for the “among you”, for He was confident that He Himself was not guilty of judging unrighteously and without due process.

8:8
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground- if the first writing was to enforce the law and judge the guilty, and was for the benefit of the Pharisees, then the second writing, if it was indeed from Exodus 34:6 emphasised that God was merciful and gracious, and would be for the benefit of the accused woman. It is as if grace has two tables of writing also, for it is the revelation of the God who is light, “sin no more”, (corresponding to “by no means clear the guilty”), and love, “neither do I condemn thee”, (corresponding to “merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth”, Exodus 34:7). Grace does not condone sin, but it superior to law in that it does what the law could not do, namely, give the power to sin no more, see Romans 8:1-4. Notice that the Lord stoops down to write, not to pick up a stone to throw at the woman.

8:9
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own 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.

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last- so every one of them felt the full force of the law, as their hypocrisy was exposed. Those who were most versed in the law, the eldest, would realise that He had uncovered their faulty application of the law, irrespective of whether the woman was guilty or not. And those who were youngest, and went out last, would be the ones most likely to be committing the sin of which they accused the woman. A witness who threw the first stone would condemn himself if he was guilty of the same sin.

And Jesus was left alone- we have already noted the words of Deuteronomy 19:20, “And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.” In other words, those which remain after the false witness has been stoned should take note. But there are none that remain in this situation, and by leaving they all condemn themselves as either false witnesses or false prosecutors. The only one left is the Judge of all the earth. What will He say to the woman?

And the woman standing in the midst- it is a true law-court scene now, with the Divine Judge sitting, and the accused standing before Him alone, with nowhere to hide. The scribes and Pharisees had set her in the midst of their unrighteous “court”, and she still stands there, but now in the midst of His “court”. She does not try to escape, even though her accusers have left the scene.

8:10
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?

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman- by this is meant that He only saw the woman in the context of the accusations made against her. Man’s court had disbanded. There were no doubt many crowding around in the temple courts to see the outcome of the incident.

He said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? He speaks of the beginning and the end of the judgement process, the accusation and the condemnation. They had made the accusation, but why were they not condemning her if their charge was right? They had seemed so confident they would win the case, yet now they had abandoned it.

8:11
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

She said, No man, Lord- notice her respect for Him. She could have simply called Him “Sir”, but goes further in her acknowledgement of Him.

And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee- this is His verdict on the situation, and has been much misunderstood. Superficially looked at, it seems as if He is condoning her sin, and failing to impose the full weight of the law. He had consistently condemned adultery in His ministry, and we may be sure He has not changed now.

The fact is that He had not come to judge men but to save them, and to do so on a righteous basis. Nor has He the right to set up His own system of justice until He comes to reign, for as He said when a man wanted Him to decide a case against his brother, “Man, who made me a judge and a divider over you?” Luke 12:14.

Nor does He condemn this woman, for those who professed to have witnessed what she had done had abandoned their testimony. The case cannot proceed if there are no witnesses. In this way He upheld the righteousness of the law which demanded that true witnesses should support the accusation made.

In a day to come, when Christ reigns in righteousness, the prophet foretold that “He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes”, Isaiah 11:3, meaning He will not need objects presented as evidence. “Neither reprove after the hearing of his ears”, meaning He will not need to call witnesses to give evidence. “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth”, Isaiah 11:4.

Go, and sin no more- how significant this is, for as He, the Righteous Judge, dismisses her from the courtroom, He shows that He all along knew the facts of the case, that she was indeed guilty. For when He rules and exercises judgement, there will be no need of witnesses, for He shall fully know the facts of each case, and He gives a foretaste of that here, but without disturbing the Jewish legal system as He did so.

He shows her grace in accordance with the words, “The Lord…merciful and gracious”, but He also manifests that aspect of the name of God which tells He “will not clear the guilty”, Exodus 34:6,7. Grace and truth are perfectly balanced in Him. But this grace to her does not mean she may continue in the sin of adultery, for righteousness forbids it.

So how can He let her go, even allowing for the failure of her accusers? If He knows she has sinned, how can He let her walk free? It is because of another aspect of the character and glory of God revealed to Moses. He was told that God was able to forgive iniquity and transgression and sin, Exodus 34:7. But the word for “forgive” is the same as “carry away”, as used of the scapegoat when it bore away the sins of Israel. And this woman is in the presence of one who in a few months time will take away the sin of the world, John 1:29. When she comes by faith to know Him in that capacity she will be given power to not commit adultery any more. The women of Luke 7:50 amd 8:48 were told to go in peace because they were already believers when they came to Him.  This woman has been brought as a guilty sinner before Him, which would be why the Lord says “Go”, and not “Go in peace”, for the peace that comes through the forgiveness of sins has not become hers yet. Only when she believes will she know this, and the benefit of His sin-bearing at Calvary will be credited to her.  

(e)   A reminder of the pillar of fire.

8:12
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.

Then spake Jesus again unto them- He had spoken in verse 2, and now He teaches them again.  This strongly implies that there is something in between that warrants the “then”, and “again”.  That “something” is the account of the woman taken in adultery, a passage some say should not be here.  This is yet another reason why they are wrong.

Saying, I am the light of the world- during the feast the Jews traditionally erected two immense lampstands in the temple courts, and their light blazed out over the city during the days of the feast. Thus was commemorated the way God had led His people by means of the pillar of fire as they travelled through the unknown desert.

The lights that have lit up the city have been extinguished, however, for the feast is finished, and the people are preparing to go home. They know the way to their own home, but do they know the way to heaven? The sun is newly risen, yet this light cannot provide guidance for the spiritual journey.

He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness- just as Israel journeyed in the light of the pillar of fire, even though it was night all around, so this is a pathway trodden by those who follow Him, and who therefore believe in Him. Many followed the pillar of fire who were not believers, but this source of guidance is different.

Only one who has the same character as the pillar of fire that lit up the camp of Israel in the wilderness can be sufficient to light any in the world. There is no other light apart from Him, for He is “the true light, that lighteth every man that cometh into the world”, John 1:9. Anyone who has ever lived, (that is, that has come into the world), and has a degree of enlightenment, has only had that light from Christ. It was either light indirectly through creation, and the commandments, or through the prophets up until John the Baptist, or directly, when Christ came.

The pillar of fire had indeed led them to the land of promise, but long after they had arrived David had spoken of true rest in the land as being still future, for Joshua had not given it to them, see Hebrews 4:8. This must have given many cause for thought as they sat in their booths at the time of the feast of tabernacles.

The lampstands were large in size, but this claim is larger still. It begins with the words “I am”, telling of His timelessness. We are not told what happened to the pillar of fire after the temple had replaced the tabernacle, so it is clearly not necessary for us to know. This light, however, has a timeless and unchangeable character, and will never be recalled or replaced. Even in eternity, the light of the city of God shall be the Lamb, Revelation 21:23. At the present time, He may be relied upon to light the pathway until our pilgrimage is over.

He is the light of the world, not just of a small nation as it travelled through the desert. This is in line with John’s approach in his gospel, for he is interested in the world as a whole, and he related the person of Christ to all men. He comes into the world to light all men, John 1:9; He is the lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world, 1:29; He is the evidence that God loves the world, 3:16; He came that the world through Him might be saved, 3:17; He is hailed as the Saviour of the world, 4:42; He is the bread that gives life to the world, 6:51; and here He is the light of the world.

But shall have the light of life- if men walk in the light at all, it is because they believe in Him, and therefore have everlasting life. His light shines on the pathway of those who believe on Him, even though men all around are in the darkness of unbelief.

Six out of the seven “I am” statements of Christ in John’s gospel are followed by a statement showing the need for faith. (The exception is found in John 10:11). The light He gives is reserved for believers only, emphasising that the light is spiritual in character, not discernible by the men of the world, for “the darkness comprehended it not”, John 1:5.

Special note on relativism
We live in a pluralistic world, where men have diverse views about spiritual matters. This situation prevails because the world is largely dominated by relativism, with all views about spiritual matters thought of as equally valid, and unchallengeable. This is not what our verse is saying, nor for that matter, what any other verse of scripture is saying. The God of heaven is the source of all absolutes; nothing is relative with Him. Abandon God, and all absolute standards are abandoned also, and there is nothing left to cling to but one’s own ideas, and those of fellow-men. All certainty is gone, and perplexity rules. But not for those who follow Christ, for He floods the scene with the light of His person, and that light is the light of God.

8:13
The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.

The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true- in a Jewish court of law, statements that are made must be supported by the testimony of others. The accused person’s own testimony was not allowed, unless supported by others. This is why the Pharisees dispute His right to testify about Himself. The testimony of Christ, if it were unsupported by others, would not be valid in a court of law. It would not be true or in line with the principles of justice. Notice that the Pharisees have reappeared after their experience in connection with the woman taken in adultery.

8:14
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 come, and whither I go.

Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true- as He had explained in 5:30, His will was the same as the Father’s, (for He had come to do the Father’s will alone). They would readily admit that the judgement of their God was right, for Abraham had said so, Genesis 18:25, so if He is equal with God, His judgement is right, too.

In 5:31 He had said “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. The sense of this is “If I bear witness of Myself without any support from anyone or anything else, My witness is not allowable as evidence in My case”. Jewish law would not allow a man to testify for himself, unless there was at least one other to support him. That the Son has another, is seen in the next verse, for He says, “There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true”.

For I know whence I came, and whither I go- as a man upon earth, He was deeply conscious of the fact that He had come forth from the Father. Similarly, He was also deeply conscious that He would be going back to His Father with honour. Such knowledge gives Him the right to testify of Himself, for it is not knowledge that an ordinary man could have; He must be more than man. If that is the case, He has every right to bear witness to Himself, just as the Godhead bears witness to Itself.

But ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go- because they had not this knowledge they were not competent to witness against Him. Moreover, that knowledge was beyond them, (“ye cannot tell”), being mere mortals. The only way they could know He came from heaven and went back there, was to accept His Divine testimony on the matter. This they refused to do, despite the evidence He gave.

8:15
Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

Ye judge after the flesh- the reason for their inability to understand these things is now highlighted. They were not born again, and were mere men in the flesh, despite their zeal for religion. Those who do not have eternal life are classed as “flesh” in 17:2, whether they be Jews or Gentiles.

I judge no man- He, on the other hand, had not come to judge but to save. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17. This truth is illustrated in this very chapter, where the Lord says to the woman, “Neither do I condemn thee”. He did not condemn the woman, for if He had done so, and she had been stoned to death, she could not have exercised faith in Him afterwards. He did condemn her sin, however, with the words “Go, and sin no more”. Clearly, He was expecting her to repent. The Pharisees would have stoned her to death, leaving her no opportunity to believe Him.

8:16
And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

And yet if I judge, my judgment is true- leaving aside the fact that He had not come to judge in order to condemn, nevertheless at any time when He does judge to give an assessment of the situation, we may rest assured that His judgement is true. The difference between these two aspects, namely judging to condemn or judging to assess is found also in John 3:17 and 19, “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world…this is the condemnation”. Christ did not come to pronounce sentence, but to give opportunity to men to avoid a sentence of condemnation. They can do this by coming to terms with the assessment He makes of their sinful condition, and as a result repenting toward God, and believing in Him. For as He said elsewhere, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24.

For I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me- His judgement is always true because He is in perfect harmony with the Father who sent Him, and the Father would not judge in an untrue way. He is not alone as if the Father is not bearing witness to Him. We may understand the phrases as “I do not stand alone in the witness box, but My Father, the ‘judge of all the earth who does right’, Genesis 18:25, who sent Me on My mission, is with Me in My witness”. As the next verse indicates, a witness on his own is not acceptable in a court of law, but He is not alone in His witness. A similar expression is found in verse 29, in a slightly different context, and with a slightly different meaning.

8:17
It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true- note that He describes the law as their law; in other words, it is the one they claimed to love, and be keeping and enforcing. The law said, “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” Deuteronomy 19:15.

8:18
I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me- notice the logic of this argument. If they were prepared to accept the united testimony of two mortal, fallible men, why should they refuse the united testimony of two of the members of the Godhead? The only reason is because of unbelief, which is about to be addressed. John wrote, “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.” 1 John 5:9.

8:19
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.

Then said they unto him, Where is thy father? Notice they do not ask “Who is Thy Father”, but “Where?”. He has claimed to have the Father as His witness, but they cannot see Him, and He cannot be brought to a court of law to be cross-examined as to His truthfulness. They are thinking on a purely natural level. They are not interested in knowing Him as a person. They are laying a trap, hoping that He will give a further discourse like the one in John 5 about His Deity, so that will have a fresh reason to bring Him before the authorities.

Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father- they have heard the truth throughout His ministry, and have not believed it. If they had believed His teaching they would have got to know the Father. Not knowing Him means not knowing the Father; the one follows from the other. Just as He refused to perform yet another miracle, a sign from heaven, after three years of signs, Matthew 12:39, so here He refuses to satisfy the curiosity of unbelief by giving them yet another discourse.

If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also- the two witnesses He had spoken of had made their presence felt for three years, but they had refused to believe. The Lord has nothing more to say to such people. He would declare later on to His own, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father”, John 14:9. To know the Son is to know the Father, for He has declared Him, John 1:8.

8:20
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.

These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as He taught in the temple- this place is significant for three reasons. First, it was the very place where the lampstands had been set up. Second, it was next to the room where the Sanhedrin, the council of the Jews, met to decide policy. And third, it was an area of the temple courts that the scribes reserved for themselves in which to teach.

So His assertion that He was the light of the world was said in the very place where the lamps were. He taught in the very place where the scribes taught, so that the contrast between the teaching might be very apparent. And He was insistent that far from being bound by their decisions about Him, His hour was not yet come. They could do nothing without Divine permission.

And no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come- when His hour had come, then they would be allowed to lay hands on Him and crucify Him, but only because it was God’s determinate counsel to allow it to happen, Acts 2:23. There was the consideration also, that Daniel’s prophecy regarding the cutting off of the Messiah was to happen according to God’s timetable, not man’s, Daniel 9:26. The authorities were very sensitive to the fact that the people followed Him, and they realised they needed to pick the moment of His arrest very carefully. In the event, they arrested Him on a feast day, (a thing they were resolved not to do because they feared an uproar amongst the people, Matthew 26:5), showing that they were not in control of the situation, but God.

8:21
Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.

Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way- next door to the place where they thought they were deciding which way He would go, He states He is going His way, which was God’s way. This gives great confidence to those who follow Him, for they know that He only treads a pathway pleasing to His Father. Just as much confidence, in fact, as Israel had when they followed the pillar of fire in the darkness.

And ye shall seek me- they would not seek Him so as to be saved, for all who seek in that way will surely find, it is God’s promise, Jeremiah 29:13,14. These will seek Him out to arrest Him. As He said in Gethsemane, when they came to arrest Him, “Whom seekest thou?” John 18:4.

And shall die in your sins- because they did not seek salvation, and because they would show their wicked unbelief by seeking Him out so as to arrest, try, and crucify Him, then it was certain that, as unbelievers, they would die in their sins. They would die as sinners as a direct result of their own sins; their sins would give character to their state when they died. It is the opposite of dying “in faith”, or “in the Lord”.

They would themselves say, “His blood be on us, and on our children”, asserting that they were prepared to accept full responsibility for His death, and teach their children to think the same. Sadly, they and their children perished at the siege of Jerusalem. They would be like Korah, and know the swift judgement of God, for he went down alive into the pit, Numbers 16:31,32. Yet we see the grace of God in evidence even in the days of the law, for on that occasion the scripture says, “Nevertheless the children of Korah died not”, Numbers 26:11. Those of Christ’s day would associate their children with their sin, whereas God saw to it that Korah’s children were spared, for He wanted them to praise Him in the temple, as is seen in the fact that there are eleven psalms with “For the sons of Korah” in the title.

The Egyptians died in the very act of pursuing Israel, for “the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud”, Exodus 14:24, and “the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea”, verse 27.

Whither I go, ye cannot come- those who act thus can never get into heaven whilst they remain rebellious, and hence never enter into the good of what He says to His own, “Where I am, there ye may be also”, John 14:3.

8:22
Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come- the Jews believed that those who committed suicide went to the lowest part of hell. Since, as circumcised Jews, they believed they were fit to be in Abraham’s bosom, the place of blessedness, and then be raised to enter the kingdom, they would not be where Jesus was after death if he killed Himself. Notice how confident they are in their belief that their destiny was sure; they cannot go to where the lost go, so they believe. That they were wrong is now told them in no uncertain terms, for they are in grave danger.

8:23
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath- they thought He was going “beneath”, as a suicide; they now learn that they are from beneath. In other words, that which characterises those who are in a place of torment in hell, even unbelief, characterises them too. They share the infidelity of those who are lost.

I am from above- on the other hand, that which characterises the presence of God, even holiness and righteousness, characterises Him.

Ye are of this world- they were of this world, even though they prided themselves in being of Israel, the favoured nation. They were sure they were different, “The People” amongst “the peoples”, “The Nation” amongst “the nations”, yet separate from them and superior to them. They now have to learn the hard and unpalatable truth, that as Solomon their wisest king had said, “As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man”, Proverbs 27:19. In other words, like a reflection of a face in the water, the heart of one man is the reflection of the heart of another. As the apostle Paul put it, “For there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:22,23. This is why the gospel needs to come to the Jew as much as to the Greek, Romans 1:16.

I am not of this world- He was not the product of this world-system, ruled over, as it is, by Satan himself. He was separate entirely from its thinking, attitudes, ways and words. He had come to bring heaven within reach of men, and to lift them up to heaven. Those who believe in Him do not go beneath, but above, to His Father’s presence in heaven. He holds the keys of hell and death, so has total control, and locks hell so that His people cannot go there under any circumstances.

8:24
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.

I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins– His statement that they would die in their sins is now seen to be justified, given their origin, character, and destiny.

He has made several very bold claims in the conversation in the temple courts, hence His statement, “I said therefore unto you”.

(a) He claimed to be the light of the world, verse 12, and as such competent to enlighten anyone, whilst He Himself did not need to be enlightened. (The pillar of fire did not burn because it was supplied from elsewhere). This statement on the lips of any other would be preposterous.

(b) He was conscious of having been in heaven before He was born, verse 14.

(c) He was also conscious of His mission, and that He would return from whence He came, verse 14.

(d) He claimed to be fully in harmony with God the Father, even to the extent of being able to judge men, something only God can do, verse 16.

(e) He claimed the full approval of the Father in that He had witnessed to His delight in Him, verse 18.

For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins- taking all these statements together, and remembering His earlier teaching about Himself, there is no doubt that by using the phrase “I am he”, that He is making a claim to Deity. It is not so much that “I am” is a claim to Deity, as in verse 58 it will be, but that He is claiming that His consistent testimony, throughout His whole ministry was that He is equal with God. The passage is about testimony, and who is able to give it. By refusing to believe His testimony regarding His Deity, they were condemning themselves to die unforgiven, and would take their sins with them to the Great White Throne judgement.

8:25
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

Then said they unto him, Who art thou? They perhaps begin to worry as He speaks like this, (perhaps “die in your sins” three times over has done its work in their conscience), and anxiously ask who He is. They also may also be trying to trap Him into a direct claim to be the Son of God, so that their plans to arrest Him can be furthered.

And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning- it is too late in His ministry to offer them fresh revelation as to Himself. They have had three years of abundant proof that He is the Son of God, so what more can He offer? As God said about Israel regarding the vineyard He had so carefully tended, “What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it?” Isaiah 5:4. And the parable of the fig tree in the vineyard is of similar import, for the vineyard owner said, “Behold these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none”, Luke 13:7.

By pointing them to what He said from the beginning, He is no doubt referring them to the first public discourse He made in John’s gospel, which was on the subject of His Deity, and was given in Jerusalem. He had on that occasion made belief in His word, (that is, the word or theme of His Deity), the test. To believe this is to pass from death to life, to not believe is to be condemned.

There is more to this than simple statements of doctrine, however, for He is what He said, and that from the beginning until the moment He spoke to them. He was the full expression of everything He taught; there was never a discrepancy between word and practice. He is the Word, John 1:1. Luke writes of those things that “Jesus began both to do and teach”, Acts 1:1, so His doing was matched by His teaching. They should have believed when He told them of His Deity at the beginning, but now that He has lived and taught amongst them they are totally without excuse, and should not, at this late stage, be asking who He is. He is altogether and exactly what He has consistently said He is. After all, He is “Jesus Christ the Same”, Hebrews 13:8.

8:26
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.

I have many things to say and to judge of you- these are ominous words, telling as they do of His ability to say what their hearts are like, and judge them for their unbelief. He has had all judgement committed unto Him by the Father, and one day He will make known that judgement, 5:22.

But he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him- just as in the day of judgement He will judge as He hears from the Father, John 5:30, so now He speaks the words that are in line with His Father’s will. And because His Father’s judgement is right, as Abraham acknowledged, Genesis 18:25, so His must be too, for they communicate on the matter.

Note that His jurisdiction extends to the whole world, and that He makes no distinction between the judgement of the Jew and that of the Gentile, and certainly no concession to the former. God judges without respect of persons, as the apostle Paul emphasised in Romans 2:5-11.

8:27
They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.

They understood not that he spake to them of the Father- it is no surprise to learn that they did not know of whom He spake, for to know Him is to know the Father, and to not know Him is to not know the Father, for as He would say later on, “if ye had known me, ye should have known my father also”, 14:7.

8:28
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.

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he- there are four aspects to this. First, at Calvary, when Christ died, evidence was given as to the interest of heaven in what was happening on the central cross. The rocks were rent, the veil was rent, the graves were opened, the sun was darkened supernaturally, a great darkness came over the earth. No wonder the centurion at the crucifixion exclaimed, “Truly this was the Son of God”, for things were happening that were beyond the power of man to accomplish, Matthew 27:54.

Second, Christ rose from the dead without the stone over the entrance to His grave being moved, without the seal being broken, and without the guards knowing anything of it. See Matthew 27:51-53; 28:2-4.

Third, after this, abundant testimony was given in Israel, and beyond in the wider world where Jews were living, that Christ was indeed alive, and this was clear proof that His claim to Deity was genuine. If He had been an imposter, God would have left Him in the grave.

Fourth, as if the foregoing were not enough, the fiercest opponent of Christ’s claims, Saul of Tarsus, was converted when He appeared to him from heaven. And immediately Saul went into the synagogue at Damascus and preached that Jesus is the Son of God, Acts 9:20. All those listed by the apostle Paul as witnesses to the resurrection were radically changed by seeing Him alive. See 1 Corinthians 15:5-10.

So the Lord is indicating here that, in grace, a further opportunity will be given to the nation of Israel to believe on Him, and get to know that He is the “I am”. The owner of the fig tree was persuaded to spare it for a little while longer, Luke 13:8,9. So if the three years in the parable represented the ministry of Christ, then the further year was the period post-Pentecost when the gospel was preached “to the Jew first”.

But there is also a warning here, for it is “know”, not necessarily believe. It was the same in John 5:28, “marvel”, but not necessarily believe. As Paul quoted to the men of Antioch, “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish”, Acts 13:41. The question is whether they will respond in faith to the evidence presented to them. And this is the question all of us must face. To only “wonder”, or “marvel”, and not believe, is to perish.

And that I do nothing of myself- note that Christ is not claiming Deity in competition with the Father. He does nothing of Himself, but acts fully in line with the will of the Father, for Divine Persons cannot act independently of one another, or else God would not be “one Lord”, Mark 12:29.

But as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things- He had many things to say to them if they were prepared to respond to His doctrine. He had many things by which to judge them if they refused His doctrine. He knew how to apply the word because He speaks as His Father has taught Him. It is not “what my Father hath taught me”, but “as my Father hath taught me”. In other words, it is not the content that is taught Him, as if He needed to learn in that sense, but the timing and context of the speaking was done in full communion with the Father. So whether the speaking was for blessing or for condemnation, it was done in harmony with the Father, as He will emphasise in the next verse. This is a warning to them, for if they reject His words, and their implications, they are rejecting the words of the God of Israel, whose law they claim to obey.

He speaks in this verse of His person, “I am He”, His works, “do nothing of myself”, and His words, “As my Father hath taught me, I speak these things”.

8:29
And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

And he that sent me is with me- their opposition to Him, and His apparent isolation, was not as a result of the Father deserting Him because He taught error. On the contrary, the Father was with Him in every sense of the words. This could not be said if He was leading the people astray. He will not only be vindicated after the Cross, but was already vindicated, if they only realised it.
The Father hath not left me alone- this makes it very clear that when He said “He that sent me”, He meant His Father. Not only is the Father with Him in the sense that they commune as those who are in perfect harmony, but the Father is always willing to associate with the Son as He passes on to men what has been the subject of His communion with the Father. It therefore has heaven’s approval, and should be believed.

For I do always those things that please him- everything that the Son did as He taught the people was well-pleasing to His Father. It did not please the Pharisees, but they were not competent judges in the matter. God had signalled that He was well pleased with His Son at His baptism, after His obscurity in Nazareth. His testimony at the end of His public ministry was the same- well pleased. See Matthew 3:17, 17:5. The only difference is that on the second occasion He had added, “hear him”, as if when He began His public ministry the Father fully expected them to hear Him, but in large part they had not listened to Him during His ministry, so needed to be exhorted to do so on the second occasion of a word from heaven. It was not too late to hear Him and believe in Him.

Note the character of the testimony of Christ as seen in these verses:

Verse 24
Vital testimony

Disbelief results in persons dying in their sins.

Verse 25
Consistent testimony

It was the same at the end as at the beginning.

Verse 26
Gracious testimony

He had not come to condemn.

Verse 27
Dependant testimony

He would only speak words that were from His Father.

Verse 28
Vindicated testimony

His lifting up on the cross is the first stage of the road back to the Father for Him.

Verse 29
United testimony

He speaks as one who is in complete fellowship and harmony with the Father.

The godly Israelite, as he sat in his booth during the feast of tabernacles, would not only look back, and trace God’s faithful dealings with His nation over the years, but would also look forward. After all, the very booth he sat under had been made of the trees growing in the land of Israel. There was no command from God to use the trees of the desert, like the shittim tree. But there was a problem, for the land they called their own was dominated by a foreign power, and this must have given pause for thought to many of them. Did the fault lay with them? Was there something they were not aware of, which disqualified them from full enjoyment of the land? Thoughts such as these may very well have brought some of them to their senses, and made them more responsive to the words of Jesus of Nazareth, as He spake with authority in the courts of the temple. So it is that our next verse tells of their belief in Him.

8:30
As he spake these words, many believed on him.

As he spake these words, many believed on him- instead of immediately owning these people as true believers, the Lord put them to the test. He did not disown them so radically as He had done in similar circumstances in Jerusalem at the beginning, when He did not trust Himself to those who merely believed because they had seen miracles, John 2:23,24. These are different, for they are not reacting to miracles, but to profound teaching. Are they simply impressed with the words, or do they believe in their hearts? Verse 45 will give us the answer.

(f)  The land was for the seed of Abraham.

8:31
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed- the test is continuance, as it ever is. A consideration of the following Scriptures will make this clear:

“To present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the faith of the gospel”, Colossians 1:22, 23.

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them”, 2 Timothy 3:14.

“But Christ as a Son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end”, Hebrews 3:6.

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end”, Hebrews 3:14.

“Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.” 1 John 2:24.

The parable of the sower spoke of those who “for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away”, Luke 8:13. “My word” means what it did in John 5:24, the subject of His Deity. This is the crucial test, what a person thinks of Christ, and in particular, whose Son He is, see Matthew 22:42.

8:32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free- this is a bold claim, that to believe on Him is to know the truth. No mere man could have said these words without being thought a lunatic or a liar. But if He is who He claimed to be, then His word is truth, and that truth has a liberating effect.

The truth as to the person of the Lord Jesus, when known and believed, will not only result in initial freedom, but it will ensure ongoing and progressive freedom as well. These things are spoken of in Romans chapter 6, where the apostle Paul shows how that to be associated with Christ results in freedom from obligation to continue in sin.

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?

They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man- they are clearly misunderstanding His words about freedom. They think of it in terms of bondage to men, as spoken of in Leviticus 25:39-42, where Israelites are prohibited from making a fellow Israelite into their slave. They realised that if the Lord says truth makes free, then He is not referring to national bondage to Assyria or Rome, for that would be political bondage.

How sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? He must be speaking of personal freedom. In that case, they would have argued, they were already free, for the law prevented them from  enslaving one another as Israelites.

8:34
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you- the truth about to be imparted is of critical importance, hence the “Verily, verily”, insisting on His authority to set out new truth.

Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin- this makes clear that He refers neither to political nor social slavery, but rather the slavery to a sinful nature which all men experience. This bondage to the dictates of sin from within, not outward circumstances, is what makes a man a slave. Natural men all commit sin as a matter of habit and practice, being powerless to break free, and they thereby show themselves to be slaves.

8:35
And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

And the servant abideth not in the house for ever- the Jews had claimed in verse 33 to be Abraham’s seed. This gives the Lord Jesus the opportunity to point out to them the spiritual meaning that lay behind a significant event in the experience of Abraham and Isaac. On the day that Isaac was weaned, his father had made a great feast to celebrate the occasion. Ishmael, however, cruelly mocked Isaac, and consequently was cast out of Abraham’s house, Genesis 21:1-14 .

Now Ishmael was the son of Hagar, the slave-girl from Egypt. Nonetheless he could claim to be Abraham’s seed, for Abraham was his father. The Jews, too, were naturally descended from Abraham. As slaves to sin, however, they were no different to Ishmael, the child of the slave. As such, they had no right to be in God’s house.

Hagar had fled from Abraham’s house before, in Genesis 16:6-9, but on that occasion she was instructed to return. The difference being that not until Isaac was born could the critical point be reached. Reaction to the son, whether Isaac or Christ, is the test.

But the Son abideth ever- the One who is worthy of a settled place in the Father’s presence is the Son of God Himself, verse 35. He has no sin within to enslave Him, and He is perfectly free to do the Father’s will.

Four events in the life of Isaac especially highlight the fact of his sonship. These are his remarkable birth; his presentation to the world at his weaning; his death, in a figure, (Hebrews 11:19); and his coming to receive his bride to himself. It is easy to see how these events prefigure the birth of Christ, His presentation to the world at His baptism, His sacrificial death, and His coming again for His own. He is totally absorbed in the will of the Father, and worthy of His place as a Son in His presence.

8:36
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed- the wonder of it all, however, is that others besides the Lord Jesus may share that place of freedom in the Father’s presence. Those made free by the application of the truth to their souls, are made free indeed. This particular word for “indeed”, is only used here in John’s gospel. It is based on the word “to be”, and indicates that those who are made free by the Lord Jesus are free to the very core of their being. They are not superficially free. They are as free, in fact, as the Son is free, and with the same result, namely favour with the Father, and ultimately a place in the Father’s house on high, John 14:2,3.

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

I know that ye are Abraham’s seed- there was no doubt they were descended from Abraham as to the flesh, but their attitude towards Him suggested there was something badly wrong. After all, in the illustration just given from the weaning of Isaac we learn that it is possible to be either Isaac-like, with a place in the house, or Ishmael-like, and having no claim on the house, being the son of the slave-woman. The apostle Paul will use this historical event as an allegory to teach a similar truth in Galatians 4:21-31.

But ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you- Ishmael persecuted Isaac, thus showing his slave character. The Jews sought to kill Christ, thus exposing themselves as being like Ishmael, and not Isaac. The reason they did this was on the same principle as Ishmael acted. He rebelled against the idea of Isaac being the true son, and the Jews rebelled against the idea that Christ was the only begotten Son of God.

The word “place” has the idea of making room for something or someone. The words could be translated “My word hath no entrance in you”. Faith makes room in the heart for Christ and His word.

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

I speak that which I have seen with my Father- the word used for seeing here is the one which implies a discerning mind, acting upon what is seen. He had said in His initial discourse concerning His Deity that “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth”, John 5:19,20.

Such is the love between the persons of the Godhead that they withhold nothing from each other. The word “sheweth” is the same as in John 14:8, “shew us the Father”. Note the reply, “He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father”. Clearly the Father cannot be physically seen, (so neither the physical appearance of the Father nor of the Lord Jesus is in view), but He can be discerned spiritually as a result of knowing and understanding the person and ministry of the Lord Jesus. So here, the Father shews the Son what He is doing in the sense that He hides nothing of the purpose of His acting from Him. Because He is the Son, and therefore shares the nature of Deity, the Lord Jesus has infinite capacity to understand the Father’s purpose and actions. The work He performed on the impotent man was a very wonderful thing, therefore, for it was the reproduction of what the Father was showing the Son, and therefore the expression of Divine communications, and an evidence of the Father’s love for the Son.

And ye do that which ye have seen with your father- as one who perfectly understands the mind of His Father, the Lord is now exposing the true source of their hostility to Him, and the seriousness of it. There are two fathers, God the Father, and the devil their father. There is a further contrast, in that there is emphasis on what they do as a result of seeing, and what He does as a result of seeing. What Christ sees is the will of His Father, meaning He has perfect insight into it. What He sees He then speaks. What they see is the murderous intent of their father the devil, and what they see they seek to do.

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.

They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father- they clearly do not understand yet that when He speaks of their father, He means the devil. They are still thinking of descent from father Abraham.

Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham- let the test of the works for which Abraham was known be applied to them. He was marked by faithfulness to God, righteousness, and communion with God, being known as the friend of God. As the apostle Paul shows in Romans 4:1,16, Abraham is not only the natural father of the Jews, but he is the father of the faithful. They have him as their example.

8:40
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.

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- as a man who welcomed the truth of God when it came to him, Abraham should have been their rôle model. The last thing Abraham would have done was seek to kill the Messiah, for verse 56 will say that he rejoiced that he might see Messiah’s day.

When the word of God came to Abraham, he obeyed, even to the extent of offering up his only begotten son on an altar. Such was his respect for the word of God. Now God is speaking in His Son, and the Jews showed they were not true sons of Abraham by rejecting that word. The idea behind “heard of God” is that He heard as one who was near. Christ is claiming a closeness of communion which far exceeded that which Abraham knew even though he was the friend of God.

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

Ye do the deeds of your father- having said who they did not act like, Abraham, the Lord tells who they did act like, but He waits for them to confess that this is the Devil. If they did this they would be on the way to faith in Him, but alas it is not so.

Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God- one of the titles God gave the nation of Israel was “my son”. The word to Pharoah was “Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn…let my son go”, Exodus 4:22,23. And in Hosea 11:1 God said “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” From this they inferred that God was their Father. There was no doubt about their parentage, they claim, for none other was involved; it was not a matter of fornication. They claimed that as a nation they were united in having but one Father.

8:42
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.

Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me- again, their claim is put to the test. Given Christ’s special relationship with the Father, they would love Him as much as they claimed to love God, for they would be in the family of God and share the life of God.

For I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me- there are four things said here about the coming of the Son of God from heaven. First, that He proceeded forth. The preposition here is “ek”, speaking of source. God the Father gives character to heaven, and therefore to proceed forth from heaven is to proceed forth from God.

Second, that He came from God. That is, having denoted His intention of coming from God, He made good His intention and arrived. The words literally translated are, “I from God came forth and am come”.

Third, that He had not come on His own initiative. Here the preposition is “apo”, meaning “away from”. His departure from God to come to earth was not an independent action, but was done in full harmony with the will of the Father. The “neither” anticipates any objection from His hearers.

Fourth, that He was sent. This shows the importance that the Father attached to His coming, for He was entrusted with a task from the Father, even to reveal Him. He could do this fully because He was His Son. If they were in relationship with God as their Father, they would be sympathetic to His mission, and would love Him.

Note the great contrast between Christ coming down from the Father to do His will, with the Devil seeking to rise above God to assert his will.

8:43
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Why do ye not understand my speech? It is clear to Him that they do not understand what He means when He speaks of their father.

Even because ye cannot hear my word- He now explains why it is that they do not understand Him. It was because they had closed their ears to His doctrine about His Sonship, which was His theme, or word. They had shut out the truth so that they could not hear and receive it by faith. “His speech” means the actual words He was using, “His word” was the theme of those words.

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.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do- now comes the plain and unmistakable statement, that they were of their father the Devil. And children imitate their father, and often share his failings. “Will do” is not a prophecy about the future, but means they were willing and desirous of doing the lusts of the Devil.

He was a murderer from the beginning- that He is justified in claiming that they sought to kill Him is seen in the fact that their father, whose lusts they imitated, was a murderer. He had used a deadly murder-weapon at the beginning of human history when he said to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die”, Genesis 3:4. But the opposite was the case, for God’s word to Adam had been, “thou shalt surely die”, Genesis 2:17, and so it came to pass. Ever since, man has been alienated from the life of God through ignorance of the truth of God as found in His word, Ephesians 4:18.

And abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him- this is why the Devil, formerly Lucifer, became a murderer, because he rebelled against the life-giving, life-maintaining truth of God. Given a place of glory and responsibility in heaven, he apostatized, and no longer stood in the truth. To apostatize is “to move away from a previous stand.” It is not a matter of not standing in the truth when unfallen, but of not doing so ever since he has fallen. The stand he takes determines the character he bears.

The reason why he has not stood in the truth since the time of his fall is that there is no truth in him; he has cast off all hold on the truth, being completely given over to falsehood. He may use truth mixed with error to deceive men, but he does not believe the truth. He is the Arch-Infidel.

When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it- this explains the fact that, when he speaks a lie, which he habitually does, he speaks of, or out of, his own; that is, of that which he has made his own, in opposition to the truth of God. He lies as a matter of habit, and is the first to lie, and the father or prime example to others when they lie as his children.

8:45
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not- when Christ told them the truth, they did not believe Him, for they had been so influenced by the Devil that they only responded to falsehood; truth held no attraction for them. The same is true today, for men’s minds are attracted to the lies of the devil, and are conditioned to believe them, gravitating towards lies and away from the truth. Only the work of the Spirit of God can remedy this. The adoption of worldly methods will not overcome this in-built opposition to the truth.

8:46
Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

Which of you convinceth me of sin? If they were so confident that they were right about Him, and were therefore justified in rejecting His word, let them convince or convict Him of the sin of lying in His testimony to them about Himself.

And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? If they could not show where He was lying , (which meant that He spoke the truth, for there is no third position), then why, since they claimed God as their Father, did they not believe in Him as His Son? This is a direct challenge to them, to produce witnesses in a court of law if they can.

8:47
He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

He that is of God heareth God’s words- as they gave no answer to His question, He has to answer for them. If they were the children of God, and therefore “of God”, they would respond to what their God said, and He was speaking through His Son.

Ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God- the fact that they did not hear the words of God with the hearing of faith, showed they were not of God. They had no life from Him. The only alternative was that they were of the devil. Note the confidence the Lord has that He speaks the words of God; for Him there is no doubt about that.

8:48
Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?

Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Instead of taking serious note of these solemn words, the Jews respond only with rudeness and blasphemy. This is the classic sign that they have been defeated. When challenged to show that He was wrong, they could only respond with insults. We know from Acts 8:9,11 that Simon Magus was in Samaria, acting in league with the devil. He was doing the lusts of his father. They slander the Lord by comparing Him to someone like that.

He was pleased to liken Himself to a Samaritan when it was a question of doing good works, Luke 10:33, and to show that He had no prejudice against other nations, as the other Jews had. Perhaps this is why He ignored their comparison of Him to a Samaritan.

8:49
Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.

Jesus answered, I have not a devil- the fact that He was not possessed of a devil was evident from the whole tenor of His words and deeds, so it only had to be stated. But stated it must be, to set the record straight. Any suggestion that Christ was in any way siding with the devil was immediately rebuked. To suggest it is to sin against the Holy Spirit, for it was by His power that Christ’s miracles were done, Matthew 12:22-32.

But I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me- to be of the devil involves furthering his interests, and thus glorifying him, for that is what he wants, even the worship of men.

What confirmed that He was not of the devil was the fact that He honoured His Father, and this was in direct contrast to the prince of devils, Lucifer, who in pride sought to elevate himself above God, Isaiah 14:13,14. The Jews show which side they are on by not honouring the Son of God by accepting His claims.

8:50
And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

And I seek not mine own glory- they are warned here against suggesting that He only spoke of Himself so as to gain glory. If they did honour Him as the one who spoke for His Father, it would not make Him full of pride, for His whole desire was to honour His Father alone, and reserve no glory for Himself. This is in marked contrast to the devil, for pride has marked him at and since his fall; it is his condemnation, 1 Timothy 3:6.

There is one that seeketh- there is only one who may seek glory, and that is the Father. The Son has taken the place of subjection and servant-hood, and only sought glory for His Father when He was here. The Father made it very clear in John 12:28, just before Christ went to the cross, that His name had been glorified by His Son. The only reason why the Son sought glory in His prayer to His Father was so that He might have the opportunity to further glorify His Father in heaven, just as He had glorified Him on earth, John 17:1.

And judgeth- not only does the Father rightly seek glory, but He judges those who refuse to give it to Him by believing His Son. When, on the brink of eternity, all creatures shall bow the knee to Jesus and own Him Lord, it will be “to the glory of God the Father”, Philippians 2:11.

8:51
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

Verily, verily, I say unto you- a change of subject is signalled by the “Verily, verily”, a phrase which indicates that a new topic is being introduced. There is a connection of thought, however, with what has gone before, and it is this. The devil was “a murderer from the beginning”, verse 44, the reason being that he did not abide in the truth. He brought about both the physical and spiritual death of Adam and his wife, and all others also, by persuading them to not abide in the truth either. He did this by turning them from the known word of God.

If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death- by contrast, the Lord Jesus claims to bring those who do abide in the truth into such a state that they shall never experience death as unbelievers do, as the “King of Terrors”, but rather, as a servant who ushers into the presence of God. As the apostle Paul puts it, writing to the believers at Corinth, “For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.” 1 Corinthians 3:21,22. All the things and people he lists are at their disposal to use for God’s glory. They may fear the process of dying, but they do not fear death itself. The apostle could write, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:28,29.

It is noticeable that the figures of speech used in the New Testament for the death of believers are all gentle ones. The Lord Jesus, speaking of Lazarus, said, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth”, John 11:11. Peter spoke of his death as a putting off of his tabernacle, 2 Peter 1:14, meaning that his body was like a tent that needed to be taken down so the next stage of the journey could be undertaken. Paul spoke of his death as being like the pouring out of a drink offering on the sacrifices on the altar, Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6. He also in the latter verse thought of his death as a departure, a word used in Greek poetry for the loosing of a ship from its moorings.

But the devil brought man into spiritual death as well as physical death. The Lord Jesus delivers from this too, for He had already taught that the one who believes in Him “is passed from death unto life”, John 5:24.

All this depends on a man keeping His saying; in other words, believing the truth He brought, with the intention of remaining in belief. The devil abode not in the truth and dragged others down with him, but Christ brings into the truth and maintains the believer there. As a result, death recedes in favour of meeting the Lord on the other side.

8:52
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.

Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil- it is very obvious that believers like Abraham and the prophets have died, so they conclude He must have a devil, which has affected His mind. To them, this last saying confirms what they thought of Him in verse 48.

The Jews are only capable of understanding His words on a natural and physical level. They are only thinking in terms of whether a person will actually die or not, and not in terms of whether that death will have any power over the one dying, and whether it will affect his spiritual status. Far from heeding the warning about the consequences of unbelief, and the danger of attributing His works to the devil, they persist in their unbelief. After all, who yet escaped death, apart from Enoch and Elijah?

Abraham is dead, and the prophets- Abraham and the prophets were nothing if they were not those who believed the word of God, yet after having believed it, they still died.

And thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death- they think He must be claiming to be someone superior to God, if hearing and believing God did not prevent Abraham and the prophets dying, but hearing and believing His word will prevent men dying. But He had not said this. He spoke of men not seeing death in the same way as an unbeliever sees death. This marks a change in God’s dealings with men, for He had introduced His Son into the world to bring life and immortality to light, 2 Timothy 1:10, so that the Christian believer’s attitude to death is radically different to even the attitude of Abraham, fine believer though he was.

Notice they change His phrase “see death” to “taste of death”. The latter phrase is more physical, (death is not an object which may be seen or not seen), and is on the level they are thinking, whereas the former phrase is spiritual, on the level He is thinking and speaking.

8:53
Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? As religious Jews, they could never allow that any man was greater than God, so they fall back on the argument that if Abraham, the model believer in God, eventually died, it was because he was lacking in something.

If a man’s word can prevent a man from dying, then he must not be liable to death himself. God acknowledged Abraham to be a prophet, with the word to Abimelech, “he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live”, Genesis 20:7. If Abraham’s word was effective, even to the extent of praying for a man so that he changed his ways and did not die under God’s judgement, he must indeed be a great man, and his word very effective. Yet despite this he himself died.

In verse 53 the Jews use the emphatic pronoun “Thou” of Him twice, as if despising His claims by suggesting He is making Himself more than He really is. This is matched in verses 54 and 55 by the Lord referring to Himself with the emphatic “I”, as He counters their suggestion that He is elevating Himself. The reverse was the case.

And the prophets are dead- this has the form of an exclamation, as if to say, “Even the prophets, the men God used to bring His word to the people, (and who, by implication, believed that word themselves), even they have died!”. They think the dramatic fact only needs to be stated to prove their point.

Whom makest thou thyself? The Lord does not answer their question as to whether He is greater than Abraham, for that has to be decided by His hearers as they weigh up the evidence. As He implies in the next verse, He did not come to make Himself anything, except to make Himself of no reputation. He was here for the glory of His Father alone.

8:54
Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:

Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing- the only honour worth having is honour from God, and this is all the Lord wished for.

It is my Father that honoureth me- He honoured Him as He emerged out of the waters of Jordan at the start of His public ministry, and He honoured Him by giving Him works to do and words to teach during His ministry. This was honour enough for Christ.

Of whom ye say, that he is your God- if they had life from God they would not need to be told these things, for they would see the evidence and receive His claims. Note the change of title. They only knew God as the God of Israel; they did not know Him as “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”, as the apostle Paul, (a converted Jew), put it, Ephesians 3:14.

8:55
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.

Yet ye have not known him- they said God was their God but had not, for all their religion, got to know Him. The reason for this was that they rejected the testimony of the One who came to declare Him, John 1:18. After all that, (“yet”), they did not know Him!

But I know him- by contrast, He can say with confidence that He knows Him. Not indeed, with the knowledge that is the result of progress, but the knowledge that is the result of relationship.

And if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you- again He distances Himself from any association with “the liar, and the father of it”, verse 44. And again, He declares that they are allied to the devil. They spoke with forked tongue, claiming to know God, but not knowing His Son.

But I know him, and keep his saying- note the link between knowing the Father and keeping His saying. The latter is the sign of the former. Every particular aspect of the truth that was given Him to pass on to men, (“His saying”), was carefully preserved in His mind as a thing very precious to Him. He also passed on that word to those who desired to know it, so that they might count it precious too.

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

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day- the Jews had a saying about the eighth day of the feast of tabernacles, (the feast that had just finished), and they called it “The day of the rejoicing of the law”. Perhaps this was because they were required to read the whole of the law once every seven years at that feast, Deuteronomy 31:10,11.

Abraham rejoiced to see, but did not actually see. The rejoicing was in the prospect, not the reality. The force of the expression used is, “Abraham rejoiced that he might see My day”. Was Abraham not given foretastes of the coming of the Messiah in the birth, miraculously, of Isaac, whose name means “Laughter”. Or the occasion of Isaac’s weaning, when he was presented to a hostile and persecuting world. Or when he offered him upon the altar at Moriah, and received him back again from the dead in a figure? The Jews had the great advantage of seeing the reality of what Abraham only saw in illustration, even His birth, His presentation to the world at His baptism, and soon, His death and resurrection. Should they not be rejoicing also at seeing things which prophets and righteous men had not had the privilege of seeing, Matthew 13:17?

8:57
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

Then said the Jews unto him, thou art not yet fifty years old- it was when a man was this age that they said he was qualified to give an opinion. Perhaps it was based upon the fact that it was at that age that a Levite changed from doing manual work, (“the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation”, Numbers 4:47), to a more academic role in deciding matters on which the people could not agree, Deuteronomy 17:8-11. Moses also associated the Levites with himself before he died as he exhorted the people to “obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day”, and they recited the cursings that would come on the people if they disobeyed those commandments, Deuteronomy 27:9,10,14-26.

The Lord Jesus had fulfilled that dual Levitical role, exhorting the people to obey the word of God He brought to them, and warning them of the consequences of disobeying that word. So in effect, by saying the Lord was not yet fifty years old, they imply He had not reached the age when the Levites were thought wise enough to teach.

And hast thou seen Abraham? They completely misunderstand the import of His words. He had said nothing about Him seeing Abraham, but rather Abraham seeing Him. Are they deliberately twisting His words because they know they have lost the argument?

They have already suggested He was suicidal, verse 22, “Will he kill Himself”. Then in verse 48 that He was demon-possessed, which they had connected in 7:20 with the idea that He was paranoid and thought they were trying to kill Him, “who goeth about to kill thee?” In 10:20 they would say that He had a devil and was therefore mad. Now they think Him to be a fantasist, imagining that He had lived at the time of Abraham. Clearly they have a very low view of Christ, despite all the evidence He had given them of His relationship with the Father. Obviously, even if He were fifty years old, (and He was not, for He was about thirty three years old), the start of His life on earth would not reach back to Abraham’s time, so that they could meet.

Even today, Christians are sometimes thought to have a mental problem because what they believe is so different to the opinions in the world. This was the experience of the apostle Paul, for when he had made his defence before King Agrippa, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad”, Acts 26:24.

8:58
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you- here we have another instance of a formula which introduces something new. It asserts the truth of a thing before it is spoken, to pre-empt the denial that may come when it is heard.

Before Abraham was, I am- this is the shortest discourse that follows a “Verily, verily”, yet how profound it is. Far from being delusional, and thinking with deranged mind that He had lived at the time of Abraham, by this statement the Lord claims to be timeless. The normal rules of human existence do not apply to Him, for He is God, and to Him all is one eternal now. If Adam were alive today he could say “Before Abraham was, I was”. An angel could say, “Before Adam was, I was”. But these are creatures of time. The Lord Jesus indeed could have said, “Before Abraham was, I was”, for that was the case. But to say not, “I was”, but “I am”, when the reference is to the past, is to claim timelessness. Only an eternal Being can claim that He is still present in the past, as if time is immaterial. The Jews thought He was claiming to have lived in Abraham’s time in the past. What He really claims is that “past” is not relevant to His Being. He does not have to travel back in time to Abraham’s day, for it is as if it is “now” to Him.

8:59
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.

Then took they up stones to cast at him- if there were those in Israel who had mental problems, then they were to be borne with, pitied, and cared for. But there is to be no pity for a blasphemer; he must be put to death. No matter that the Romans had withdrawn the right to execute from them. They feel their law was superior to the law of Rome, and He must be immediately dealt with apart from that law, for the honour of their God was involved. They would cite the words of Leviticus 24:16, “And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death”.

But in what way can He be thought to have blasphemed the name of the Lord? The expression “I am” would immediately be recognised by the Jews as a name for God, for it would remind them of the incident at the burning bush, where God revealed Himself to Moses with the words, “I am that I am”: and He said, This thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, “I am hath sent me unto you”, Exodus 3:14. So if the Lord Jesus claims this title, He is claiming to be God, and to set a man’s name on a level with God’s name is blasphemy.

There was also the crime of drawing others away to a false god, which they believe Him to be, and this was to be punished by stoning also. The law was, that if a man claimed to be a prophet, and also gave a sign or a wonder which came to pass, and he also encouraged the people to go after other gods, then he was to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 13:1-5. Now the Lord Jesus claimed to unfold the mind of God like a prophet, He did signs and wonders, and the Jews thought that His claim to be the “I am” was a claim to Deity, and therefore a claim also on the worship of the people, thus leading them away from the worship of the God of Israel. So on two counts they felt justified in stoning Him. At His trial this double accusation was blended into one with the words, “We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God”, John 19:7.

Ever since the promise of a coming deliverer was given to Adam and Eve, one who would bruise the serpent’s head, Satan had sought to prevent the coming of Christ. Some of his major attempts are as follows:

1. The murder of Abel by Cain.

2. The mingling of the sons of God with the daughters of men in the days of Noah, thus seeking to prevent the true line being preserved.

3. The taking of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, into the palace by Pharoah.

4. The taking of Sarah into Abimelech’s palace.

5. The decree of Pharoah to kill all Hebrew sons when they were born.

6. The destruction of the seed royal except one, by Athaliah.

7. The attempt by Haman to exterminate the Jews in Esther’s time.

But God preserved the line, and at last Christ was born. Now the Devil’s attention turned to preventing Him from dying in the way Scripture prophesied, namely by crucifixion.

1. Herod sought to kill Him by the sword.

2. Satan tempted Him to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple.

3. The men of Nazareth sought to kill Him by throwing Him over a cliff.

4. The storm on the lake was an attempt to drown Him, so that His grave would not be known.

5. The Jews sought to kill Him by stoning more than once.

6. Pilate offered to let the Jews execute Him, which would again be by stoning to death.

7. They manipulated events so that Pilate sent Him to Herod, so He could be beheaded, as John the baptist had been.

8. Pilate pronounced Him to be without fault, and then had Him scourged, which was called “The first death”.

But at God’s time, and in God’s way, Jesus Christ, the Son of God was crucified, and died for our sins.

But Jesus hid himself- He never used His powers as God unnecessarily, but lost Himself in the crowds. He could not have had distinctive and extravagant dress or else the people would have recognised Him. He was content to be here in humility and lowliness.

And went out of the temple- His teaching has been rejected, and the Lord retires, for He will not force His doctrine on men.

Going through the midst of them, and so passed by- how solemn it was that the Jews created conditions whereby the Christ of God could not remain with them. The Pharisees had left Him in the incident of the woman at the beginning of the chapter, and now He leaves them in their state of unbelief.