JOHN
CHAPTER 8

((The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11.))

¹But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
⁷But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
¹¹"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

The Validity of Jesus' Testimony

¹²When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
¹³The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."
¹⁴Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. ¹⁸I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."
¹⁹Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"
²⁰"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.
²¹Once more Jesus said to them, "I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come."
²²This made the Jews ask, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, 'Where I go, you cannot come'?"
²³But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be,^[1] you will indeed die in your sins."
²⁵"Who are you?" they asked.
²⁶"Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied. "I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world."
²⁷They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." ³⁰Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.

1. V1-6a – John summarized the conclusion of the major confrontation ending the Feast of Tabernacles by saying that everyone went to his own house – a strange ending to a major conflict, but not a surprising one considering God’s providence and the repeated assertion that it was not yet Jesus’ time to be arrested. John continues from that explanation into what we call chapter 8, saying that when everyone went to his own house, Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives. He had no house, and while He certainly could have sought refuge at the home of a friend or disciple, He sought His Father in prayer. It was a much-needed time of prayerful solitude after the exhausting festival experience. But it was a short-lived time, for in the morning, Jesus returned to the temple courts to teach – and “all the people gathered around Him.” This was the day after the Feast of Tabernacles had ended.

   The scribes and Pharisees display their wickedness in this effort to slander Jesus. They reveal to Jesus that they have a plain commandment of the Law; therefore, it follows that they act maliciously in putting to Jesus this question, as if it were a doubtful matter. Their intention was to make Jesus either disagree with Moses by acquitting this woman or violate the Roman law (Rome alone had the authority to call for capital punishment) by consenting to stone her in agreement with Moses’ command – adulteresses are to be put to death (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22-24), and it would certainly be unlawful to acquit this guilty woman. But the man involved was also to be tried and put to death. Why didn’t they bring the man along with the woman to Jesus? They weren’t seeking true justice. It was a ploy to lure Jesus into trouble. The Pharisees were hoping He would disagree with Moses, so they could accuse Him. But if He agreed, the Roman government might come after Him It was a tough scenario – but not for Jesus!

2. V6b-11 – Commentators disagree on the reason for Jesus’ writing on the ground. Liberals say He was buying time, trying to think of what to say. Others say that He was writing a condemning message to them similar to the writing on the wall from Daniel 5:5,25-28. But more likely, He was just showing their unworthiness and His disgust with them. By bending down and doodling, Jesus was “doing nothing” or turning His back on them. He was not giving them attention, for they deserved none. Yet they persisted, v7 tells us. And that’s when Jesus answers according to the custom of the Law (Deuteronomy 17:7). God commanded that the witnesses should, with their own hands, be the first to apply the punishment due. By saying this, Jesus gets them to disqualify themselves from the role of judge and witness. The reason for this law was to ensure greater caution in bearing testimony. Calvin says:

   There are many who proceed rashly to overwhelm their brother by perjury, because they do not think that they inflict a deadly wound by their tongue. And this very argument had weight with those slanderers, desperate as they were; for no sooner do they obtain a sight of it, than they lay aside those fierce passions with which they were swelled when they came. Jesus does not here forbid sinners to do their duty in correcting the sins of others; but He only reproves hypocrites, who mildly flatter themselves and their vices, but are excessively severe, and even act the part of felons, in censuring others. No man, therefore, shall be prevented by his own sins from correcting the sins of others, and even from punishing them, when it may be found necessary, provided that both in himself and in others he hate what ought to be condemned; and in addition to all this, every man ought to begin by interrogating his own conscience, and by acting both as witness and judge against himself, before he come to others. In this manner shall we, without hating men, make war with sins.

   The KJV and NKJV add within v9 that the accusers, “being convicted by their conscience,” went away one by one. Again, within the context of manuscript evidence, this addition may be unreliable, but it is no doubt true. And we learn a great lesson with these words, that there is great power in the conscience. Though those wicked hypocrites intended to entrap Christ by their ploy, as soon as He pierces their consciences by a single phrase, shame puts them to flight. While it is possible that their shame before men had greater influence over them than the fear of God, more importantly, they acknowledge themselves to be guilty, and they depart confounded. A summons to the judgment-seat of God is the hammer with which hypocrites are broken of their pride. But notice too that this conviction of sin, both extends to everyone – from the oldest and presumably most understanding of what Jesus is saying to the youngest and least understanding – and differs from true repentance. True repentance should not have driven them to seek a place of concealment to avoid the presence of the Judge, but rather to go directly to Him in order to implore His forgiveness.

   Finally, Jesus demonstrates His own intrinsic authority to forgive this sinner who openly acknowledged her sin. Just as with the Sabbath controversy, when the Pharisees attempt to show Jesus’ lawlessness, He instead proves that they themselves are the guilty ones, and that He is able to forgive and restore. There is nothing better for us than to be brought, as guilty, to His tribunal, provided that we surrender ourselves mildly and submissively to His reign. There is nothing worse for us than to find ourselves before Him unwilling to repent and be forgiven. And when Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you…Go now and leave your life of sin,” He is not acquitting this woman; He is simply not presently taking the office of Judge. She has no more accusers; neither has she had a proper and just trial. Jesus will take the office of Judge at His second coming, but here during His first coming, His role is not that. Rather He is to seek and save the lost as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Thus, He exhorts the woman to repentance and comforts her by a promise of grace. The design of the grace of Christ is that the sinner, being reconciled to God, may honor the Author of his salvation by a good and holy life. Though this exhortation looks forward to the future, still it humbles sinners by recalling to remembrance their past life (Ephesians 2). Repent!

3. V12 – John picks up here either the day after the Feast of the Tabernacles confrontation or immediately after this intrusion by the Pharisees into Jesus’ teaching ministry. And Jerusalem would still be teeming with families – four times the normal number of people in Jerusalem – due to the Feast. And so the context of what Jesus says here is critical. Allow me to elaborate:

   We read in v20 that Jesus was speaking near the Temple treasury, where the offerings were contributed. It was in the court of women on the Temple campus that the treasury was found. Now the court of women was open to the elements, for there was no roof in the courtyard, and at the Feast of Tabernacles, candles would be lit on the floor. Perhaps hundreds or even thousands of candles would be lit to remain aglow for the whole week, until the Feast of Tabernacles was over. Then all of the candles would go out. If you were walking around at night within a couple miles of the Temple during the Feast, you’d see the glow of light, because it was open to the elements. It must have been quite a sight. Perhaps some of the families went for a little walk each night just outside the city in order to see the glow of light emerging from the Temple. And here’s the point. When the Feast of Tabernacles is finished, the lights are put out. And the excitement is gone. And there’s a return to darkness. But that’s the moment when Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” It’s perfect timing; it’s God’s timing. The words are nice, but when they – for the Jewish people – are combined with the cultural / traditional events (the signs pointing forward to the reality), it’s amazing. Once again, Jesus is declaring, “Your Feast points to Me. I am the reality which your Feast symbolizes.” Part of what the Feast of Tabernacles was about was the Exodus period when a pillar of light led the people through the wilderness, and Jesus is saying, “I am that light. I’m the One who leads the people of God into the ways of salvation and into the ways of truth and into the ways of fullness.”

   So when Jesus asserts with fervency and authority, that He is “the light of the world,” He is saying two things. First, He is saying, by implication, that apart from Himself, men and women are in darkness; their minds are darkened; they’re blind and cannot see. And in the following chapter, He will illustrate His claim, by the sign-miracle of giving sight to the man born blind. John plants the theme that Jesus is coming into the world as the light of the world to dispel the darkness right in the prologue of the Gospel. There is first the darkness that describes the old covenant – it was merely a shadow of what was to come. Remember, “Out with the old and in with the new.” John alluded to this in the prologue of His Gospel as well – “The Law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,” and, “of His fullness we have all received one blessing after another” – “grace upon grace.” There is also a darkness that lies in the human heart; there is the darkness of the natural man’s mind. This is the darkness of John 3 and 1 Corinthians 2:14 and Romans 8 – the mind of sinful man is sin and death and hostile to God and cannot please God, and the natural man cannot understand spiritual things, and man loves darkness and hates the light and will not come into the light, for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

   Second, Jesus is declaring to be the fulfillment of prophecy. “Light” is a critical word for John; it’s meant to make us think hard about it. Isaiah 9:2 (see also v1-3,6-7) says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. Upon them a light has dawned.” Jesus is saying, “I am that light; I am the One of whom the Old Testament speaks; I am the fulfillment of every promise of the Messiah in the Old Testament; I am He.” The author of Hebrews declares Jesus to be the radiance, the light, of the glory of God. John writes in his first epistle that God is light. He writes in the Book of Revelation that the city of God has no need of the sun or moon or stars, because Jesus is the light. It is a beautiful picture. When Jesus says, “I am the light of the world,” He is making a claim to absolute Deity.

4. V13-20 – It’s the same old argument and controversy that the Jews have had with Him before, and Jesus will make the same offensive claims that had alienated Him from the religious leadership before: first, that they are unable to believe in God, and second, that He truly is God in the flesh – only this time, Jesus will make these claims even more clearly and emphatically. But for now, notice that the Pharisees’ reaction to Jesus’ claim reveals that they understood what He was saying – that’s why they refuted Him by saying His testimony was invalid. They are saying to Him, “We see what You’re saying, but it’s no use; we won’t be convinced of Your testimony unless another agrees with You.” They immediately point to what Jesus had said in an earlier argument. He was bearing witness of Himself, so His witness must not be true – even He had said that His witness was not true if it came from Himself.

   In response, Jesus claims further that His testimony alone is enough, because He does not fit the ordinary class of human beings. He knows from whence He came, and He knows where He’s going. Ordinary men who testify for themselves to their advantage should be scrutinized, but the Son of Man does not fall under that classification. His rank is higher than that of men, though He has lowered Himself for a time. And the unbelief of mankind in no way hinders His glory, the glory that is rightly His by the authority of the Father (Philippians 2:5-11). With these words, Jesus clarified that His witness is indeed true, because it does not originate with Him, but comes from the Father. He’s saying, “I am an expert witness about heaven and God. I come from there, from Him. I’m an eyewitness. The Father testifies of Me too. Since there are two expert Witnesses, both in agreement, My claim is valid.”

   Furthermore, Jesus describes their judgment as being by human standards, or “according to the flesh” – as opposed to “according to the Spirit.” This means either, or both, that their judgments are wicked and/or that their judgments are based on outside appearances and not on the heart, or the motive. And when Jesus says that He passes judgment on no one, He is speaking of this context. He is not taking the liberty – though it belongs to Him – to issue judgment on this matter; He is merely teaching at this moment. The Pharisees, however, do take the liberty to judge – even though they have not that right, given their hypocrisy. He’s rebuking them repeatedly and seemingly without mercy (though we know He is being merciful by not destroying them immediately). This view of Jesus’ statement is upheld by His next statement, “If I do judge, My decisions are right…because I stand with the Father, who sent Me.” His point is that everything He does proceeds from the Father; everything involving Jesus ought to be deemed Divine.

   The Pharisees ask about Jesus’ father in v19, though not likely expecting Him to point them to Joseph (the rumor regarding Jesus’ earthly father was that He was a bastard child). With this question they suggest that they do not value Jesus’ Father highly enough to ascribe any significance to Jesus for the Father’s sake. This is a very audacious question to ask with the arrogance seen behind it. And Jesus does not give them a direct reply. He doesn’t answer their question – it deserves no response – but, He instead turns the argument back on the Pharisees and tells them that they do not know His Father, God the Father – for if they did, they would know and cherish Jesus for who He is. To see Jesus is to see God the Father. And these hypocrites saw neither.

   But we do see by the grace of God, and as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18, we are being transformed into His image. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of God, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (NKJV). Finally, as mentioned earlier, John tells us that Jesus was speaking in the Temple treasury area. With the authority the Pharisees had, they should have been able to remove Jesus quickly and easily from His teaching post. But God guarded Him and caused men to hear Him, and those savage Pharisees did not touch Him, though they strongly desired to put an end to Him. God’s sovereign providence is amazing, and I can’t help but mention parts of the first two points of The Westminster Confession of Faith’s third chapter: (1) God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; (2) He has not decreed anything because He foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.

5. V21-29 – After John’s brief interlude, Jesus brings up another lesson that had been a point of discussion in the past – “Where I go, you cannot come.” And just like the first time this statement was made, there was confusion over its meaning. The people thought He was going to Greece. But this time, Jesus makes Himself clear. They realize He’s talking about the afterlife, because they ask, “Will He kill Himself?” But their question is mockery, as in, “If He kills Himself, we acknowledge that we cannot accompany Him, because we do not choose to do so.” They regarded Jesus’ absence as insignificant, thinking they’d finally gain victory over Him. But Jesus, of course, is speaking of their destiny after death. When they (the scribes and Pharisees) died, they would not go where Christ would be after His own death, for they would still be in their sins, because they did not believe in Him.

   Jesus rebukes them again, saying, “You are from below (this world); I am from above (not of this world).” Calvin says that these synonymous statements are doubly issued for the emphasis that “no man, therefore, will ever be qualified to become a disciple of Christ, till Christ has formed him by His Spirit. And hence it arises that faith is so seldom found in the world, because all mankind are naturally opposed and averse to Christ, except those whom He elevates by the special grace of His Holy Spirit.” Having stated that they would die in their sin (singular) in v21, Jesus expressed that unbelief (the singular sin) was the source of all other sins. Apart from repentance in faith from this singular sin, all else loses importance in the realm of God’s wrath; thus in v24, Jesus says that they will die in their sins (plural), signifying all the particular sins that will be held against them on Judgment Day. Some suggest that unbelief alone incurs the wrath of God, but this is false; all of our sins will be held against us – including the unforgivable one, that of unbelief (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit). Jesus tells us at the end of v24 that the solution to this problem of sin is to believe that He is the One He claims to be, that He is Messiah.

   Jesus’ response to the question, “Who are You?” in v25 is difficult to translate and interpret. We have it, “Just what I have been claiming all along.” The KJV renders it, “Even that I said to you from the beginning.” We could spend the rest of our time looking at what commentators have to say, but a summary of what Jesus said to them might be this: “You pretend to be disciples of the Prophets and lovers of the Law, looking to the eternal covenant of God, but though I was promised from the beginning and present Myself before you, still you reject Me.” And in v26, Jesus changes the subject, effectively threatening the judgment of God against unbelievers on the ground that God must inevitably defend His truth; and the scribes and Pharisees, and presumably others in the undoubtedly large crowd, just don’t get it.

   Eventually they would see Jesus glorified (v28), but they would not be able to be with Him, for they rejected the words of the Father, which Jesus was clearly teaching them. He declares that, after they have been struck with new and unexpressed horror at the wrath of God, then and only then will they be made fully aware of what they have done. The wicked will at length feel how great a loss they have suffered by rejecting the freely offered Christ. They will feel it, but it will be too late, for there will be no more room for repentance (2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:13,15). Jesus alludes in v28 to the outward form of His death, that He was to be lifted up on the cross; but He undoubtedly looked chiefly to the glorious result of it, soon to follow, contrary to the expectation of all. And in v29, Jesus boasts that He is neither alone nor without strength, for God the Father, who sent Him, was with Him by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. That’s the mentality that brings Paul to declare, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13), and such is the courage with which we ought to live.

   Jesus says some seriously grim things in the close of this passage. He declares, “Unless your sins are covered and dealt with, unless propitiation is made, unless a redemption price is paid, you will die in your sins. You will die under the judgment of God, unless you believe in Me.” That’s an unmistakably exclusive statement. He is the only way to be saved. And if you believe in Him, if you are united to Him by faith, you will never again walk in total darkness. You will never experience the darkness of the wrath of God. Would a “good moral teacher,” as some say Jesus was, carry on a discourse like this? No way.

6. V30 – John reveals that through these harsh words, many people in the audience believed Jesus and “put their faith in Him.” It is primarily this group whom Jesus will address next time as we look at the rest of this chapter, and we’ll see that the shallowness of their faith becomes apparent – for their hope for freedom is actually in their being descended from Abraham, not in Christ. Many of these so-called believers were frauds, just like those in John 2:23-24. Of course, their error is something that John had addressed from the beginning, when he clearly explained that God’s children were not those who were descended from Abraham, but those who were given a new birth by the Spirit (John 1:12-13; Romans 9:6-8). But having fraudulent faith mustn’t describe us. We ought to be able to say with John Wesley, “Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.”

The Children of Abraham

³¹To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
³³They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants^[2] and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"
³⁴Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.^[3] "
³⁹"Abraham is our father," they answered.
"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would^{[4] 40} do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹You are doing the things your own father does."
"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."

The Children of the Devil

⁴²Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. ⁴³Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? ⁴⁷He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

The Claims of Jesus About Himself

⁴⁸The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"
⁴⁹"I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
⁵²At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. ⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"
⁵⁴Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. ⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
⁵⁷"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
⁵⁸"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" ⁵⁹At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

1. V31-32 – John sets a new context now. Jesus had been teaching to the crowd, likely the day after the Feast of Tabernacles ended. The Pharisees interrupted, and Jesus rebuked them repeatedly, as we saw last time. But through that dialogue, many Jews “put their faith in Him” (v30). And I mentioned as we closed last time that these people had a fraudulent faith – a people group John often discusses in his Gospel. Jesus now turns to this group of Jewish people professing faith in Him, and He begins to teach them about genuine discipleship.

   Jesus is suggesting here that many profess to be disciples are, in reality, not His disciples and thus have no right to be called His disciples. Those who do not hold fast to His teaching are rightly considered hypocrites – frauds. They say they believe one thing, yet their actions show that they believe another. They do not live consistently with what they proclaim, and it is sad that we are all guilty of this at times. It has been said that hypocrisy within the Church is the top thing keeping potential visitors away. With His words, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples.” Jesus is saying that it is not enough for anyone to have merely heard the word gladly (as in the parable of the sower – the four soils). It is true and good that faith starts out, but it was never genuine if perseverance – namely repentance and fruit – doesn’t accompany it. Do you want to be called a disciple of Jesus? Then hold fast to His teaching; persevere in the message of the Gospel. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8), so that others may see the good that you do and glorify God (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12).

   Next, having claimed that people with genuine faith will continue to believe His words, Jesus says that it is only by holding fast to the truth of His teaching that the Jews would find true truth and freedom. He says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Only by holding fast to the teaching of Jesus will you come to know the truth; and only by knowing the truth will you be set free. And we’ll talk about why it is that we need to be set free in a minute. For now, note that the lifelong pursuit of Christ’s teaching, which is the Word of God, which is truth, should be our aim as believers, for we are set free by it. Calvin says, “In order that the truth may be fully revealed to us, we ought sincerely and earnestly to endeavor to attain it.” Nothing is more excellent or desirable than the knowledge of the Gospel. 2) V33-38 – 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can You say that we shall be set free?” 34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill Me, because you have no room for My Word. 38I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.” At Jesus’ teaching, the shallowness of their faith becomes apparent – for their hope of freedom, which they are unconvinced that they need, is actually in their being descended from Abraham, not in holding fast to Jesus’ teaching by grace through faith. Jesus has raised the issue of liberty and freedom; these people were imprisoned, and they didn’t know it. They are insulted when Jesus suggests freedom to be a blessing they do not yet possess. The Jews had the audacity to say they’ve never been slaves to anyone; yet the sound of Roman soldiers could be heard everywhere in Jerusalem. But that’s not even what Jesus was talking about.

   Jesus wasn’t speaking of political tyranny or shackles-and-chains style physical bondage. He says very clearly what He’s talking about in v34, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” It’s the message He had come to preach. His opening message in the gospel accounts is a quotation from Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me…to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” It’s liberty from the bondage of sin and its effects, freedom from the shackles and chains of sin and guilt.

   Calvin notes that “it is astonishing that men are not convinced by their own experience, so that, laying aside their pride, they may learn to be humble.” Many philosophers understand Jesus’ teaching here to mean that man is a slave by his own choice, and that by the same choice he is able to return to freedom. But Jesus is not saying that at all. Rather, He means that all who are not set free by Him, who alone has inherent freedom, are sinners by nature, enslaved to the sin nature from conception. Yet this slavery is voluntary, so that they who necessarily sin are not compelled to sin. Jesus is comparing grace and nature; men are destitute of freedom by nature, unless they gain it through the channel of faith, received by grace. And the truth Jesus teaches, the Gospel, is the instrument by which we obtain our faith, and our freedom.

   Do you know where this bondage manifests itself the most? It’s in our native inability to believe the Gospel. People say, “I can believe in Jesus any time I want.” No they can’t. Do you remember what Jesus just said twice in chapter six: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” You cannot come to Jesus in your own strength or by you own native ability. Unless Jesus’ Father in heaven draws (drags) you to Jesus, you cannot come, believe, or repent. That’s where your bondage is evidenced the most, and Jesus is saying, “I’ve come to set you free. I’ve come to show you the way out of that bondage, and the way out of that prison.” All men are free to obey their greatest desire; but every man will always be captive to his greatest desire. Thus, when Jesus sets us free by regeneration, He changes our natures, which yield new desires. This commences the battle within that we all know about and struggle with. Until we die or Jesus returns, we must wrestle with desires that pull us both ways. We cannot believe unless our greatest desire is to believe; we will not have belief as our greatest desire until we experience regeneration by the Spirit. Once we are drawn in that way, we will believe, because freed from bondage to the sinful nature, belief becomes our greatest desire.

   Lastly, notice that Jesus concedes their point that they are Abraham’s descendants; yet He ridicules them for glorifying themselves by that title without following in the footsteps of this hero of the faith. They lacked his most commendable trait – the obedience of faith, or the obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1:5). Nothing is farther from the truth, as they do not resemble the man whom they claim as their father. Jesus says that there is no room for His Word in them. Wishing to see Him dead, they more clearly resemble their true father – Satan – a liar and murderer, as we’ll see. At the end of v38, our text reads, “you do what you have heard from your father.” Perhaps a better rendering would be that of a challenge, “Go ahead and do what you have heard from your father. I challenge you to act on your desires and take My life. Prove Me right; show that you are children of the devil!”

2. V39-47 – Jesus’ rebuke hits home, and the Jews show how strongly they resist His truthful teaching. When they answer that Abraham is their father, they are not merely clinging to their physical ancestry; they are exclaiming that they, by this physical ancestry, are unconditionally heirs to God’s promises to Abraham. They are hypocrites, and clinging to this seemingly logical stance (after all, they really are physical Jewish people), they reveal their opposition to God with hardened obstinacy. It is at this point that Jesus becomes even more offensive. He declares that the Jews are not truly Abraham’s children, or else they would do what Abraham did – and Abraham believed in the teaching of God. Yes, they were physically descended from Abraham, but that’s not what makes a child of Abraham (Romans 9:6-10). In reality their spiritual father was the devil, and they were enslaved to him and to their own sin – that is why they will not listen to Jesus’ words, which come from the Father; and that is why they do not love Jesus, but seek to kill Him. As Jesus says, “Abraham did not do such things.”

   The Jews then deny that they are illegitimate children (likely poking fun at Jesus – the rumor of His being a bastard child), and they boldly claim God Himself as their father. This is saying the same thing as before – that they are truly Abraham’s offspring – but in a way which Jews rarely did. Jews did not often call God “Father,” though they acknowledged it to be the case. They reason thus: “God adopted for Himself the family of Abraham; therefore, since we are Abraham’s descendants, we must be the children of God.” We can see how they thought that they had holiness from the womb, because they were sprung from a holy root. Jesus’ reply in v42 argues that whoever is a child of God will acknowledge and cherish His Son; but since these Jews (who had professed belief shortly before) hate Jesus, they have no reason to boast that you are God’s children.” Notice from this passage that there is no fear of God where Christ is rejected. Hypocritical religion shelters itself by frequent use of the name of God, but agreement with the Father is impossible without love for His Son, Jesus.

   In v43, Jesus asks and answers a question, “Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.” Jesus is speaking the same language as His audience, yet with this question, He intended to take out of their hands what was the subject of their continual boasting, that they are led by reason and judgment to oppose Him. He is essentially calling them stupid, foolish, and lacking reason. And His answer reveals again their inability. 1 Corinthians 2:14 Apart from being made spiritual through regeneration, these people cannot grasp spiritual things. They cannot understand, because they will not.

   Jesus, in v44, calls the Jews children of the devil, not only because they imitate him (“they want to do his work”), but because they are led by his instigation to fight against Christ (“they belong to him”). We are called the children of God, not only because we resemble Him, but also because He governs us by His Spirit, because Christ lives vigorously in us, so as to conform us to the image of His Father. Understanding the devil is an intriguing study, and one often avoided out of fear or apathy. Without going into great detail, we can look at Jesus’ words here for safe and sound teaching. “He was a murderer from the beginning.” This does not mean that he has always been a murderer, as the sense in which Jesus is “from the beginning.” Rather is called a murderer from the beginning, because he contrived the destruction, or the fall, of mankind (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-23). He introduced sin when there had been none. We read next that the devil is “not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.” This first phrase lends us to think that he was not always a rebel, but fell from the state of cherishing truth (Isaiah 14:11-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Revelation 12:7-13). The second phrase confirms his apostasy. Because he has entirely turned from the truth, he has been given over to his disdain beyond hope for repair. Finally, we read, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” This statement is regarded to mean that the blame for falsehood belongs not to God, who created the devil, but to the devil himself, who has corrupted the good that God created. The devil, who knows nothing but to contrive corruptions, frauds, and delusions, is the anti-Christ; as a liar and murderer, having blinded the eyes of his children, he is contrary to Jesus, the truth and the life and the One who opens the blind eyes.

   Notice the shocking statement in v45. “Because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” This statement reveals the reality of mankind’s depravity. Unless the Spirit changes our natures through the rebirth, we are hostile to God and cannot please Him; we suppress the truth by our wickedness; we exchange the truth of God for a lie; we worship and serve created things, rather than the Creator (Romans 8:7-8; 1:18,25). In v46, Jesus asks a rhetorical question by which He claims to be sinless and perfectly righteous. He neither actually sinned nor potentially sinned. Though tempted in every way, Jesus was incapable of sinning. And He is upholding His doctrine as truth; there is no reason to doubt Him because of His impeccable character. He’s saying that His audience wouldn’t know the truth if it hit them in the face. They weren’t capable of recognizing truth because, even though they were physical sons of Abraham, they were spiritual sons of the devil. Because they belong to the devil, and not to God, they are neither willing nor able to hear and believe in Jesus. In v47, without saying anything about Himself, Jesus charges his audience with being at war with God. There is not a more evident sign of a reprobate mind than when one cannot endure the teachings of Jesus. To agree with Jesus’ teaching is to reveal yourself as elect.

3. V48-53 – The Jews find nothing of substance to say against Jesus, so they resort to name-calling in an effort to ridicule or taunt Him. Clearly lacking judgment, the Jews lash out in a verbal attack against Him, foolishly calling Jesus a demon-possessed Samaritan. They reckoned Samaritans to be apostate corrupters of the law; a demon possessed one must really be a lunatic! In response, Jesus refuted only the charge of demon-possession. Augustine suggests that Jesus was not afraid to identify with all of the elect, including those from Samaria, which He would be visiting soon (chapter 4). Calling Jesus a Samaritan was no big deal; but calling Him demon-possessed was, of course, blasphemous. Thus Jesus turned “the other cheek,” and rather than defending Himself against these outrageous statements, He decided to uphold the name of the Father for His glory.

   In v51, Jesus claimed once again that eternal life could only come to the one who believed (and lived) the truths that Jesus was teaching – the Gospel. “If anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.” And at this statement, the hardened Jews are made more confident that Jesus is truly demon-possessed. He is claiming that the one who keeps His word will never die. That is pretty crazy to an unbeliever. And these unbelievers are stupefied. Yet Jesus speaks of believers – who will experience death – as passing from the earthly realm to the heavenly kingdom. There will be no heavenly kingdom for unbelievers. They proclaim that even Abraham died along with the prophets, so the wonder how Jesus could dare to make a statement such as what He said. They are only perceiving physical words and sensing no spiritual meaning behind them. It’s what we’ve been saying all along (1 Corinthians 2:14). And they are driven by this logic to ask Jesus, “Are you greater than our father Abraham? Who do You think You are?”

   They wrongly compare Abraham and the prophets to Jesus, as if the stars can be noticed in the presence of our sun. Jesus’ light makes the light of the other notables of the faith fade away. Notice they are still referring to Abraham as their father in asking this question; and notice that they are asking Jesus to tell them who He thinks He is. Of course, they are asking somewhat rhetorically, as a method of rebuke. It’s like, “How dare You say such things!” But the question is important. Who does Jesus think He is?

4. V54-57 – Jesus responds to this question with an indirect answer: “I am the One who knows the Father and keeps His Word.” He is not seeking His own glory, as the Jews accuse Him of doing. And He is certainly not looking for them to glorify Him; rather, He desires only the glory that the Father will give Him; Jesus desires God’s glory. So let us seek the glory of Christ, who makes us to share in His glory by His grace. When Jesus says in v54 that Jews claim Jesus’ Father as their God, He implies that they don’t know God; they don’t know Jesus’ Father. We learn that a true profession of faith is that which proceeds from true knowledge. And knowledge comes from Spirit through the Word. Consequently, all who boast in the name of God without agreement with the Word of God are hypocrites (called liars here). And in v55, Jesus explains that He must testify of His Father, because He does know Him. If He did not testify of the Father, He would be a hypocrite (liar) like them. Since silence would be a treacherous denial of the truth for Jesus, it ought to be likewise for His true disciples. That God reveals Himself to us for the purpose of confessing to the world the faith we have in our hearts is remarkable; it ought powerfully to strike terror into our minds, that hypocrites who either deny the truth of God or disfigure it for the sake of political correctness, are not simply gently reproved, but are rebuked as children of the devil (1 John 5:3; 2 John 6). Speak up!

   In v56, Jesus explains that “their father” Abraham rejoiced, because he believed in the Christ who was to come; Abraham longed for Messiah when He was absent, while these Jews despise Messiah when He is present. Jesus displays that they are by no means true sons of Abraham, for they share not the faith of Abraham. Jesus’ assertion concerning Abraham applies to all the saints. Whoever desires to be reckoned in the number of the godly, let him rejoice, as he ought to do, in the presence of Christ, for which Abraham ardently longed. Jesus concludes that Abraham saw the day of Messiah and was glad. Commentators disagree on this statement, but the Jews take Jesus to mean that He has seen Abraham. And by declaring that Jesus was not yet fifty, the Jews allow Him room to be much older than He was (did He look old?); it still wasn’t going to be enough, they thought, because Abraham had lived two thousand years earlier and had long been deceased. The Jews thereby ridicule His claim to know anything about Abraham’s faith. They’re thinking, “How dare He say anything about Abraham!” They mistakenly esteemed Abraham as being far greater than Jesus; yet Abraham could not give eternal life, and Jesus is the Life.

5. V58-59 – In v58, Jesus shows that Abraham had a beginning and claims for Himself to have had no beginning. It is a clear claim of eternal nature and divine power (Romans 1:18). He says, “I AM,” which is the name of God given to Moses in Exodus 3:14 (see also Hebrews 13:8). Jesus had formerly said that Abraham longed for His day with zeal; and as this seemed incredible to the Jews, He adds, that He Himself also existed at that time. We must understand that even then He was acknowledged to be the Mediator, by whom God was to be appeased.

   When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He essentially said, “One of the characteristics of someone who isn’t a Christian, who isn’t born again, is that he doesn’t understand what I’m saying.” And Nicodemus replied, “I don’t understand what You’re saying.” And that’s exactly what’s happening here. This audience doesn’t get it, because they’re not born again, not God’s people. The shallow faith of the Jews is utterly exposed; but they see that He was calling Himself by the name of God, which amounted to blasphemy. Thus they who had professed faith in v30 pick up stones to stone Him, as they rightly should have done to one who was blaspheming in this way (Leviticus 24:16). But Jesus wasn’t blaspheming. And it is not yet His time to die. Calvin notes of the last verse, “I have no doubt that Christ rescued Himself by His divine power…Some manuscripts have the words, ‘And so Jesus passed through the midst of them’; which is borrowed from Luke 4:30.”

   Derek Thomas said, “If you or I were to say the sort of things Jesus said, they would lock us up. They would give us sedatives and lock the door. They would nod their heads and say that we’re lunatics, and they would be right. So why is it that millions of people throughout the world gather to bow down and worship this Man? Because He’s God, I tell you; He is the Lord.” He went on tell this story: “Jon Krakauer wrote a book published just a few years ago called Into Thin Air. It’s about the story of the attempt to climb to the peak of Mount Everest in 1996. And many of those who attempted that expedition, including two of its leaders, Robert Hall and Andy Harris, died on that mountain. Krakauer had been to the peak of the mountain, but he and his group could only stay up there for about five minutes, because they didn’t have enough oxygen. There was evidence all around that many of the men, including some of the leaders, were suffering from oxygen deprivation, including Andy Harris, who on the way down from the mountain, was given an oxygen cylinder that had been left there for this very purpose, full, unused. And Andy Harris said over and over that it was empty, that they had used this oxygen, and they hadn’t. It really was full. And rather than use it, he insisted it was empty; he died on the mountain. And there are men and women that close to Jesus Christ and the message of the Gospel and are insisting on their own way.” How sad!

   At the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus makes some staggering claims, demanding that all the symbolism of the great religious feasts of the Jews be fulfilled in Him alone. Thus, He alone can pour out the life-giving Spirit upon all flesh, and He alone is the true Light of the world. Of course, this is too great a claim for a mere man to make of himself; but, as Jesus makes indisputably clear by the end of the feast, He is not merely a Man – He is also God Incarnate, who existed eternally, and in whom the forefathers of Israel placed their trust. This teaching caused much animosity among the Jews, which was only stirred up all the more by His equally unpopular claim that the reason they did not believe Him is that they did not belong to God, but to their father the devil, and they were therefore unable to believe the truth of God. The controversy that has begun between Jesus and the Pharisees is intensified and spread to the common people on this occasion. Soon, in God’s own timing, it will result in the atrocity of the cross, both the greatest crime and the greatest event, the truest act of love and mercy, in history.

Footnotes

1. 8:24 Or I am he; also in verse 28
2. 8:33 Greek seed; also in verse 37
3. 8:38 Or presence. Therefore do what you have heard from the Father.
4. 8:39 Some early manuscripts "If you are Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then

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Bible text from Gospelcom.net.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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