CHAPTER 8
but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. John 8:1-2
We know that Jesus had some very good friends on the Mount of Olives. They were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. They lived on the backside (eastern slopes) of the mountain in a little town called Bethany (11:1; Lk. 10:38-42). Also, we know that Jesus often resorted to the Garden of Gethsemane on the western slope of the mountain, quite near the Temple Mount (Matt. 26:36). During the Tabernacles season the weather is usually quite mild and it would have been no problem for Jesus and his disciples to sleep in the open there. That would have given Jesus quick and early access to the temple. As Jesus taught the people we note that he assumed the sitting position and that was customary for teaching rabbis.
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery’” (8:3-4). Here we have a section of scripture that has been debated for centuries because it is absent from most of the ancient copies of the gospel,1 but nevertheless seems to be a sterling example of Jesus and his teaching. In its present location the story appears to interrupt Jesus’ Tabernacles discourse as we can see by comparing 7:52 with 8:12.2 Many scholars feel that it is a true story and should be included in scripture, however, they are unsure exactly where it fits in.3 Meyer says of it: “…there is no possibility of accounting for it except on the supposition that this incident really took place. It reveals in our Lord’s character such tenderness, wisdom, hatred of sin, and insight into the heart of man, that it is impossible to suppose that any evangelist could have invented the story.” 4 Guthrie says, “…there is no reason to suppose that it does not represent genuine tradition.” 5 Today the story appears in most all modern popular versions.
It immediately becomes apparent that the whole situation of the story is born out of trickery and that it is set up as a trap to catch Jesus.6 There are many things in the story that do not seem to fit. For instance, why is the woman brought alone? Where is the man who was equally guilty of this sin? Under the law, both should be stoned (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22). How are they able to catch this couple in the act just at the time of Jesus’ teaching? The whole thing would have required intricate planning and scheming.
Guzik says that very few people were executed for adultery in those days. The reason was that the evidence required extreme strictness. The act had to be observed by more than one witness and their testimony had to be exact.7 We gather from other statements of Jesus that adultery was quite common at the time. Because the people were seeking signs Jesus said, “…A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign…” (Matt. 12:39).
Now, just how did the leaders plan to trap Jesus with this issue? What would happen if Jesus convicted the woman? What would happen if he let her go? Barclay says, “…. First, he would lose the name he had gained for love and for mercy and never again would be called the friend of sinners. Second, he would come into collision with the Roman law, for the Jews had no power to pass or carry out the death sentence on anyone. If he said that the woman should be pardoned, it could immediately be said that he was teaching men to break the Law of Moses, and that he was condoning and even encouraging people to commit adultery.” 8
“‘In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger” (8:5-6). The pressure was on Jesus, and John states clearly that the whole thing was a trap. At this tense moment Jesus surprised everyone by beginning to write on the ground. Since this was on the Temple Mount and most all of it had stone or tile flooring Jesus must have been writing in the accumulated dust. Many have wondered what the Master wrote in the dust that day.
Several commentators have suggested that he wrote down the individual sins of those adversaries. That may be likely. He may have written some particular passage such as Jeremiah 17:13, “…Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust…” Whatever he wrote, it should be noted that this was the only time that Jesus ever wrote anything. 9 Whatever he wrote was no doubt trampled in the dust that day. We do have a record of God once writing the Ten Commandments. The same day they were trampled in the dust by the disobedient Israelites.10
It probably did not take much written evidence to strike the consciences of those thugs gathered around Jesus. Someone once said, “If the inner thoughts of a man were written on his forehead, he would never take his hat off!” 11 No doubt these lusty men were filled with evil thoughts. It seems that we are always most severe in our judgment of others at exactly the point of our own guilt. These men had no concern for the righteousness of Israel, otherwise they would not have been involved in a double standard concerning the woman’s guilt. They were willing to treat the poor woman as a thing. They only wanted to trap Jesus and embarrass him before the crowd. What hypocrisy!
“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground” (8:7-8). We must not suppose that Jesus lightly regarded the sin of adultery. The sin of adultery was and is an awful sin. It does much to destroy the marriage relationship. It also can reach down through the generations to curse those yet unborn, thus it messes with the generations to come. It afflicts the partners with lifelong guilt and sorrow. It brings shame and disgrace to those God has made in his image and for his glory. It cheapens the most holy relationship between humans. It is an affront to the Creator. Still, it is probably no worse than the sin of hatred and murder in the hearts of those men assembled. Kretzmann says, that the Pharisees, “…were often guilty, in secret, of all the sins in the Decalogue.” 12
In Israelite society it was the job of the witness to cast the first stone (Acts 7:58). Jesus adds that these witnesses must also be without sin. Clarke points out that the Greek word used here (anamartētos) speaks of the same kind of sin of adultery and fornication.13 Other commentators feel that it could be a reference to any sin.
“At 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” (8:9). There were undoubtedly some sweaty palms and nervous looks in the group of leaders that day. Slowly, some began to drift away, starting with the oldest and more experienced. They knew their ruse was finished. Jesus continued to write in the dust. By doing this Jesus was giving the accusers an opportunity to escape. No doubt they also wanted to “avoid an exposure to his eye, which they could ill have stood.” 14
“Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin’” (8:10-11). Finally, only two were left, “the sinner and the Friend of sinners.” 15 As Coffman says, “Once more the Galilean had conquered.” 16 This whole scene must have been terribly embarrassing for the Pharisees and the other leaders. They had interrupted Jesus’ teaching session so there was probably a crowd of people still standing around watching and listening to this whole episode. Tenney exclaims, “…The case was dismissed for lack of executioners.” 17
We must not think that Jesus condoned this sin for a moment. He instructed the bewildered woman to go and sin no more. With the miracle that had just happened, the woman would need no further explanation of how the wages of sin bring death (Rom. 6:23).
JESUS’ TESTIMONY
When 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.” John 8:12
At this point, Jesus begins to teach, using the second great symbol of Tabernacles, the symbol of light. In the Court of the Women, there were great candlesticks with four golden bowls filled with oil on top of them. Wicks were made of the discarded clothing of the priests and the great lights were lit. In the Mishnah it is said, “…and there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect the light of the Beth ha She’ubah. (Mishnah Sukkah 5, 1-4). This was done to the sound of harps, lyres, cymbals, trumpets and other instruments.
In the midst of this great scene Jesus made a startling pronouncement, “I am the light of the world…” Those who would follow Jesus would not walk in darkness. We know in the natural sense that darkness is dangerous. Stedman tells a story that I have recounted before but I relate it again because it so clearly pictures the danger of darkness:
Years ago, when I was driving from Dallas to Southern California, I picked up a couple of young hitchhikers. As we were driving past the entrance to the Grand Canyon, I asked them if they had ever seen the canyon. They said, “No,” so we decided to spend the night there. It was late at night and pitch black when we turned off the road. We could not see a thing, but we found what seemed to be an open space and crawled into our sleeping bags. When I awoke in the morning the sun was up. I stretched and threw out my arms, only to find that my left arm dropped down in the void! In the darkness of the dead of the night we had actually made our bed on the edge of a cliff that dropped into the Grand Canyon! If we had gone two steps further we would have fallen over the edge. I gave grateful thanks for the light that morning. That is what the light is for.18
Walking in the darkness is dangerous. That is true both in a physical and a spiritual sense. Yet, many today insist upon walking in spiritual darkness. Many Christians seem all too comfortable in shadow land. We saw from the Prologue that John uses the symbol of light and his use of it continues through the first half of his gospel.
At this point it would be good for us to pause and think a little about the value of light in the natural realm. At the beginning of the 20th century our world was shaken by some incredible discoveries concerning natural light. It was Max Planck and Albert Einstein who made many of these discoveries. They learned that light does not only come in waves but in discrete chunks or quanta (photons). This has been called “the single most shocking discovery in the history of science.” 19 Sometimes light can behave like a wave and sometimes it can behave like a stream of particles.20
It is interesting that the Quantum Era began with studies concerning light.21 It is also interesting that as our quantum age progressed, many of our discoveries and inventions related to light in some way. Without the understandings of light in the quantum sense there would be no computers, copiers, lasers, smart phones and hundreds and perhaps thousands of other “light-based” inventions. In 1921, Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for his correct explanation of the photoelectric effect.22
We can rejoice at all the discoveries concerning natural light but we must bemoan the fact that we as the church are not making discoveries concerning spiritual light. We are as opaque as the Pharisees were when they encountered the Light of the World. Shame on us! We need to start making and sharing spiritual discoveries about Jesus as the Light of the World. Today people flock to buy the latest iPad or other light-based wonder. People would flock to the doors of our churches if we would begin to make life-changing and life-enhancing discoveries concerning spiritual light. Because we are not making discoveries (revelations) about the spiritual light of Christ we are now about to condemn ourselves and our children to enter into a new Dark Ages.
The early church had numerous spiritual truths and wonders to relay to the pagans of that era. They knew about repentance and forgiveness; salvation in Christ; justification and sanctification; filling of the Holy Spirit; the Living Christ within the heart; the partly realized Kingdom of God; the mystery of being joined to Israel; the Second Coming of Jesus; and the resurrection. Pagans must have stood in wonder at all of these things. But where are our exciting revelations and discoveries today?
Israel for forty years in the wilderness followed the pillar of cloud, which became a pillar of light at night. There was never a time when they could not look out of their tents and see the glory of God. That cloud is an ancient picture of our heritage. We also need to follow the light. The Greek word used here for follow is akolouthein. It has the meaning of a soldier following the captain, a slave following his master or a student following the teacher’s instruction.23 Utley says of the phrase “he who follows me,” “this is a present active participle. It must be remembered that Christianity is not primarily a creed or a theology, rather, it is a personal relationship followed by a lifestyle of discipleship (cf. Matt. 28:18-20; 1 John 1:7).” 24 Meyer says, “What the pillar of cloud and fire was to Israel, Jesus will be to his church and the individual soul.” 25
“The Pharisees challenged him, ‘Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid’” (8:13). In a Jewish court no person was allowed to testify on his or her behalf.26 Such testimony was considered as inaccurate and self-serving. Yet, we see Jesus here testifying on his own behalf. How do we explain this? We have dealt with this same challenge already in 5:31 and following. In that section Jesus pointed out that he had the testimony of John the Baptist; the testimony of his great miraculous works; the testimony of the Father; and the testimony of Holy Scripture. Morris says, “… light establishes its claim and does so, not by arguments, but by shining.” 27 Barclay says,
“…The witness of God is in the effect of Jesus upon men. He works changes in men which are obviously beyond human power to work. The very fact that Jesus can make bad men good is proof that his power is not simply a man’s power, but God’s.” 28
“Jesus 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” (8:14). “He knows both his origin and his destination, but they know neither.” 29 Barnes likens this to an ambassador of a foreign country, who fully understands the purpose of the one who sent him. He is thus able to bear witness to the one who sent him and no court is competent to judge the accuracy of worth of his testimony. All they can do is demand that he give his credentials. Jesus had already given his credentials by the nature of his doctrine and his miracles.30
“You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me” (8:15-16). Jesus once said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Lk. 6:37). Later Paul would say, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time…” (1 Cor. 4:5). Earlier in John’s gospel Jesus had said: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (3:17-18).
In his first coming Jesus did not come as a judge but as a Savior. However, it is clear that people brought judgment upon themselves by rejecting him. Light had come into the world and people loved darkness better than light because of their evil deeds (3:19). We know that at Jesus’ Second Coming he will judge everything. All will appear before Christ’s judgment seat (2 Cor. 5:10).
“In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me” (8:17-18). Jesus continues to revert to the argument of 5:31 and following verses. Jesus is here probably referring to Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15 (cf. 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28). As we said in 5:37-38, Jesus here is likely speaking of God’s voice from heaven on three different occasions during his ministry (cf. Mt. 3:17; 17:5; Mk. 1:11; 9:7; Lk. 3:22; 9:35; Jn. 12:28). What better witness than the words of the Almighty and Eternal God.
JESUS IS ASKED TO PRODUCE HIS WITNESS
Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” John 8:19
What a terribly sad situation this was! For many centuries the Jews had waited for the coming of their Messiah. Now he was standing there before them and they were totally unable to recognize him. They were at this disadvantage because of the false theology and false teaching of their own leaders. On a later occasion Jesus would say to his disciples, “…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…” (14:9). Jesus then told them the obvious truth, that they did not know the one they were calling “Father,” and neither did they know their own Messiah. Jesus had come to reveal the Father and make him fully known (14:9), but his own people would not accept him.
“He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come” (8:20). The Messenger of the Covenant had now come into his temple, but these wicked men could not stand the day of his coming. He was to them like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap (Mal. 3:1-5). They hated him and would have destroyed him in a moment but his time of crucifixion had not yet come and he was protected by the hand of God.
At this time Jesus stood in the treasury, which was located in the Court of the Women. In this area there were thirteen money receptacles, into which the various offerings of Israel were placed.31 This court was not exclusively for women but it marked the limits to which the women could go in the temple.
JESUS, GOING AWAY
Once 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.” John 8:21
Burge points out how this closely parallels the section of 7:25-36. 32 In that section Jesus had made a statement very similar to this (7:33-34). Jesus would be with his ancient people for a very short time. Decisions had to be made while they were with him that short time. After that, they would not be able to find him. In fact, two thousand years would pass without them finding him. The Lord’s dreadful judgment was that they would die in their sins. What a terrible thought! Without the Messiah people die in their sins. There is no other program on earth whereby sins can be forgiven. All of Israel’s offerings could not atone for a single sin without the Messiah (Heb. 10:4). All Israel had anxiously awaited his arrival for centuries. Now, because of their unbelief, he was about to leave them unredeemed.
“This made the Jews ask, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” (8:22). Barnes says, “Self-murder was esteemed then, as it is now, as one of the greatest crimes.” 33 The Jewish people have a great love and respect of life, even the lives of their enemies. We have seen Jewish doctors rushing to save wounded terrorists after they have attacked and maimed citizens in the streets of Jerusalem. Because of that great respect for life the Jews even today look aghast upon suicide. It is still considered today as a most awful sin.
“But he continued, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins” (8:23-24). This was the rallying and battle cry of the early church: “…there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). 34 Jesus would later say, “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (14:6). Utley says, “This is one of the strongest statements of Jesus’ self-understanding of his own divine nature…” 35
He was from above and they were from below. They could not follow him because they were victims of their own poor theology. Coffman says, “Jesus explained it again; but they were not operating on any wavelength that would have permitted them to receive what the Lord said.” 36
“Who are you?’ they asked. ‘Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,’ Jesus replied. ‘I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.’ They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father” (8:25-27). Bruce says here: “‘Who are you?’ is perhaps the most difficult clause to translate in the whole gospel. The translation, ‘Why should I speak to you at all?’ conveys the meanings put upon the words by most of the Greek writers who dealt with them in the early centuries AD.” 37 However, today most of the modern and popular versions stick with the translation “Who are you?” (NAS, ESV, NET, NKJ).
Pett sighs saying, “Jesus now no longer saw any hope that they would respond to his teaching…” 38 Utley sums it up saying, “They want him killed. They are not looking for information but for condemnation.” 39
“So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me’” (8:28). After all, it has never been by arguments, theological or any other kind, that truth really settles upon the human heart. Here, Jesus says that the victory will come by the cross. The cross has to be planted in the hard head of humanity, on the hill of the skull, Golgotha. As Morris says, “There is a revelatory aspect to the cross, and after the crucifixion those who reflect on it will be in a position to appreciate that Jesus is indeed more than man.” 40
The cross filled up the measure of human iniquity. It was proof positive that humanity was grossly sinful, even to the point of deicide. How could God’s very own people want to kill their God?
The expression concerning lifting up the Son has a double meaning. It can mean lifting up on the cross (cf. 3:14; 12:32, 34) and it can express the sense of being exalted (Act 2:33; 5:31; Phil. 2:9).41 The cross has become the symbol of Christianity and the hope of all nations. As the old hymn states it, “In the cross of Christ I glory, towering o’er the wrecks of time; all the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime.” 42
As Vice President, George Bush represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev’s widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev’s wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband’s chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.43
“‘The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’ Even as he spoke, many believed in him” (8:29-30). This verse reminds us of Psalm 40:7-8: “Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.’” Barnes says, “It is a small matter to have men opposed to us, if we have a conscience void of offence, and evidence that we please God.” 44 We see here that many believed in Jesus but it seems pretty clear that the “many” did not include the elite leaders of Israel. Some of them would come along later as a good number of priests would decide to accept Jesus and join with the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:7). Clarke sums it up with an old adage, “The same sun that hardens the clay softens the wax.” 45
CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32.
Once more, we cannot be too sure of the crowd around Jesus. There were obviously some believers but apparently some of the unbelieving leaders were still hanging around.46 Jesus sought here to strengthen the believers and bring them to real discipleship. The unbelievers in the crowd were still offended at Jesus’ every word.
To hold to Jesus’ teaching is really what discipleship is all about. A disciple (Gk. mathētēs) is a pupil or learner.47 It is one who keeps on following and keeps on learning from the Lord and his word. In this way the disciple eventually gets a firm grip on truth, and truth sets one free – really free. Bruce says, “Truth by its very nature cannot be imposed by external compulsion, nor can it be validated by anything other than itself.” 48
“They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’”(8:33). These unbelieving Jewish leaders should have choked on their own words. The Jewish people had experienced very little freedom in their whole history. Their bondage began in Egypt where they were slaves. In 722 BC, ten of the twelve tribes were carried away from home by the Assyrians and few captives have ever returned to this day. Later, most of the remaining Jews were carried away captive to Babylon. Later still, the Persians continued their bondage and after that the Greeks exercised rule over them. Finally, it was the Romans who were still at this very moment ruling them with an iron fist. Obviously being Abraham’s descendants in the natural sense did not keep them from chains.
Clearly, these unbelieving leaders did not know a thing about being spiritual descendants of Abraham. It was Ryle who said, “The power of self-deception in the unconverted man is infinite.” 49 There are many folks around today who are certain that they are free but they are really slaves. Paul Copan says, “Freedom isn’t simply doing what we want. A drug addict or an alcoholic may do what he wants, but he has become enslaved over time through a series of choices he has made.” 50 The great preacher D. James Kennedy once said, “Fish leap out of their tank – they are free, but they are also dead.” 51 We notice many cults around today whose members think they are free but they are bound hand and foot with very poor theology. So it was with the greatly deceived Jewish leaders.
There are really a lot of slaves around today in our supposed age of freedom. I once heard Wess Stafford, CEO of Compassion International say: “There are 27 million slaves in the world and 80 percent of these are in the sex trade.” Islam, the second largest religion in the world, has been virtually founded upon slavery. Geert Wilders in speaking of Islamic history says: “Most of the key elements of the Caliphate, from its finances to its economy to its military to its governmental administration, relied on slavery.” 52 I have always felt that real freedom is surely one of the scarcest commodities on earth.
“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever’”(8:34-35). Guthrie says, “He proceeds to show the true nature of moral slavery, in order to bring out the true nature of freedom.” 53 There is one important fact about sin of all kinds. It is habit-forming and its habits are difficult to break. We have a great deal of visual evidence of this today with such moral ills as drug addiction and pornography.
Bruce comments, “A slave, no matter to whom he belongs, has no permanent standing in his master’s house. He can very easily be sold to someone else, he is then in bondage to his new owner.” 54 It is certain from scripture that slaves to sexual immorality, slaves to thievery and greed, slaves to alcohol, and slaves to evil talk will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10). They will not live forever in God’s house and with God’s family. “But what does Scripture say? ‘Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son” (Gal. 4:30).
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father” (8:36-38). Real freedom comes only through the Son of God. As Guthrie says, “…that freedom can come only through One who is himself free.” 55 The Jewish leaders were betting their eternity on the fact that they were physical descendants of Abraham. Jesus does not dispute this physical link, but he makes clear that it is not enough. Sometime before, John the Baptist had told certain of these leaders that God was able to raise up physical descendants of Abraham from the stones (Matt. 3:9). God’s desire was not physical descendants but spiritual descendants.
Keener says, “In popular Jewish belief, descent from Abraham virtually guaranteed salvation except for the most wicked…” 56 While these people were physical descendants they were far indeed from being spiritual descendants of Abraham. On one occasion Abraham welcomed heavenly visitors with open arms. He killed the fatted calf and prepared a splendid feast for them (Gen. 18:1-6). But these men, quite unlike Abraham, were rejecting the heavenly visitor and even planning to murder him.
“‘Abraham is our father,’ they answered. ‘If you were Abraham’s children,’ said Jesus, ‘then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things’” (8:39-40). Guthrie comments, “Abraham’s children must be defined on moral, not on genetic, grounds.” 57 They could boast of being Abraham’s children but they were about to murder the Messiah whom Abraham saw and revered. Tenney says, “Violence is the last resort of defeated men, who, when reason fails, try stones.” 58
“‘You are doing the works of your own father.’ ‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they protested. ‘The only Father we have is God himself’” (8:41). Jesus is about to make a very serious charge. However, they seem to anticipate it and make a counter charge. There seems to be little doubt here that these men are picking up on what must have been a popular slander about Jesus in the First Century. It was the slander that he was an illegitimate child born out of wedlock.59 Thus, they stoop to defaming Jesus in order to try and establish their own link to fame and prestige.
CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.” John 8:42
Bruce comments, “Jesus insists on using the terms ‘father’ and ‘children’ in an ethical sense: the children are those who reproduce the father’s qualities.” 60 Since God’s love is a family affair, God’s true children could not fail to love God’s True Son.61 Jesus never doubted that he was God’s Son and that he was sent from heaven to reveal the Father to the human race.
“Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. 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” (8:43-44).
They could not tolerate Jesus. Barnes says, “…A disposition to believe God is one of the best helps for understanding the Bible.” 62 In the great and oft-repeated Hebrew Sh’mah, the Jewish people were constantly challenged to hear: “Sh’mah Israel Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad.” (Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One) (Deut. 6:4).
Then Jesus makes his charge plainly. It is the most serious charge that could ever be made against the human soul. Jesus said “You belong to your father, the devil.” It was quite natural for them to mimic their father. One of his chief characteristics is murder. Later on in 10:10, Jesus would say that the devil has a three-pronged attack, to steal, kill and destroy. All over the world today we see the results of the devil’s work. At the present time in Syria we are watching as a quarter of a million people are being cruelly murdered by the devil.
Not only does the devil murder, destroy and steal, but he is the chief liar of the universe. Jesus calls him the father of lies. He invented lying. Today so much of our world is based upon falsehood. David Kupelian almost mocks our western society in these words:
We have phony rich people (with interest-only mortgages and piles of debt), phony beauty (with plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures), phony athletes (with performance enhancing drugs), phony celebrities (via reality TV and You-Tube), phony genius students (with grade inflation), a phony national economy (with $11 trillion of government debt), [now over 20 trillion] phony feelings of being special among children (with parenting and education focused on self-esteem), and phony friends (with the social networking explosion).63
“Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?” (8:45-46). Guthrie comments: “The sequence in this verse moreover suggests that their rejection of the truth shows their basic allegiance to falsehood.” 64 Barclay sees a lot of drama here as Jesus opens up his life for their examination. He challenges these leaders to accuse him of a single sin. He probably looked around at the whole crowd waiting for an accusation but none came.65 Barker and Kohlenberger state, “…Had Jesus not been sinless, someone in the hostile crowd would eagerly have charged him with at least one sin.” 66 The great truth of the New Testament is that Jesus was totally without sin (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 Jn. 3:5).
“Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (8:47). Today we have all sorts of sound systems and sound magnification equipment, but so few people really hear. They do not really hear one another and they certainly do not hear God. This account comes from the Great Awakening revival:
The story is told of an unbeliever who wanted to see 18th century evangelist George Whitefield preach but did not want to listen to his message. Deliberately putting fingers in both his ears, he watched the great preacher without listening to a word he said. But a stubborn fly landed on his nose, and no matter what he did, he could not shake him off. He unplugged his ears long enough to shoo the fly away, and in those brief seconds, Whitefield proclaimed loudly, “Him who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The amazing timing of it so intrigued the man that he listened to the rest of Whitefield’s sermon and was saved.67
JESUS’ CLAIMS
The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.” John 8:48-49
The charge of demon possession was about the only way these leaders could account for all of Jesus’ miraculous and supernatural works. Here they were also comparing Jesus to a Samaritan. As we have pointed out, the factional and dissenting Samaritans were despised by the Jewish nation. It was the lowest slander to be compared with them. Utley remarks, “There is a possibility that the true contextual meaning is reflected in the Aramaic word translated by the Greek term ‘Samaritan,’ which meant ‘the chief of demons.’” 68 As we have mentioned, when people cannot withstand the logic of an argument they next resort to attacking the person.
“I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge” (8:50). John in his gospel uses quite a bit of irony. Morris says, “There is a further ironical touch in that, while the Jews sought the death of Jesus, when it was brought about this would turn out to be his real glory.” 69 Jesus would find his glory in the cross, as strange as that seems.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” (8:51-53). It has been the longing of humans since the fall to eat once more from the Tree of Life. Here Jesus promises that life – that eternal life. After all, being the “Life” was one of his great titles (14:6). Jesus continues to speak of spiritual things and the Jewish leaders continue to speak of natural things. They knew that Abraham and the prophets had all died in the natural. Jesus knew they were still living (Mk. 12:26-27).
“Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though 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 obey his word” (8:54-55). His Father would glorify him, but not in the way that most people expected. He would be glorified in the cross. Through that cross he would pass on to death, resurrection and ascension to where he was before his incarnation began. Jesus knew God for he was and is God’s Son. They claimed to know God but they were liars.
“Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (8:56). This was one of the most astounding things Jesus ever said. Barclay comments here: “From all this we see clearly that the Jews did believe that somehow Abraham, while he was still alive, had a vision of the history of Israel and the coming of the Messiah. So when Jesus said that Abraham had seen his day, he was making a deliberate claim that he was the Messiah. He was really saying: ‘I am the Messiah Abraham saw in his vision.’” 70 Somehow, Father Abraham saw the promise from afar off (Heb. 11:13).
“‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’” (8:57). The age of fifty years was a sort of benchmark for them because it was the age that the Levites were forced to retire from the strenuous work of ministry around the tabernacle (Num. 4:3ff.; 8:25). Jesus was not that old and was probably in his early thirties. Yet, he had seen Abraham. No doubt he was one of the three heavenly visitors who dined with Abraham on that special day (Gen. 18:2-8).
“‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” (8:58). Here again Jesus uses the words of divine attribute, “I am.” This title belonged only to God Almighty (Exo. 3:13-14). It was a title implying absolute existence.71 The Eternal One was standing in their midst and they knew it not. Instead of falling prostrate in praise they fumed in frustration and anger.
“At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (8:59). Once again these unbelievers began looking for stones. No doubt there were plenty of stones ready at hand since the temple area was still under some degree of construction even throughout Jesus’ life.72 To them Jesus was a blasphemer and deserved death (Lev. 24:16). At this point Jesus was once more hidden from them for his time had not yet come. The Greek word for hid (ekrubē) is passive.73 Somehow Jesus was hidden by the hand of the Almighty.