12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.” 19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. 21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” 23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” 25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.” 27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. 28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” 39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” 48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” 52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Commentary
Vs. 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Having pardoned the woman caught in adultery Jesus now in the treasury of the Temple speaks to crowds that were following Him saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Which itself is stunning statement and revelation not only about Jesus’ Person, but also the Power of God, the Power of the Word of God to transform lives. That is first believes in Him they will have the light of life (seeing then all things new and clearly) for being born-again by His Spirit, and thus being set free from sin and Satan and all the powers of darkness, we are now not only enabled to follow Him in discipleship. For we can now see Him and know Him and His works and ways and thus follow Him wherever He goes. Now that Jesus is the Light of the World means that He alone not only radiates all that is of God, but He also He illuminates, and thus brings forth, all that is and comes from God. Thus, just like the Sun in the heavens sky illuminating the earth, so is the Son of God illuminating God in heaven to darkened mankind. For Jesus Christ alone shines like a lighthouse on a hill illuminating the way to get safely home, and so Jesus Christ is the only beacon of hope for this world which is cloaked in sin and Satan’s darkness. For Jesus is the Light of the World, the Light that penetrates all darkness, therefore if anyone follows Him, they shall not walk in darkness; that is walk (as a manner of life) in the realm where sin and Satan rule, and thus where one is either enslaved by the one, or is being manipulated by the other to destroy themselves and others, rather they will have the light of life! For the Lord Jesus Christ is Light and Life and He alone brings the same to one and all who believe in Him!
Vs. 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”
Now when the Pharisees heard Jesus say these things instead of being moved by His Words, they only found fault with Him, saying to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.” They then by saying as much are rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ’s testimony because He is bearing witness of Himself in their eyes. However, they all heard John the Baptists testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ who declared Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of world, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 1:29-34). As well Jesus Himself already told the Jews that they have both the Scripture, as well as God Himself who bears witness to Him through His Word and Works (John 5:31-47) Therefore the Pharisees so called “legal challenge” to Jesus’ testimony based on the Law that two or more witnesses is required is completely without grounds and merit in this case. For as we will see both God the Father in heaven and the Son of God on earth bear witness of Him, and there can be no greater witnesses then these!
Vs. 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.
Now in answering their “legal challenge” to His testimony, Jesus without hesitation or reservation now says to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.” For the Lord Jesus Christ having come from heaven and going to return to heaven, is Eminently more qualified to speak and testify of God in heaven, to give testimony of Himself than anyone else! For Truly only God can rightly testify of Himself, and so to be questioned by mere mortal men, who have never seen God, nor come forth from God, nor even know God is simply exasperating!
Vs. 15 “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.”
Jesus then continues His Just defense saying that they (the Pharisees) only judge according to the flesh, but He judges no one. And so, unlike how they only judge people according to what they outwardly see, Jesus judges no one, that is He judges no one that way, and certainly not Himself that way!
Vs. 16 “And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.”
Jesus now says that though He does not judge, even if He did judge His judgment would be true, for He does judge in of Himself, (that is independently), rather He judges in accord with the Father in heaven, for it is God the Father who is always with Him, and who sent Him.
Vs. 17-18 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
Since the Pharisees were citing a principal in the Law of Moses to reject Jesus’ Testimony, Jesus now cites to them the very same principal which says that the testimony of two men is true, and so Jesus is One who bears witness of Himself, and the Father who sent Him bears witness of Him (vs. 18). Thus, there are no more credible witnesses then these!
Vs. 19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
The Pharisees though are blind to all of this, to not only Jesus’ Person, but also to God the Father, and so when Jesus said His Father Testifies of Him, they could only think of a human father, and so not seeing him they say to Jesus, “where is your father?” Jesus then in responding to them makes it clear that they know neither Him the Son of God, nor God His Father in heaven! For as He says if they had known Him they would also know His Father in heaven for God, for both Father and are One!
Vs. 20 “These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.”
Here the location where Jesus spoke these words is given us, it was in the treasury, that is the area in the Temple called the “court of the woman” where woman were not allowed to proceed any further into the Temple unless for sacrifice purposes. Now it was here where the thirteen golden trumpets were placed where the people deposited their offerings into them. And so, this was a large public area that was surrounded by a colonnade and from which Jesus often taught (gleaned from Word studies in the N.T). Notice too that though He taught these things openly in the Temple no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. That is the time for His Crucifixion, for God will not allow that to happen until the appointed time.
Vs. 21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
Now Jesus continued His discourse with the Jews in the Temple and so He said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.” Here in a simple statement Jesus foretells first His return to the Father in heaven, while they’re still seeking Him, that is the Christ, but they will not find Him because they do not believe in Him, that is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who is their Messiah. Therefore, Jesus also says that they will die in their sin, that is die spiritually dead in their sins and transgressions, and thus die alienated from God in heaven. And so, when Jesus goes back to God the Father in heaven they cannot come there, because no one having died in their sin can be later redeemed, but is then subject to eternal condemnation in hell!
Vs. 22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
When the Jews heard Jesus say those things to them they did not repent, nor even fear what He had just spoken to them, but instead they became very insulting and antagonistic towards Him, saying amongst themselves, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
Vs. 23-24 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Having then heard their insults, Jesus does not hesitate to point out to them that they are from beneath, but He is from above, for He is not of this world, for His origins are from heaven, and thus He wasn’t born into its sin, and so He neither stands for it, nor defends it (vs. 23). However, they are only of this world, and thus they only live, and walk, and think, according to the ruler of it! Therefore, Jesus tells and warns them once again that they will die in their sins, because if they do not believe that He is the Messiah (i.e. the Christ) they will die in their sins!
Vs. 25-26 25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
They though understand none of this, and so once again they asked Jesus, “Who are You?” The Lord Jesus though does not declare His Person to them, but instead in accord with their own antagonistic unbelief, they now receive diminishing revelations about Him; that is their eyes and ears will be shut to Him. And so, in answering their question about Him instead of reaffirming His Person to them, Jesus now only says to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.” Vs. 25 Jesus then tells them of their upcoming judgment, that He has many things to say and judge concerning them, and having said as much He says that God who sent Him is true (unlike them), and thus He is worthy to be believed! That said, Jesus now says that He only speaks those things to the world that He heard from Him (vs. 26). Thus, there is nothing that proceeds from Jesus’ mouth that does not originate with God the Father in heaven!
Vs. 27 “They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.”
However, the Jews refused to see Jesus for who He truly is, and so they could not understand Him, that He just spoke to them of God the Father in heaven.
Vs. 28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
Jesus now foretells to them His own Crucifixion death at their hands, saying “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.” Thus, not until they Crucify Him will they begin to see that He is the Son of God, and that He did nothing of Himself, but as the Father taught Him so He spoke! Now we first see this at the Crucifixion sight when Jesus having died, the people their begin to say, truly this was the Son of God! (Matt 27:54; Mark 15:37-39; Luke 23:47-48)
Vs. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
Even though Jesus just foretold of His Crucifixion death at their hands it would not be because God the Father had forsaken Him, because Jesus had disobeyed Him, for as He says here, “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” Thus, in sending Jesus to be born and live and dwell amongst sinful humanity, God the Father at no time left Jesus alone, for their relationship continued on down here, and was continuing, and would continue because as Jesus says “I always do those things that please Him.” Thus, at no time would sin ever enter into the equation of their eternal and everlasting loving relationship! Therefore, not until Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion death would Jesus by necessity experience a separation from His Father.
Vs. 30 “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.”
The Lord Jesus Christ’s Words were so compelling that many believed in Him. However, the depth of one’s belief is often only revealed later.
Vs. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."
Seeing then that many had now believed in Him, Jesus now tells the Jews that believing in Him means abiding in His Word. For only then can one be said to be His disciple, for profession of faith in Him is not discipleship, but abiding in His Word is.
Vs. 32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
No more powerful statement has ever been spoken. For the Word of God is truth and it is God’s Word spoken through the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Living Word that makes you free from sin and Satan and all of the lies of this world when you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and obey His Word!
Vs. 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
Now instead of rejoicing at Jesus Word they only become offended and once again show their lack of faith and ignorance. For instead of believing Him they only return to trusting in their heritage as Abrahams physical decedents. And in this they deny their own history which saw them in bondage to first Egypt, then Assyria, then Babylon, then Persia, then Greece and now Rome all because of their prideful arrogance and willfulness against the Word of God! That all said, if it is their own heritage they are choosing to trust in (As God’s chosen people) they should remember that they themselves (like all of humanity) are also descendants of the fall, of Adam and Eve, and thus they too bear the bondage of sin and Satan along with the rest of the world because of it. No one then who is outside of the Lord Jesus Christ is free, until He makes them free and that happens the moment anyone repents and believes!
Vs. 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
The Lord Jesus now brings to light the truth about sin, and that is that sin does not serve us, serve our desires, goals, and pleasures etc., but when we sin, we only become slaves out it! And so, though the world says otherwise, (in countless ways and forums) this reality becomes undeniable in everyone’s life who sins! There is then no one exempt from this and so the Jews themselves though the physical descendants of Abraham are just like everyone else who sins, slaves of sin. The only difference or distinction between them or anyone else who thinks they are free outside of Christ is how it manifests itself in their person and lives. And yet it was hard for them to see this, because they considered themselves to be above such things, (consider Rom. 2:17-29), for they were God’s chosen people through whom He brought forth His Word into the world, and yet here they are contentious towards and arguing with the Son of God, the Word of God, but more than that they were already behind the scenes plotting His death! And yet in all of this they were only blind to their own evil hearts and desires because of their own sin.
Vs. 35 “And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.”
Seeing the Jews felt they were secure in God’s house because they were Abraham’s descendants, the Lord Jesus Christ now makes it clear that no one who is a slave abides in God’s house forever, but a son abides forever, thus both the Son of God and those who are born-again by Him, the children of God abide forever, everyone else then will be put out!
Vs. 36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Freedom then is what God’s Son Jesus Christ is offering and promising you! Freedom from sin, Satan and whatever kind of bondage you are under, freedom then to live and love and laugh abundantly! Freedom then from the past and freedom for the future! Freedom then to not have to be conformed to this Godless world!
Vs. 37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.”
Having brought forth some great Spiritual truths, the Lord Jesus Christ now acknowledges to the Jews that He knows they are Abraham’s physical descendants, and yet so unlike Abraham they only want to kill Him, because as Jesus says to them, His Word has no place in them. The same then is true for everyone who does not believe in Him, for they will likewise have no desire for either His Person or His Word, and some will even want to kill Him and His own when His Words truths get to close to them!
Vs. 38 “I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”
The Lord Jesus now makes a marked distinction between Himself and them, saying that He Himself speaks just what He has seen with His Father who is God in heaven, while they only do what they have seen their own father do, and in doing so He will soon reveal just who their father is!
Vs. 39-41 39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.
The Jews though hold fast to their genealogical heritage which proves nothing, since down through the ages many who have physically descended from Abrahams loins, by their own actions and lives reflected none of his faith, and thus proved that they were not his true descendants. Therefore, Jesus in no uncertain terms tells them that: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.” Vs. 40-41 Now when Jesus said this to them, they became highly agitated and so now they totally insult the Son of God by saying to Him, “We were not born of fornication”, thus completely denying His virgin birth, and accusing Jesus of illegitimacy! Having then reviled the Son of God in such an irreverent manner, they then have the gall to say that they have one Father—God. Now whether by this they also mean that they themselves have always remained spiritually faithful to the One true God is up for debate, but what is not up for debate is their historical record, which only shows and proves them completely self-deceived in this regard if they think that they have been faithful to God in heaven. For neither they nor mankind in general has ever proven themselves faithful to God, for it is only God who is faithful towards us.
Vs. 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
Having heard and endured their insults the Lord Jesus remains level headed and continues to expose them for who they truly are, saying to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.” For truly no one can say that they love God and believe in Him and yet be hostile and antagonistic towards His own Son whom He sent! For as Jesus says, He did not come of Himself, but His Father in heaven sent Him to them! Their irreverence then towards Him now shows just what they think of God in heaven!
Vs. 43 “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.”
The Lord Jesus once again calls them to account by saying to them, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” For Jesus wasn’t speaking here in parables and mysteries, He was speaking plainly to them, and yet they could not understand Him because they were not able to listen to His Word! It is then self-evident then that those who do not hear Jesus Word’s, who cannot listen to them, who are offended or put off by them, neither no God, nor can they rightly discern His Speech!
Vs. 44-45 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
The Lord Jesus Christ now reserves nothing in revealing who they are and what they and their true father are all about. For the devil’s children can be found both in the world, and in religious spheres, and worst of all even inside the Christian house of faith!, masquerading as people of God outwardly, but inwardly only being sons and daughters of the devil (consider Matt. 7:15-20; 24:5, 24; Rom. 16:17-18; 2 Cor. 11:3-4, 13-15; Phil. 3:2; 1 Tim. 4:1-2; Titus 1:10-11; 1 John 3:7-15; 4:1-6; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Rev. 2:2 and so many other passages). Now because their father is the devil and not Abraham, as they so arrogantly claim. The Lord Jesus Christ says that they want to do the desires of their father the devil, that is kill Him! And in this for no other reason than telling them the truth! For as Jesus says, the devil was a murderer from the beginning, and thus as he is so is his own! Therefore, the devil does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. “When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Therefore, Jesus concludes by telling them that, “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” Because they are just like their father the devil, who cannot stand the truth! There are then no stronger Words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ in the N.T. against anyone other than these spoken here and those spoken by Him against the Pharisees in Matt. 23.
Vs. 46-47 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
The Lord Jesus Christ alone is Sinless both in Nature and in Character, and thus they had no just grounds for not believing Him, but worst of all seeking to kill Him! Thus is no one could convict Him of sin, and if He tells them the truth, why then do they not believe Him? The Lord Jesus Christ then (knowing that they have no answer) then will answer His own question, by saying, “He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore, you do not hear, because you are not of God.” That truth then applies not just to the unbelieving Jews but everywhere and in every generation to everyone who either believes in Him or not!
Vs. 48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
The Jews though are unmoved by Jesus’ rebuke and instead return to their sickening irreverent insults, saying to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Thus, not only denying Jesus descendancy through Abraham and then David to fulfill the Word of God, by calling Him a Samaritan, thus only being born through the despised people group who were apostates from the faith. But if that is not maddening enough, they then go on to say that He has a demon!
Vs. 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
The Lord Jesus Christ though does not return insult for insult but instead retains His composure and tells them the truth that He does not have a demon, and that what He says and does is to honor His Father, and yet all they do is dishonor Him.
Vs. 50 “And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.”
If the Jews felt it was okay to denigrate the Lord Jesus Christ in such horrible ways, they were only terribly deceived. For Jesus never came to seek His own glory, but the Fathers who sent Him! And it is God in heaven who seeks His Son’s honor and who Judges!
Vs. 51 “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
Now in the midst of enduring such insults meant to not only hurt Him but also undermine people’s faith in Him, the Lord Jesus Christ once again reaches out to the people by Promising all that, “if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” Keep here means to retain His Words within one’s heart, and thus continue to believe in Him, for if anyone does they shall never see death, not physical death, but Spiritual death by an eternal separation from God in hell!
Vs. 52-53 52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
Rather then believing Jesus and His Promises of everlasting life for themselves, they now only use His Words to defame Him even worse by saying that what He just said confirms to them He has a demon! For they could not, or would not believe that the Lord Jesus Christ Is Far Greater than Abraham and the prophets! For He alone can give life, and will restore to life all who believe in Him!
Vs. 54-55 54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
In saying such things, the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to make it clear that He was not venerating Himself, rather it was His Father who was honoring Him, that is the very God whom the unbelieving Jews were claiming to worship (vs. 54). Therefore, Jesus very plainly tells them that they have not known Him, for God is not known in merely observing rituals and sacrifices, nor is He known in keeping the commandments and traditions of men handed down from one generation to another. Rather God is known in believing and obeying His Word, and in this the Lord Jesus Christ alone has Perfect Knowledge of Him, for He keeps His Word! Therefore, if Jesus should deny that He Knows Him than He would be a liar like them, for they were lying about knowing Him, because if they had known Him, they would’ve immediately known His Son!
Vs. 56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
The Lord Jesus Christ now tells them that the man Abraham who they so highly venerate rejoiced to see His day, that is Abraham being alive with God the Father in heaven rejoiced when he saw that the Lord Jesus Christ was coming down from heaven to do and fulfill the Father’s Word and Will. And in this Jesus Christ was first coming to the people whom God had created, and established a covenant with through him. Thus, if Abraham was so excited to see Jesus’ day, why aren’t they?
Vs. 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
The Jews though are unmoved by what Jesus has just told them, and instead judging Jesus according to the flesh they now say to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
Vs. 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
The Lord Jesus Christ’s statement here then leaves no doubt as to whom He is, because before Abraham was, “I AM”. And that is the designation, the Name of God that God Himself revealed to Moses that he was to declare to Israel when in bondage in Egypt that “I AM” has visited them! Thus, the same God who came to Israel in Egypt to lead them out of bondage and into the Promised Land is the same God who has now come down from heaven as the Son of Man/Son of God in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ! (see Rev. 1:8).
Vs. 59 “Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”
When Jesus said that He is “I Am”, they took up stones to throw at Him to kill Him, for to them Jesus was committing blasphemy to claim to be God, however Jesus Christ is God, and so the sin and offense lies with them in not believing Him and seeking to kill Him again! And so just as easily as they took up stones to kill Him, He likewise hid Himself from them, and went out of the Temple, and going through the midst of them, He passed by them all unharmed by any of them. This act then by the Jews in the Temple shows that they have rejected Christ the Lord whom God sent to them!
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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