John 8
8
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2At sunrise he arrived again in the temple courtyard. All the people gathered around him there. He sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman. She had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of the group. 4They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who was not her husband. 5In the Law, Moses commanded us to kill such women by throwing stones at them. Now what do you say?” 6They were trying to trap Jesus with that question. They wanted to have a reason to bring charges against him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7They kept asking him questions. So he stood up and said to them, “Has any one of you not sinned? Then you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8He bent down again and wrote on the ground.
9Those who heard what he had said began to go away. They left one at a time, the older ones first. Soon only Jesus was left. The woman was still standing there. 10Jesus stood up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Hasn’t anyone found you guilty?”
11“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then I don’t find you guilty either,” Jesus said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Challenge to What Jesus Says About Himself
12Jesus spoke to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness. They will have that light. They will have life.”
13The Pharisees argued with him. “Here you are,” they said, “appearing as your own witness. But your witness does not count.”
14Jesus answered, “Even if I am a witness about myself, what I say does count. I know where I came from. And I know where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge by human standards. I don’t judge anyone. 16But if I do judge, what I decide is true. This is because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17Your own Law says that the witness of two people proves the truth about something. 18I am a witness about myself. The other witness about me is the Father, who sent me.”
19Then 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.” 20He spoke these words while he was teaching in the temple courtyard. He was near the place where the offerings were put. But no one arrested him. That’s because the time for him to die had not yet come.
Challenge to Who Jesus Claims to Be
21Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away. You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. You can’t come where I am going.”
22This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘You can’t come where I am going’?”
23But Jesus said, “You are from below. I am from heaven. You are from this world. I am not from this world. 24I told you that you would die in your sins. This will happen if you don’t believe that I am he. If you don’t believe, you will certainly die in your sins.”
25“Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26“I have a lot to say that will judge you. But the one who sent me can be trusted. And I tell the world what I have heard from him.”
27They did not understand that Jesus was telling them about his Father. 28So Jesus said, “You will lift up the Son of Man. Then you will know that I am he. You will also know that I do nothing on my own. I speak just what the Father has taught me. 29The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” 30Even while Jesus was speaking, many people believed in him.
Challenge to the Claim to Be Children of Abraham
31Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. “If you obey my teaching,” he said, “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 children. We have never been slaves of anyone. So how can you say that we will be set free?”
34Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35A slave has no lasting place in the family. But a son belongs to the family forever. 36So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free. 37I know that you are Abraham’s children. But you are looking for a way to kill me. You have no room for my word. 38I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. You are doing what you have heard from your father.”
39“Abraham is our father,” they answered.
Jesus said, “Are you really Abraham’s children? If you are, you will do what Abraham did. 40But you are looking for a way to kill me. I am a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do the things you want to do. 41You are doing what your own father does.”
“We have the right to claim to be God’s children,” they objected. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me. I have come here from God. I have not come on my own. God sent me. 43Why aren’t my words clear to you? Because you can’t really hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil. You want to obey your father’s wishes. From the beginning, the devil was a murderer. He has never obeyed the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his natural language. He does this because he is a liar. He is the father of lies. 45But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me! 46Can any of you prove I am guilty of sinning? Am I not telling the truth? Then why don’t you believe me? 47Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you don’t hear is that you don’t belong to God.”
Jesus Makes Claims About Himself
48The Jews answered Jesus, “Aren’t we right when we say you are a Samaritan? Aren’t you controlled by a demon?”
49“I am not controlled by a demon,” said Jesus. “I honor my Father. You do not honor me. 50I am not seeking glory for myself. But there is one who brings glory to me. He is the judge. 51What I’m about to tell you is true. Whoever obeys my word will never die.”
52Then they cried out, “Now we know you are controlled by a demon! Abraham died. So did the prophets. But you say that whoever obeys your word will never die. 53Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died. So did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54Jesus replied, “If I bring glory to myself, my glory means nothing. You claim that my Father is your God. He is the one who brings glory to me. 55You do not know him. But I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him. And I obey his word. 56Your father Abraham was filled with joy at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it and was glad.”
57“You are not even 50 years old,” they said to Jesus. “And you have seen Abraham?”
58“What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus answered. “Before Abraham was born, I am!” 59When he said this, they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself. He slipped away from the temple area.
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John 8: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
John 8
8
1but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in the morning he returned to the Temple where many people gathered around him and he sat down and taught them. 3The religious teachers and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught committing adultery and made her stand before everyone.
4They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. What do you say?” 6They said this to try and trap Jesus so they could condemn him. But Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
7They kept on demanding an answer, so he stood up and told them, “Whichever one of you has never sinned may throw the first stone at her.” 8Then he bent down again and went on writing on the ground.
9When they heard this they began to leave, one by one, starting with the oldest, leaving Jesus alone in the middle of the crowd with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Where are they? Didn't anybody stay to condemn you?”
11“No one did, sir,” she replied.
“I don't condemn you either,” Jesus told her. “Go, and don't sin anymore.”
12Jesus spoke again to the people, telling them, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me you won't walk in darkness for you will have the life-giving light.”
13The Pharisees replied, “You can't be your own witness!#8:13. Or “you're just making claims about yourself!” What you say doesn't prove anything!”
14“Even if I am my own witness, my testimony is true,” Jesus told them, “for I know where I came from and where I'm going. But you don't know where I came from or where I'm going. 15You judge in a typically human way, but I don't judge anyone. 16Even if I did judge, my judgment would be right because I am not doing this alone. The Father who sent me is with me. 17Your own law states#8:17. See Deuteronomy 17:6 and Deuteronomy 19:15. that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. 18I am my own witness, and my other witness is my Father who sent me.”
19“Where is your father?” they asked him.
“You don't know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me then you would know my Father as well.” 20Jesus explained this while he was teaching near the Temple treasury. Yet no one arrested him because his time had not yet come.
21Jesus told them again, “I'm leaving, and you'll search for me, but you'll die in your sin. You can't come where I'm going.”
22The Jews wondered out loud, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means when he says ‘You can't come where I'm going’?”
23Jesus told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24That is why I told you that you'll die in your sins. For if you don't trust in me, the ‘I am,’ you'll die in your sins.”
25Then they asked him, “Who are you?”
“Exactly who I told you I was from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26“There's much I could say about you, and much I could condemn. But the one who sent me tells the truth, and what I'm saying to you here in this world is what I heard from him.”
27They didn't understand that he was talking to them about the Father.
28So Jesus explained to them: “When you have lifted up the Son of man then you'll know that I am the ‘I am,’ and that I do nothing of myself, but only say what the Father taught me. 29The one who sent me is with me; he has not abandoned me, for I always do what pleases him.” 30Many who heard Jesus say these things put their trust in him.
31Then Jesus said to those Jews who trusted in him, “If you follow my teaching then you really are my disciples. 32You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33“We're descendants of Abraham! We've never been anyone's slaves,” they answered. “How can you say that we'll be set free?”
34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35A slave doesn't have a permanent place in the family, but the son is part of the family forever. 36If the Son sets you free, then you're truly free. 37I know you're Abraham's descendants, yet you're trying to kill me because you refuse to accept my words. 38I'm telling you what the Father has revealed to me,#8:38. Or “what I have seen with the Father.” while you do what your father told you.”
39“Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you really were children of Abraham, you'd do what Abraham did,” Jesus told them. 40“But you are trying to kill me now, because I told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham would never have done that. 41You're doing what your father does.”
“Well we #8:41. The word in the original is emphasized, implying that while they were not illegitimate, Jesus was. are not illegitimate,” they responded. “God alone is our father!”
42Jesus replied, “If God really was your father, you would love me. I came from God and now I am here. The decision to come wasn't mine, but the one who sent me. 43Why can't you understand what I'm saying? It's because you refuse to hear my message! 44Your father is the devil, and you love to follow your father's evil desires. He was a murderer from the beginning. He never stood for the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies he reveals his true character, for he's a liar and the father of lies. 45So because I tell you the truth, you don't believe me! 46Can any one of you prove that I'm guilty of sin? If I'm telling you the truth, why don't you believe me? 47Anyone who belongs to God listens to what God says. The reason you don't listen is because you don't belong to God.”
48“Aren't we right to call you a Samaritan who is demon-possessed?” said the Jews.
49“No, I don't have a demon,” Jesus replied. “I honor my Father, but you dishonor me. 50I'm not here looking to glorify myself. But there is one who does this for me and who judges in my favor. 51I tell you the truth, anyone who follows my teaching will never die.”
52“Now we know you're demon-possessed,” said the Jews. “Abraham died, and the prophets did too, and you're telling us ‘anyone who follows my teaching will never die’! 53Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and the prophets died. Who do you think you are?”
54Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. But it is God himself who glorifies me, the one you claim, ‘He is our God.’ 55You don't know him, but I know him. If I were to say, ‘I don't know him,’ I'd be a liar, just like you. But I do know him, and I do what he says. 56Your father Abraham was delighted as he looked forward to see my coming, and was so happy when he saw it.”
57The Jews replied, “You're not even fifty years old, and you've seen Abraham?”
58“I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am,”#8:58. Literally, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Once again Jesus uses the name of God himself given in Exodus 3:14. That the significance is not lost on his hearers is shown in their reaction of wanting to stone him for blasphemy. said Jesus.
59At this they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus was hidden from them and he left the Temple.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com