The Light of the World

John 8:19-27 (NASB95)

19 So they were saying to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus
answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father; aif you knew Me,
you would know My Father also."

20 These words He spoke in athe treasury, as bHe taught in the
temple; and no one seized Him, because cHis hour had not yet come.

21 Then He said again to them, "I go away, and ayou will seek Me,
and bwill die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come."

22 So athe Jews were saying, "Surely He will not kill Himself, will
He, since He says, 'bWhere I am going, you cannot come'?"

23 And He was saying to them, "aYou are from below, I am from
above; byou are of this world, cI am not of this world.

24 "Therefore I said to you that you awill die in your sins; for unless
you believe that 1bI am He, ayou will die in your sins."

25 So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to
them, "1What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

26 "I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but
aHe who sent Me is true; and bthe things which I heard from Him,
these I speak to the world."

27 They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the
Father.

[1]

John 8:19 They are reflecting on His birth again. Notice that Jesus
calls God "my Father" in a different relationship from what you and I have
with Him through faith in Christ. Remember, He said to Mary after His
resurrection, "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father" (John 20:17).
We become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, but Jesus is His
Son because of His position in the Trinity. He is God the Son, and He
addresses God the Father. This has nothing to do with generation or
regeneration, but it has everything to do with His position in the Trinity.

"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also." Here is the
cleavage. Here is the real issue. There is no middle ground. If you are
going to know God the Father, you must come through Jesus Christ.
There is no other way.

[2]

The Pharisees' next question was doubtless spoken in scorn. Perhaps they
looked around the crowd as they said, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus
answered by telling them that they neither recognized who He truly was
nor did they know His Father. Of course, they would have denied
vigorously any such ignorance of God. But it was true nonetheless. If they
had received the Lord Jesus, they would have known His Father also. But
no one can know God the Father except through Jesus Christ. Thus, their
rejection of the Savior made it impossible for them to honestly claim that
they knew and loved God.

[3]

John 8:20-22 The treasury was in the women's court. This was where
they had brought the woman taken in adultery. You will notice how much
these Jews were in the dark. First they ask, "Where is thy Father?" Now
they ask, "Will he kill himself?" They know nothing about the fact that He
has been instructing His own that He is going to Jerusalem to die at the
hands of the Gentiles, that He will be delivered up to die by these very
same religious rulers, and that He will die a redemptive death for the sins
of the world. Will He kill Himself? No! He will give Himself a ransom for
many.

[4]

Here we learn that the scene of the previous verses was in the treasury of
the temple. Again the Lord is surrounded by divine protection, and no one
is able to lay hands on Him to arrest Him or kill Him. His hour had not yet
come. His hour refers to the time when He would be crucified at Calvary
to die for the sins of the world.

[5]

Again Jesus showed perfect knowledge of the future. He told His critics
He was going away-referring not only to His death and burial, but to His
resurrection and ascension back into heaven. The Jewish people would
continue to seek for the Messiah, not realizing that He had already visited
them and that they had rejected Him. Because of their rejection, they
would die in their sin ("sin" is singular in Greek and in ?NKJV?). This
would mean that they would be forever prevented from entering heaven,
where the Lord was going. It is a solemn truth! Those who refuse to
accept the Lord Jesus have no hope of heaven. How dreadful to die in
one's sins, without God, without Christ, without hope forever!

[6]

The Jews did not understand that the Lord spoke of going back to
heaven. What did He mean by "going away"? Did He mean that He would
escape from their plot to kill Him by committing suicide? It was strange
that they should think this. If He were to kill Himself, there would be
nothing to prevent them from doing the same and following Him in death.
But it was just another example of the darkness of unbelief. It seems
amazing that they could be so dull and ignorant of what the Savior was
saying!

[7]

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Those questioning Jesus were convinced they understood God's plan.
They thought they had a clear idea of exactly what kind of savior they
needed, and Jesus did not fit that pattern.

Are you trusting Jesus to be your Savior because he knows

best, or are you reserving final judgment just in case a "better" option
comes along? Are you trusting God to graciously meet your needs even
when you do not fully understand them, or are you clinging to the belief
that you know best what God can do for you? Are you still shopping for a
better offer? Only Jesus can give forgiveness and eternal life.

[8]

"Where I am going, you cannot come." NRSV Jesus was speaking of his
death and his return to his Father-the religious leaders could not follow
him there. The opportunity to speak with Jesus was limited; soon he would
leave them having been rejected by them. Those who rejected Jesus
would die without having their sins forgiven and would therefore literally
not be able to go where Jesus would be.

As in 7:34-36, the Jews could not comprehend Jesus' words. They
surmised that he must be speaking about death when he said, "I am going
away," NRSV but they could hardly believe that he might be planning to
give them a simple solution to their problem. "Will he kill himself?" NIV
they wondered. In Greek, the question expects a negative answer. Instead
of responding to their tentative interpretation, Jesus explained why they
were unable to comprehend his statements.

[9]

Evidently what follows continues Jesus' teaching in the temple when He
spoke the words that John recorded in the preceding verses. The Greek
word palin ("again" or "once more") indicates a pause but not a significant
break in the narrative (cf. v. 12). The content of His teaching in this verse
recalls 7:33-34.

When Jesus said He was going away He was speaking of His death,
resurrection, and ascension into heaven. The Jewish leaders would not
seek Jesus personally, but they would continue to seek the Messiah. They
would die in their sin (singular) of unbelief because they rejected Jesus.
Jesus was going to His Father in heaven. These Jews could not come
there because they had rejected Jesus.

[10]

John 8:22 Jesus' hearers wondered if He was speaking about taking
His own life. In 7:34-35 they wondered if He was talking about going on
a mission to the Gentile world. In both cases they did not grasp that Jesus
was speaking of spiritual rather than physical spheres of reality. However
these people again spoke better than they realized. Jesus' departure would
involve His death, not as a suicide but as a sacrifice for sin. Consequently
their words here are an ironic prophecy of Jesus' death (cf.
11:49-50).311

[11]

John 8:23 We find this same thought in 1 Corinthians 2:14. Human
knowledge can be understood by any other man who has a human
nature-if his IQ is high enough. But divine knowledge is different. Only
the Spirit of God can take the things of Christ and show them to us. That's
what He is saying here.

[12]

Doubtless thinking of their foolish reference to suicide, the Lord told them
that they were from beneath. This meant that they had a very low outlook
on things. They could not rise above the literal things of time and sense.
They had no spiritual understanding. In contrast, Christ was from above.
His thoughts, words, and deeds were heavenly. All that they did savored
of this world, whereas His whole life told that He came from a purer land
than this world.

[13]

Jesus explained their reason for misunderstanding Him as being traceable
to their origins. Jesus was from God above while they came from His
fallen and rebellious creation below. The second contrast in this verse
clarifies the first. To understand Jesus' meaning His hearers needed new
birth (3:3, 5) and the Father's illumination (6:45).

[14]

John 8:24 People die because they are sinners. That is the natural
consequence of sin. "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your
sins." Can a person be saved on his deathbed? Yes, if he accepts the
Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. But a person can reject Christ too long,
just as these Jews did. There comes a time when one has rejected Christ
too long and then will not want ever to accept Him.

[15]

Jesus often used repetition for emphasis. Here He solemnly warned them
again that they would die in their sins. If they steadfastly refused to believe
on Him, there was no alternative. Apart from the Lord Jesus, there is no
way to obtain forgiveness of sins, and those who die with sins unforgiven
cannot possibly enter heaven at last. The word He is not found in this
verse in the original, though it may be implied. It reads literally: "If you do
not believe that I am, you will die in your sins." We see in the words I am
another claim to deity by the Lord Jesus.

[16]

Jesus' hearers would die in their sins (plural) unless they believed in Him.
Only belief in Him could rescue them from this fate. Here Jesus viewed
their manifold sins (plural) as the consequences of their sin (singular, v. 21)
of unbelief.

"The attitude of unbelief is not simply unwillingness to accept a statement
of fact; it is resistance to the revelation of God in Christ."312

They needed to believe that Jesus was "I am." In this context this phrase
has heavy theological connotations (cf. vv. 28, 58; 13:19). It appeared
enigmatic at first, but later Jesus' hearers realized that He was claiming to
be God (cf. v. 59). The NIV "the one I claim to be" is an interpretation of
Jesus' meaning that is perhaps more misleading than helpful. Jesus was
alluding to the title that God gave Himself in the Old Testament (Exod.
3:14; Deut. 32:39; Isa. 41:4; 43:10, 13, 25; 46:4; 48:12). Essentially "I
am" means the eternally self-existent being.313 Unless a person believes
that Jesus is God, he or she will die in his or her sins.

[17]

John 8:25 These Jews did not know what His mission was, His work
was, nor did they know Him. "Where is thy Father?" "Will He kill
Himself?" "Who art Thou?" Jesus answers that His statement concerning
Himself is always the same. He consistently claims that He is the Messiah,
the Savior of the world.

[18]

The Jews were completely perplexed by the teachings of the Lord Jesus.
They asked Him pointedly who He was. Perhaps they meant this in
sarcasm, as if to say, "Who do You think You are, that You should speak
to us in this way?" Or perhaps they were really anxious to hear what He
would say concerning Himself. His answer is worthy of note: "Just what I
have been saying to you from the beginning." He was the promised
Messiah. The Jews had heard Him say so frequently, but their stubborn
hearts refused to bow to the truth. But His answer can have another
meaning-the Lord Jesus was exactly what He preached. He did not say
one thing and do another. He was the living embodiment of all that He
taught. His life agreed with His teaching.

[19]

The Pharisees decided to try the direct approach; they asked Jesus, "Who
are you?" NRSV When the Pharisees pressed Jesus to declare his
identity, he answered, "Why do I speak to you at all?" NRSV Jesus'
answer has also been translated as a statement: "Just what I have been
saying to you from the beginning" (nkjv) or "I am the one I have always
claimed to be" (TLB). Jesus simply refused to answer their question, for to
do so would have created an endless argument. Jesus had already
revealed his identity to them through his speeches, his miracles, and the
Father's testimony about him. But the Pharisees were unable to
understand because they were deaf to his word (8:43).

"I AM HE"

Jesus' claim "I am he" (ego eimi, see also 8:24, 58) is thought by many to
refer to the name God commanded Moses to use in Exodus 3:13-14.
Moses asked God what name he should use when he went before
Pharaoh. God's answer was, "I AM WHO I AM" (niv). It is just as likely,
however, given the way in which Jesus used passages and concepts from
Isaiah 40-55 to identify himself, that he was using the "I am" phrase from
that part of the Old Testament. In any case, Jesus was pushing his hearers
to recognize his full identity. The following verses highlight the primary uses
of "I am he" in Isaiah (all verses are quoted from nkjv):

. Isaiah 41:4
"I, the Lord, am the first; and with the last I am He."

. Isaiah 43:10
"You are My witnesses," says the Lord, "and My servant whom I have
chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am
He."

. Isaiah 43:13
"Indeed before the day was, I am He."

. Isaiah 43:25
"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake."

. Isaiah 46:4
"Even to your old age, I am He."

. Isaiah 48:12
"Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I
am also the Last."

[20]

Jesus' hearers did not understand what He meant at first. He responded
that He was saying nothing different from what He had been saying about
His identity since the beginning of His ministry. This was a new title, but it
represented revelation that was consistent with what He had always
claimed about Himself.

[21]

John 8:26 Our Lord always maintained that what He was doing and
saying was what the Father wanted Him to do and say. He claimed that
God the Father had sent Him and that He was doing the Father's will. He
never appealed to His own mind or His own intellect. This is an example
for us who are preachers. It is God's Word that we are to be giving out
rather than messages that are the product of our own intellects.

[22]

The meaning of verse 26 is not clear. It seems the Lord was saying that
there were many additional things He could say and judge concerning
these unbelieving Jews. He could expose the wicked thoughts and motives
of their hearts. However, He was obediently speaking only those things
which the Father had given Him to speak. And since the Father is true, He
is worthy to be believed and listened to.

[23]

Jesus also claimed to have much more to reveal to His hearers. Part of
that would involve judgment for their unbelief. However all of what He
would say would be true because it would come from God. It would not
be simply His own words spoken independent of the Father (cf. 3:34;
5:19-30; 8:15-16).

[24]

John 8:27 They missed the whole point. They are of the earth; they
do not understand heavenly things.

[25]

The Jews did not understand at this point that He was speaking to them of
God the Father. It seems that their minds were becoming more clouded all
the time. Previously when the Lord Jesus claimed to be the Son of God,
they had realized He was claiming equality with God the Father. But not
so anymore.

[26]

The lifting up of the Son of Man speaks of the Cross. "When you see Me
on the Cross, you're going to know I AM," declares Jesus. "When the
sky is dark and the earth shakes; when the graves open and the veil is
rent, you will at last understand that I AM."

[27]

John clarified for his readers that Jesus had been speaking about His
Father when He mentioned the One who sent Him. John did not want his
readers to suffer from the same confusion as those who originally listened
to Jesus. Jesus had explained earlier that it was God the Father who had
sent Him (5:16-30).[28]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

a John 7:28; 8:55; 14:7, 9; 16:3
a Mark 12:41, 43; Luke 21:1
b John 7:14; 8:2
c John 7:30
a John 7:34
b John 8:24
a John 1:19; 8:48, 52, 57
b John 7:35
a John 3:31
b 1 John 4:5
c John 17:14, 16
a John 8:21
1 Most authorities associate this with Ex 3:14, I AM WHO I AM
b Matt 24:5; Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8; John 4:26; 8:28, 58; 13:19
a John 8:21
1 Or That which I have been saying to you from the beginning
a John 3:33; 7:28
b John 8:40; 12:49; 15:15

[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation.

[2]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on
the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:417-418). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.

[3]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:19). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

[4]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on
the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:418). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.

[5]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:20). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

NKJV New King James Version

[6]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:21). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

[7]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:22). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

[8]Barton, B. B. (1993). John. Life application Bible commentary (176).
Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

NRSV Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division
of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights
reserved.

NIV Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible,
New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.

[9]Barton, B. B. (1993). John. Life application Bible commentary (176).
Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

[10]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes
on the Bible (Jn 8:21). Galaxie Software.

311 311. Hoskyns, p. 334.

[11]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes
on the Bible (Jn 8:22). Galaxie Software.

[12]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on
the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:418). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.

[13]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:23). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

[14]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes
on the Bible (Jn 8:23). Galaxie Software.

[15]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on
the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:418). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.

[16]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:24). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

312 312. Tenney, "John," p. 93.

313 313. See Charles Gianotti, "The Meaning of the Divine Name
YHWH," Bibliotheca Sacra 142:565 (January-March 1985):38-51.

[17]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes
on the Bible (Jn 8:24). Galaxie Software.

[18]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on
the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:418). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.

[19]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:25). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

NRSV Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division
of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights
reserved.

nkjv Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King
James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

niv Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.

[20]Barton, B. B. (1993). John. Life application Bible commentary (177).
Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

[21]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes
on the Bible (Jn 8:25). Galaxie Software.

[22]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on
the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:418). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.

[23]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:26). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

[24]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes
on the Bible (Jn 8:26). Galaxie Software.

[25]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on
the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:418). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.

[26]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Jn 8:27). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.

[27]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (508).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

[28]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes
on the Bible (Jn 8:27). Galaxie Software.