John 8 - NIV Quest Study Bible

We don’t know. Perhaps he listed the sins of the accusers. Perhaps he wrote the Old Testament laws that required them to convict both the man as well as the woman in situations of adultery (Lev 20:10; Dt 22:22). Whatever he wrote, Jesus stopped the vigilantes’ rush to judgment and made them wait for his surprising answer.Jesus’ goal in this situation was to rebuke hypocrisy and call them to exam themselves before judging others. As they reflected on their own sins, their desire to punish someone else dissipated. This is consistent with Jesus’ command to remove the plank from our own eye before attempting to take the speck from someone else’s eye (Mt 7:3 – 5).John also used the word light to describe Jesus in 1:4 – 5.Jesus claimed to be on a mission from God. He also claimed to be the unique Son of God who brings light to the entire world and always does what pleases God. The Pharisees considered this claim preposterous. And, indeed, a person who would make such an amazing statement could only be a liar, a lunatic or the authentic Son of God. However, none of his listeners could disprove his claim (vv. 45 – 46). In fact, many believed in him (v. 30).In 5:31 – 34, Jesus used the testimony of John the Baptist to validate his claim of being the Messiah. Here, however, his goal was not to establish a fact but to show a contrast. When Jesus said, Even if I testify on my own behalf, he was not serving as his own witness but was distinguishing himself from the Pharisees. The Pharisees lacked his knowledge, including the knowledge of who he was and where he was going.This has to do with Jesus’ self-identification. He is the one who came from heaven (3:13), the source of eternal life (4:13 – 14), the revealer of the Father (5:19 – 30; 8:26), the bread of life (6:35,48), the light of the world (8:12) and the teller of truth (8:40).In the Gospel of John, being lifted up refers to either crucifixion or exaltation. Jesus was lifted up — that is, exalted — by his Father because he was obedient to his Father’s will even to the point of being lifted up for death — that is, being crucified (13:31 – 32; 17:1 – 5; see Php 2:6 – 11). Since the Pharisees and other leaders played a key role in Jesus’ betrayal and death, in a sense they killed him — that is, they lifted him up.This is proof that their “belief” fell short of life-changing trust. Perhaps they believed in what Jesus could do but not in who he was. They were looking for miracles, political revolution and fulfillment of their personal dreams. But when their expectations that the Messiah would be their national savior went unrealized, their loyalty quickly shifted. They were not willing to admit their sinful condition and hold to Jesus’ teaching (v. 31). Their support for Jesus was transformed into opposition.Jesus’ comment was harsh only in the sense of a judge declaring that a criminal is guilty. Genuine, saving faith makes people children of God and transfers them from the dominion of darkness and . . . into the kingdom of the Son [God] loves (Col 1:13). Without such faith people are all children of the devil. The crowd to which Jesus was speaking wanted to kill him. Such malice was devilish. Later, John made it clear that the plot to kill Jesus arose from the devil himself (Jn 13:2,27).This phrase refers not to flawless adherence to Jesus’ word but to faithful belief in Jesus as the Son of God. It is to accept and respect what Jesus said about himself. Jesus’ call to obey his word is a call for people to follow, trust and seek him, allowing his word to dwell in them. The goal is to continually love and actively trust God, even if our disobedience causes us to experience temporary setbacks.The issue was not Jesus’ age but the fact that he claimed to exist prior to Abraham. If Jesus was simply referring to age, he would have said, “Before Abraham was, I was.” By saying, Before Abraham was born, I am! Jesus was declaring eternal self-existence. To the Jews, it was reminiscent of God’s own word concerning himself: I am who I am (Ex 3:14). Jesus was clearly claiming to be divine, which prompted the people to try to stone him for blasphemy.The punishment for blasphemy was death (Lev 24:16). The Jews clearly understood that Jesus was claiming to be God, which they considered blasphemous.