John 8 - NKJV Study Bible

8:1 The people went to their own houses (7:53). Jesus, who had no place to lay His head (see Luke 9:58), spent the night on the Mount of Olives.

8:2 Early in the morning literally means “at dawn.” all the people came: Because the Feast of Tabernacles had concluded the day before (7:2,37), many visitors were still in Jerusalem. Attracted by the appearance of a noted rabbi, a crowd rapidly gathered. He sat: Teachers in ancient Israel sat when they taught. Jesus assumed the position of an authoritative teacher.

8:3 Abruptly bringing the adulterous woman into the midst of the proceedings was a rude disruption. The Pharisees were bent on confounding Jesus (7:45).

8:4,5 such should be stoned: Stoning was specified in certain cases of adultery (see Deut. 22:23,24), though not all. (It is not clear why the authorities intended to punish the woman but not the man.) In the Greek text, the pronoun You is emphatic. The religious leaders were trying to trap Jesus into saying something that was contrary to the Law.

8:6 testing Him: If Jesus had said not to stone her, He would have contradicted Jewish law. If He had said to stone her, He would have run counter to Roman law, which did not permit Jews to carry out their own executions (18:31). What Jesus wrote on the ground is a matter of conjecture. Some suggest that He wrote the Ten Commandments recorded in Ex. 20.

8:11 Sin no more implies that Jesus forgave her. He did not condemn her, but neither did He condone her sin.

8:12 I am the light of the world: As the sun is the physical light of the world, so Jesus is the spiritual light of the world. As the light of the world, Jesus exposes sin (vv. 1–11) and gives sight (9:1–7).

8:13 Not true here does not mean “false”; it means “not sufficient.” The Pharisees challenged Jesus on legal grounds, because no man on trial in a Jewish court was allowed to testify on his own behalf. Their point was that if Jesus was the only one testifying as to who He claimed to be, it would not be enough to prove His case.

8:14 My witness is true: In 5:31, Jesus argued on the basis of legality and offered other witnesses. Sometimes, however, an individual is the only one who knows the facts about himself. Thus self-disclosure is the only way to truth (7:29; 13:3).

8:15 According to the flesh could mean either “according to appearance” or “by human standards.” The religious leaders formed conclusions based on human standards and an imperfect, external, and superficial examination. Jesus did not judge according to human standards or outward appearances.

8:16–18 I am not alone: Jesus could claim that His pronouncements were true and accurate even though the Law of Moses required two witnesses for a testimony to be valid (see Deut. 17:6; 19:15): Both He and the Father through the signs bore testimony to Jesus’ words and works.

8:19 Where is Your Father: Since the Father was part of Jesus’ proof of Himself, the Pharisees wanted to know where this Father was. You know neither: Even if the Pharisees could see the Father, they would not receive what Jesus said. Jesus came to reveal the Father (1:18), and they had not received Him.

8:22 kill Himself: Later Jewish belief placed suicide on the same level with murder.

8:23 from beneath: Jesus was not referring to hell, but to this world.

8:24 I am was God’s designation of Himself (see Ex. 3:14). Jesus was claiming to be God. This assertion was not understood by the religious leaders at this time. Later, Jesus’ claim to be the “I AM” (v. 58) prompted the Jewish leaders to seek His life (v. 59).

8:28 Lift up is a reference to the Crucifixion.

8:30 The Greek phrase translated believed in occurs almost exclusively in John’s Gospel (1:12; 2:11; 3:15,16,18,36; 6:29,35,40,47; 7:38,39; 9:35,36; 10:42; 11:25,26,45; 12:44,46). The phrase describes faith in Jesus’ message (see 1 Cor. 1:21), which results in eternal life.

8:31 Abide means to remain, to continue. A believer who continues to obey the Word is a disciple, a learner.

8:32 One who abides in the Word of God knows the truth (v. 31; 17:17). The word free refers to freedom from the bondage of sin. Obedience to the Lord means fellowship with Him, protection from sin, and experiencing His love.

8:33 They answered Him: Throughout this chapter, Jesus was engaged in an exchange with His antagonists, the Pharisees (v. 13). They are also designated by the term Jews (vv. 22,48,52,57) and the pronoun they (vv. 19,25,27,33,39,41,59). We . . . have never been in bondage: The Pharisees’ objection is startling. In their past, the Israelites had been in bondage to the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians. At the time they spoke, Israel was under the power of Rome.

8:34 slave of sin: Jesus was speaking of spiritual slavery. Such a slave cannot break away from his bondage. He must have someone else set him free (see Rom. 8:34).

8:35 A slave was not a permanent resident of a house. A son remained a family member with family privileges forever. This proverbial saying is applied in v. 36. The application proves that the “Son” here is Jesus Christ (see “the Son of Man” in v. 28). As a family member, the Son can bestow family privileges on others.

8:37 Abraham’s descendants may have been physical heirs of Abraham, but they were not his spiritual descendants unless they had faith. But instead of trusting Christ to forgive their sins, the religious leaders wanted to kill Him. They heard the word, but did not believe it. Thus they could not experience its truth.

8:39 Abraham is our father: The Pharisees believed that being a descendant of Abraham guaranteed them a place in heaven. The works of Abraham included paying honor to those who spoke in the name of God (see Gen. 14; 18).

8:41 We were not born of fornication: From ancient times, this has been interpreted as a sneer, as if to say, “We are not illegitimate children, but You are.” Apparently gossip had followed Jesus for many years, alleging that He had been conceived out of wedlock.

8:44 your father: Jesus knew what was in the hearts of people (2:25), so He could trace their actions to their source. The devil is a murderer; his agents wanted to kill Christ.

8:48 The Jewish leaders charged Jesus with being a Samaritan and having a demon. In the process, they turned back to Jesus both charges that He had brought against them, namely, that they were not legitimate children of Abraham (vv. 39,40) and that they were of the devil (v. 44). The conversation between Jesus and the Jewish rulers had become very heated. On the Pharisees’ part, emotions were running high and reason was being set aside.

8:49 The Jewish leaders were dishonoring Jesus even though their eternal destiny depended on what they did with His message (v. 51).

8:50 One: God the Father will seek Christ’s glory and judge those who dishonor Him.

8:51 Jesus graciously held out to the Jewish leaders the promise of forgiveness and eternal life. My word refers to the word concerning who He is. Death here refers not to physical death, but to spiritual death resulting in eternal separation from God.

8:53 greater than . . . Abraham: Abraham and the prophets kept God’s word and died. Jesus was claiming not that He would prevent physical death, but that He could give eternal life. To the Jewish leaders, this was proof that Jesus was demon-possessed.

8:56 My day: Abraham looked for the One who would fulfill all that was promised to him—promises that included blessings for all nations (see Gal. 3:8,9,29).

8:58,59 I AM: Jesus was not just claiming to have lived before Abraham; He was claiming eternal existence. He was claiming to be God Himself (see Ex. 3:14). This time the Jewish leaders understood that Jesus was claiming to be God, so they took up stones to stone Him for blasphemy (see Lev. 24:16).