John 8 - NKJV Foundation Study Bible

8:2 He sat down. Teachers in ancient Israel sat when they taught. Jesus assumed the position of an authoritative teacher.

8:3 a woman caught in adultery. The scribes and Pharisees were not interested in helping the woman, but in using her sinful circumstances to discredit Jesus (v. 6). His refusal to countenance the stoning of the woman does not bring Him into conflict with the law given to Moses, nor does He condone sin. The issue in the encounter was the accusers’ blindness to their own sin.

8:4–5 commanded us that such should be stoned. Stoning was specified in certain cases of adultery (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.

8:13 Your witness is not true. This phrase 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 were 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. This 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.

8:24 I am He. This was God’s designation of Himself (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).

8:31 God’s Word Confirms—The Bible establishes the truth in our own hearts in several ways.

8:33 have never been in bondage to anyone. 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.

8:39 Abraham is our father. The Pharisees believed that being a descendant of Abraham guaranteed them a place in heaven.

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 followed Jesus, alleging that He had been conceived out of wedlock.

8:53 Are You greater than our father 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.

8:58–59 I AM. Jesus was not just claiming to have lived before Abraham; He was claiming eternal existence. He was claiming to be God Himself (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 (Lev. 24:16).