John 8 - The King James Study Bible

8:4. This woman: Women caught in adultery were not normally brought to Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees were seeking to trick Him to see whether He would uphold the law—or defend the sinner. The dilemma they posed was designed either to accuse Him of breaking Jewish law which called for execution, or Roman law, which forbid execution without Roman approval.

8:5. Moses . . . commanded: They quoted the Old Testament accurately, if not completely (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22–24).

8:9. The eldest left first, readily admitting they were sinners.

8:11. Jesus was the only one who could have condemned her—but He did not, partly because such cases demanded two or more witnesses. Also, He knew (cf. 2:25) she was repentant, which explains why she did not flee when her accusers left. Jesus did not take her sin lightly; rather He commanded her, Sin no more. Neither do I condemn: The prerogative to forgive sins is a divine one, so in this instance Jesus demonstrates His deity (cf. Luke 5:23,24).

8:12,13. Jesus claimed to be the light of the world (cf. 1:4,5; 9:4,5; 11:9,10; 1 John 1:5), but the Pharisees disputed His authority because He witnessed to Himself.

8:14–18. My record is true: Contrast this with 5:31 where Jesus did not claim Himself as a witness. Jesus said His own witness agreed with the witness of the Father, satisfying the law’s requirement of two witnesses.

8:21–29. The Jews’ spiritual preparation is inadequate. They could not become His disciples because (1) they are of this world (v. 23); (2) they do not believe in Jesus (v. 24); and (3) they do not understand (v. 27).

8:28. Lifted up the Son refers to the Crucifixion (cf. 3:14).

8:30–36. Jesus identifies the true disciples as those who (1) believed in Him (v. 30); (2) continued in His word (v. 31), unlike the Jews in verses 37,43,47; (3) will be freed from sin by the truth (vv. 32–36). They will not be sinless, but blameless—free from the power of sin.

8:37–59. Jesus shows that discipleship depends on having the right Father. They had the wrong father. He refers to your father (vv. 38,41,44). They claimed to be sons of Abraham (v. 39), but Jesus shows this to be false in verses 39 and 40. They are Abraham’s physical seed (v. 37), but he is not their spiritual father. They also claim to be sons of God (v. 41), which Jesus shows to be false (v. 42). When you love the Parent, you will not hate the Son. Finally, Jesus says they are sons of the devil (v. 44), the father of lies, for they were knowingly doing his works (vv. 38,41,44).

8:46. Whether Jesus was a sinner was often debated by His enemies. See 9:24; 18:38; 19:4,6.

8:53. The question is: Who is Jesus? (cf. 4:10).

8:56. Abraham saw the promise of Christ from a distance (Heb. 11:13). This probably refers to the universal scope of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12, 13, 15, 17).

8:58. This clear statement of deity caused the Jews to try to stone Him. Before Abraham was [historical], I am [egō eimi—eternal]: Abraham had a beginning—Jesus is eternal. The Jewish audience clearly understood Jesus’ claim to deity by applying the sacred name I am to Himself (cf. Ex. 3:14). John’s seven “I am” declarations seem to be based on this central affirmation (cf. 5:35; 8:12; 10:7,11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:5).

8:59. Going through the midst: While they are preparing to stone Him, Jesus makes Himself inaccessible to them.