CHAPTER 8

(A.D. 32)

ADULTERY

¹Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives (there, out in the open, He spent the night).

²And early in the morning He came again into the Temple (speaks of daybreak), and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them (proclaims Him revealing Himself as the Word of God, the Light of the World, and Eternal Life; this Chapter, plus those following will record His rejection in all these relationships).

³And the Scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery (in the Greek, it means that she was dragged by main force); and when they had set her in the midst (proclaims the results of self-righteousness; they would subject her to great shame, caring not at all about her feelings),

⁴They say unto Him, Master (was not meant at all as a term of endearment; they were merely referring to Him as a teacher), this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act (why wasnt the man brought as well?).

⁵Now Moses in the Law commanded us, that such should be stoned (was true, but for both the man and the woman [Lev. 20:10]): but what do You say? (In fact, His answer alone matters, and will always be according to the Word; therefore, how did He obey the Law, and at the same time, let her go free?)

⁶This they said, tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him (it was a trap!). But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not(actually meant that He wrote in the dust on the stone, for the Temple Court was paved; what did He write? had the Holy Spirit desired that we know, He would have told us; He may have written what He momentarily said to them).

⁷So when they continued asking Him (means they pressed the issue, demanding an answer), He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her (now turns the tables from her, and Him for that matter, onto the accusers; they didnt expect this!).

⁸And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground (once again, we arent told what He wrote).

⁹And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience (tells us that their position was so spiritually and morally untenable that they could only vacate the premises), went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last (portrays them one by one dropping the stones held in their hands, and quietly retiring away from this Awful Presence): and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst (probably presented her continuing to cower in shame and mortal fear).

¹⁰When Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her (the accusers were gone, with the great multitude continuing to observe the proceedings), Wo man, where are those your accusers? has no man condemned you? (This actually means that none are qualified to accuse.)

¹¹She said, No man, Lord (by her calling Him Lord, she had made Him her Salvation). And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more (records the sweetest words she had ever heard in all her life; He kept the Law perfectly by dying in her place, exactly as He did with all of us; thats how He could let her go free, as well as you and me).

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

¹²Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world (He is the Light of the World, because He is the Source of its Life): he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life (in effect, says that all who do not follow Jesus, walk in darkness).

¹³The Pharisees therefore said unto Him, You bear record of Yourself; Your record is not true (brings up the same argument used in Chapter 5).

¹⁴Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of Myself, yet My Record is true (as He now nears the end of His Ministry, He no longer placates the Pharisees as He did in Chapter 5, but rather uses Himself as a Witness; He did not do this in Chapter 5, but He was certainly entitled to have done so): for I know from where I came, and where I go (proclaims His Deity); but you cannot tell from where I come, and where I go (is freighted with meaning respecting their unbelief).

¹⁵You judge after the flesh (has reference to His Incarnation; they were of the flesh, which means that they did not understand spiritual things, and so they judged everything after the flesh); I judge no man (simply means that He did not come to judge, but rather to Save).

¹⁶And yet if I judge, My Judgment is true (means that His previous statement of judging no man is not in any way meant to abrogate His Position as the ultimate Judge of all men, but simply that this was not His Mission at present!): for I am not alone, but I and the Father Who sent Me (places an entirely different perspective on the claims of Christ; in effect, He is saying that any judgment rendered does not rest on mere human consciousness, but rather on the infallible decisions of God the Father).

¹⁷It is also written in your Law, that the testimony of two men is true (is derived from Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Jesus is merely saying that upon the common principles of jurisprudence as laid down in the Law of Moses, He is willing to rest His claim).

¹⁸I am One who bears witness of Myself (reflects His Own Divine self-consciousness), and the Father Who sent Me bears witness of Me (did so through the Miracles and Healings, etc.).

¹⁹Then said they unto Him, Where is Your Father? (They did not ask: Who is He? or What is He? Rather, Where is He? is asked with acute sarcasm!) Jesus answered, you neither know Me, nor My Father (bluntly He tells them that they are without God, and consequently without hope!): if you had known Me, you should have known My Father also (another utterance, implying the most intimate relation between Himself and the Father).

²⁰These words spoke Jesus in the treasury, as He taught in the Temple (where He stood teaching were two colossal golden Lampstands on which hung a multitude of lamps that were lit during the Feast of Tabernacles, and around which the people danced with great rejoicing; as He stands in the midst of these lamps, He declares Himself the Light of Life, as proclaimed in Verse 12): and no man laid hands on Him; for His hour was not yet come (no one had any power over Him in any capacity, save only that which was given them by the Father).

²¹Then said Jesus again unto them, I go My way, and you shall seek Me (refers to the fact that they had rejected Him, and would consequently continue to look for a Messiah, but obviously in vain!), and shall die in your sins (one of the most sobering statements ever made by our Lord; from then until now, they have died in their sins, because they rejected Him): Where I go, you cannot come (proclaims His departure to the Father by a blood-stained pathway by means of a violent death, but a death which would liberate mankind, at least those who will believe).

²²Then said the Jews, Will He kill Himself? (This query was one of harsh mockery, and its hurtful intent can hardly be exaggerated.) Because He said, Where I go, you cannot come (they had no spiritual understanding, so they did not comprehend what He said in the least).

²³And He said unto them, you are from beneath (meaning that they were of Satan); I am from above (speaks of Heaven): you are of this world; I am not of this world (in effect, says that they are lost without God, because they would not accept Him Who Alone could save them).

²⁴I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins (to be sure, this type of preaching arouses great animosity and even hatred on the part of those to whom such words are delivered): for if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins (states the reason, and in no uncertain terms, for their spiritual depravity).

²⁵Then said they unto Him, Who are You? (This, in effect, says, Who are You to deal out threats to us like this?) And Jesus said unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning (the beginning of this Message, referring to Verse 12).

²⁶I have many things to say and to judge of you (even though they dismissed His Words as inconsequential, the bitter consequences would be reaped nonetheless; their treatment of Him and Him Alone decided their destiny, as it does every man): but He Who sent Me is True (as God is True, so is Christ); and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him (he who accepts Christ accepts God the Father, and He Who rejects Christ rejects God the Father).

²⁷They understood not that He spoke to them of the Father (not knowing the Son, speaks loudly that they did not know the Father as well).

²⁸Then said Jesus unto them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man (speaks of the Cross), then shall you know that I am He(that time has not even yet arrived, but will take place at the Second Coming when they look upon Him Whom they have pierced [Zech. 12:10; Rev. 1:7]), and that I do nothing of Myself (Christ was led totally by the Holy Spirit); but as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things (even though He was God, still He was also Man, and functioned totally as a Man while on this Earth; as such, He had to learn exactly as we do).

²⁹And He Who sent Me is with Me (speaks of a union that is beyond comprehension to mere mortals; He and the Father were indivisible; they were of the same essence): the Father has not left Me alone (the Holy Spirit was constantly with Christ); for I do always those things that please Him (Christ pleased the Father without fail, which no other human being can say).

ABRAHAM

³⁰As He spoke these words, many believed on Him (their Faith, as we shall see, was misplaced and unacceptable!).

³¹Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him (now presents a part of the Message upon which their Faith will falter; thus resides millions!), If you continue in My Word, then are you My Disciples indeed (simply means that one has to believe all the Word, not just part, and then continue in that believing; regrettably, as the Parable of the Sower points out, many do not continue to believe; consequently, this refutes the Unscriptural Doctrine of Unconditional Eternal Security);

³²And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free (this is the secret of all Abundant Life in Christ; the Truth is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, which alone is the answer to the problems of man).

³³They answered Him, We be Abrahams seed, and were never in bondage to any man (proclaims an ironical statement, inasmuch as they had been in bondage to the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and were even now in bondage to the Romans): why do You say, you shall be made free? (This proclaims them not seeing nor admitting their true spiritual condition, which Jesus will now readily address.)

³⁴Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin (and whosoever is the servant of sin is not free; theres only one way for the Believer to overcome sin, and that is the Cross of Christ ever being the Object of our Faith [Gal. 6:14]).

³⁵And the servant abides not in the house for ever (the servant of sin will ultimately be cast out of the house, i.e., out of the Kingdom of God): but the Son abideth ever (whosoever abides in the Son, will abide in the house; otherwise, he will be cast out).

³⁶If the Son therefore shall make you free (Christ Alone can make one free, and He does so through and by what He did at the Cross, and our Faith in that Finished Work), you shall be free indeed (a freedom which the world cannot give and, in fact, doesnt even understand).

³⁷I know that you are Abrahams seed (in effect, Jesus is saying that being Abrahams seed by physical birth contains no Salvation); but you seek to kill Me (this completely negated their spiritual claims), because My Word has no place in you (signifies the reason for their murderous hearts, despite their claims).

³⁸I speak that which I have seen with My Father (again and again Christ reiterates the fact that He did only the Fathers Will): and you do that which you have seen with your father (signifying that their father was the Devil, despite their religious claims).

³⁹They answered and said unto Him, Abraham is our father (was true according to the flesh, but not true spiritually). Jesus said unto them, If you were Abrahams children (spiritual children), you would do the works of Abraham (means that Abraham loved God, had Faith in God, and longingly looked for Gods Son, Who would ultimately come).

⁴⁰But now you seek to kill Me (that He could know their hearts should have told them Who He actually was), a Man Who has told you the truth (presents the first and only time that Jesus referred to Himself in this fashion; He did so to mark the contrast between Himself and the man-slayer of Jn. 8:44; murderer is man-slayer in the Greek Text; Jesus is a Man-saver, while Satan is a man-slayer), which I have heard of God (the very highest representation of the very conception of a Divine Commission, and a Divine Message): this did not Abraham (proclaims the fact that while they may be Abrahams seed, they were not his children, and he in this sense could not be their father).

⁴¹You do the deeds of your father (while claiming to be Abrahams seed, they were not doing the deeds of Abraham, but rather the Devil). Then said they to Him, We be not born of fornication (has reference to the false worship and idolatry that so often characterized Israel of old; as well, they may, at the same time, have been accusing Jesus of having been thusly born); we have one Father, even God (presents the proud claim made still by those who are morally the children of Satan, even as untold millions do presently).

⁴²Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love Me (Jesus Alone is the yardstick): for I proceeded forth and came from God (He Alone has done this, with no other able to say such a thing); neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me (places the entirety of the Godhead in unison respecting the Redemption of mankind, and concerning that which Jesus would do).

⁴³Why do ye not understand My speech? (The unconverted man cannot understand the Word of the Lord [I Cor. 2:14].)even because you cannot hear My Word (they heard it physically, but did not hear it spiritually because they did not know the Lord).

⁴⁴You are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father you will do (presents the Lord repudiating in terrible language the spiritual claims made by these Jews respecting their association with Jehovah; this is the cause of all the problems in the world). He was a murderer from the beginning (refers to the fact that Satan originated sin, and sin brings forth death), and abode not in the truth (it means he was actually in truth, for a time, until he rebelled against God), because there is no truth in him (no truth in him since his rebellion). When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (Satan is the originator of the lie; consequently, his entire kingdom of darkness, in totality, is built on the lie).

⁴⁵And because I tell you the truth, you believe Me not (truth can only be believed and accepted by ones Faith being exclusively in Christ, and the price He paid on the Cross).

⁴⁶Which of you convinces Me of sin? (They could not point to any sin that He had committed, so that alone should have told them Who He was.) And if I say the truth, why do you not believe Me? (They didnt believe Him because they were not of God. This clearly and plainly showed them up for what they really were.)

⁴⁷He who is of God hears Gods Words (could be said, the closer to God one is, the more one hears and abides by the Word of God): you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God (this is the reason for so much error in the modern Church; most arent of God!).

DECLARATION

⁴⁸Then answered the Jews, and said unto Him, Say we not well that You are a Samaritan, and have a devil? (Calling Him a Samaritan was the grossest insult they could level at anyone. So, they were saying that His Doctrine was as the Samaritans false, corrupt, and, in effect, a lie.)

⁴⁹Jesus answered, I have not a devil (presents Him making a simple denial, and taking no notice of the charge of being a Samaritan); but I honour My Father, and you do dishonour Me (in effect, says that by dishonoring Him, they were dishonoring the Father as well, Whom they claimed to serve).

⁵⁰And I seek not My Own glory (in effect, says that He didnt come to this Earth for Glory, but rather to Redeem mankind): there is One who seeks and judges (actually means that God sought Glory for Jesus, and Judged Him worthy of Glory).

⁵¹Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death (means that he shall not see spiritual or eternal death).

⁵²Then said the Jews unto Him, Now we know that You have a devil (they were denying Him Who Alone could give Life!). Abraham is dead, and the Prophets (portrays a total lack of understanding of what He had said; while these men were dead physically, they were very much alive spiritually, and actually in Paradise at that very moment); and You say, If a man keep My saying, he shall never taste of death (they changed what He said by inserting the word taste in place of the word see; they had reduced His statement from the spiritual to the physical).

⁵³Are You greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the Prophets are dead (yes, He is greater than all of these!): what do You make Yourself? (He didnt make anything of Himself as the Man Christ Jesus! God made Him what He was.)

⁵⁴Jesus answered, If I honour Myself, My honour is nothing (He now addresses Himself to their question): it is My Father Who honors Me (His answer should have given them room for pause); of Whom you say, that He is your God (He has repeatedly stated in every way possible that if they truly knew God, they would know Him):

⁵⁵Yet you have not known Him (is blunt, and speaks exactly the Truth); but I know Him (as no one has ever known Him): and if I should say, I know Him not, I shall be a liar like unto you (as is painfully obvious, Jesus pulled no punches): but I know Him, and keep His saying (which is in contrast to these religious leaders).

⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad (in the great Revelation of Justification by Faith given to Abraham by God, he was made to understand that this great Redemption Plan was wrapped up, not in a philosophy, but rather a Man, the Man Christ Jesus, and what He would do at the Cross; the Patriarch rejoiced in that).

⁵⁷Then said the Jews unto Him, You are not yet fifty years old (the Jews at that time believed that a man did not reach full maturity, regarding wisdom and intellect, until fifty years old), and have You seen Abraham? (They were either misinterpreting His Words, or they, in fact, did understand what He said, but did not believe Him, consequently answering sarcastically.)

⁵⁸Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (in essence He said, Before Abraham was brought into being, I was eternally existent; He also said, Abraham was, I am).

⁵⁹Then took they up stones to cast at Him (presents their response to their Messiah): but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the Temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by (means that He slowly walked through them and went on His way, with them doing nothing; thus was the response of the religious leaders of Israel to their Messiah!).