Daily Scripture Reading John 7:53 - 8:27
When non-Christians hear the truth claims of Christianity, they are understandably skeptical. Christians claim that Jesus is God and Master. We also say Jesus is the only way to heaven. Non-believers rightly ask for proof that these things are true.
The eighth chapter of John records some interactions in which Jesus spoke to 1st century Jews and told them who He is. They were doubtful. The proof Jesus offered them helps us understand how to prove the truth claims of Christianity to 21st century skeptics.
Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths, but He had gone secretly. Jesus began teaching in the temple, and the people started speculating who He was. Was He the Prophet or the Christ? The chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to seize Jesus, but they came back without Him. The rulers asked why. When the officers cited Jesus’ powerful speaking, the Pharisees reminded the officers that none of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Jesus because they were convinced that no prophet arises out of Galilee.
John 7:53 [Everyone went to his home.
Notice the bracket at the beginning of this verse. The closing bracket is at the end of chapter 8, verse 11. The brackets indicate that some of the oldest copies of scripture do not include these verses, which raise doubts about whether they were written by John or added later.
John 8:1 ¶ But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
John 8:2 Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.
John 8:3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court,
John 8:4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.
Observe the phrase “in the very act”. If the scribes and Pharisees indeed caught the woman in the very act of adultery, then they should also have brought the man. Leviticus 20:10 clearly states both the adulterer and the adulteress were to be put to death.
John 8:5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”
The 22nd chapter of Deuteronomy is the chapter that talks about stoning unmarried women who were not virgins. That chapter also requires the stoning of the man who participated in the act.
John 8:6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have evidence to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.
Note the phrase “testing Him”. The scribes and Pharisees were not interested in justice or doing the right thing. They were trying to trap Jesus.
John 8:7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
John 8:8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
John 8:9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.
The text does not tell us why the men left or what sins caused them to refrain from stoning her. Perhaps they knew they were guilty of framing her. They may also have known deep down that they didn’t really care what the woman had done; instead, they just wanted to attack Jesus.
John 8:10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
John 8:11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go, and from now on sin no more.”]
Notice the closing bracket indicating the end of the section which is of questionable origin. Fortunately, the inclusion or exclusion of this passage in scripture does not change any major tenet of theology.
John 8:12 ¶ Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
We have heard this verse so many times, we fail to grasp how audacious it was for Jesus to say this. A candle brings light to a dark room and allows people to function in that room. Jesus claimed to be the One who brings light to the entire world.
John 8:13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are bearing witness about Yourself; Your witness is not true.”
The Pharisees had a good point. Any man can claim to be anything. His claim may or may not be true. If a man makes a claim about himself, it is reasonable to ask for proof of the claim.
In this case, Jesus had traveled to Jerusalem secretly, no one knew He was the One who had been performing miracles in Galilee, and now He was claiming to be the Light of the world. The Pharisees rationally pointed out He was not offering proof of His claim.
This is an issue today. When Christians preach the gospel, we claim Jesus is God and He is the only way to heaven. Non-believers rightly ask for proof that those things are true.
John 8:14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness about Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.
If the Jews still did not recognize that it was Jesus who was saying this, then this statement would have sounded like something a mad man would say.
Jesus came from heaven and was going back to heaven. Jesus is God Himself. Therefore, anything Jesus says about Himself is true.
Today, once we prove that Jesus is God, then it follows that anything Jesus said about Himself is true.
John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.
John 8:16 But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.
John 8:17 Even in your law it has been written that the witness of two men is true.
John 8:18 I am He who bears witness about Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness about Me.”
Jesus proved He is God by performing miracles. Giving Jesus the ability to perform miracles is how the Father bore witness about Jesus. The Father also bore witness about Jesus through the Old Testament scriptures because Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures.
There were eyewitnesses of the miracles of Jesus. They wrote down their observations and conclusions. We have those writings today. Those historically accurate writings are how we prove the truth about Jesus to 21st century skeptics.
John 8:19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”
John 8:20 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.
John 8:21 ¶ Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
Jesus was going to go back to heaven, but the Jews would not be able to follow Him to heaven. Jesus was talking to men who would never accept Him as God and Lord; therefore, they would die as unbelievers and never be able to go to heaven.
John 8:22 So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”
The Jews were not grasping what Jesus was saying.
John 8:23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world.
John 8:24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Once again we see the word “believe”. Belief is essential to salvation. Jesus said the Jews had to believe that He is God or else they would die in their sins which would result in spending eternity away from God.
John 8:25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?
Jesus knew He was the One who had performed miracles and taught in Galilee; thus, He had told them who He was.
John 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I am saying to the world.”
John 8:27 They did not know that He had been speaking to them about the Father.
The Jews did not grasp that Jesus was from God the Father.
Here are some questions for you to ponder.
What are some of the fundamental tenets of Christianity that are rejected by modern man?
How should Christians go about overcoming those objections?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”