John 8

John 8:1

¹but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives.

John 8:2-6

²Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down and taught them. ³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle, ⁴they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. ⁵Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?” ⁶They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.

Early in the temple Jesus teaches; scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery, citing Moses’ command to stone, testing Him.

John 8:7-8

⁷But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.” ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.

When they persist, Jesus says the sinless one may cast the first stone, then writes on the ground again.

John 8:9-10

⁹They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. ¹⁰Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”

Convicted, the accusers leave one by one; Jesus asks the woman where they are and whether anyone condemned her.

John 8:11

¹¹She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”

She says no one condemned her; Jesus tells her He does not condemn her, and to go and sin no more.

John 8:12

¹²Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus proclaims Himself the light of the world; whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.

John 8:13

¹³The Pharisees therefore said to him, “You testify about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”

Pharisees object that Jesus’ self-testimony is invalid.

John 8:14-18

¹⁴Jesus answered them, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you don’t know where I came from, or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one. ¹⁶Even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me. ¹⁷It’s also written in your law that the testimony of two people is valid. ¹⁸I am one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”

Jesus says His testimony is true because He knows His origin and destination; the Father also bears witness with Him.

John 8:19

¹⁹They said therefore 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.”

They ask where His Father is.

John 8:20-21

²⁰Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as he taught in the temple. Yet no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. ²¹Jesus said therefore again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins. Where I go, you can’t come.”

Jesus says knowing Him means knowing the Father; He teaches in the treasury unarrested because His hour has not come, and says He goes where they cannot come.

John 8:22

²²The Jews therefore said, “Will he kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going, you can’t come’?”

They wonder if He will kill Himself since they cannot follow where He goes.

John 8:23-24

²³He said to them, “You are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. ²⁴I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

Jesus contrasts being from above with being of the world and warns that unless they believe He is the One, they will die in their sins.

John 8:25

²⁵They said therefore to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

They ask who He is.

John 8:26

²⁶I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you. However, he who sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these I say to the world.”

Jesus says He speaks to the world what He heard from the One who sent Him, who is true.

John 8:27-29

²⁷They didn’t understand that he spoke to them about the Father. ²⁸Jesus therefore said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things. ²⁹He who sent me is with me. The Father hasn’t left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

They do not grasp He means the Father; Jesus says when they lift up the Son of Man they will know, and that He always does what pleases the Father who is with Him.

John 8:30-31

³⁰As he spoke these things, many believed in him. ³¹Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples.

Many believe; Jesus tells believing Jews that abiding in His word makes them true disciples who know the truth that frees.

John 8:32

³²You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Jesus promises that disciples who abide in His word will know the truth, and the truth will make them free.

John 8:33

³³They answered him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’?”

They claim Abrahamic descent and deny ever being in bondage.

John 8:34-35

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin. ³⁵A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever.

Jesus says everyone who sins is a slave of sin; only the Son frees forever; He speaks what He saw with the Father while they do what they heard from their father.

John 8:36

³⁶If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed—true liberation from slavery to sin.

John 8:37-38

³⁷I know that you are Abraham’s offspring, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father.”

Jesus says everyone who sins is a slave of sin; only the Son frees forever; He speaks what He saw with the Father while they do what they heard from their father.

John 8:39

³⁹They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

They insist Abraham is their father.

John 8:40-41

⁴⁰But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this. ⁴¹You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.”

Jesus says Abraham’s children would do Abraham’s works, not seek to kill a man who speaks God’s truth; they claim they were not born of fornication and have one Father—God.

John 8:42-47

⁴²Therefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but he sent me. ⁴³Why don’t you understand my speech? Because you can’t hear my word. ⁴⁴You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of lies. ⁴⁵But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me. ⁴⁶Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God.”

Jesus says if God were their Father they would love Him; they cannot hear because they are of their father the devil, a murderer and liar; whoever is of God hears God’s words.

John 8:48

⁴⁸Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?”

They insult Jesus as a Samaritan and demon-possessed.

John 8:49-51

⁴⁹Jesus answered, “I don’t have a demon, but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰But I don’t seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges. ⁵¹Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”

Jesus denies having a demon, seeks the Father’s glory, and promises that keeping His word means never seeing death.

John 8:52-53

⁵²Then the Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, ‘If a man keeps my word, he will never taste of death.’ ⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?”

They say Abraham and the prophets died, so Jesus’ death-promise proves He has a demon; they ask whom He makes Himself.

John 8:54-56

⁵⁴Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God. ⁵⁵You have not known him, but I know him. If I said, ‘I don’t know him,’ I would be like you, a liar. But I know him and keep his word. ⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

Jesus says the Father glorifies Him; they claim God as God yet do not know Him; Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus’ day.

John 8:57

⁵⁷The Jews therefore said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?”

They scoff that He is not yet fifty and could not have seen Abraham.

John 8:58

⁵⁸Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”

Jesus declares, “Before Abraham was born, I AM,” claiming eternal divine identity that sparks an attempt to stone Him.

John 8:59

⁵⁹Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, having gone through the middle of them, and so passed by.

They pick up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hides Himself and leaves the temple.

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