Verses 1-2 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
Jesus often went to the mount of Olives to pray and be alone. The Mount of Olives was also known as Mount Olivet and the town of Bethany was located on its slopes. When He returned to the city and the Temple, Jesus sat down among the people and had a Bible study.
Application: One can only imagine what listening to the voice and the teaching of God, very God would have been like. There would have been no error or false teaching or misunderstanding and misinterpreting the Old Testament writings, only truth. Does Jesus sit down and teach His followers today? Yes, through the written Word, the Bible, and through revelation by the Holy Ghost/Spirit. One just has to take the time to sit down with Him and read the Scripture and listen for His voice.
Verses 3-4 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
The religious leaders, trying to find something with which to accuse Jesus and discredit Him, brought this woman and placed her before Him as they gathered all around both of them. This was a public forum as Jesus was teaching many people. They interrupted Jesus’ teaching and they declared that this woman was sinning when they took her. So the question remains, “With which one of the Scribes or Pharisees standing before Jesus accusing was she committing adultery?” She could not have been caught sinning if they had not had prior knowledge of her whereabouts and activities. Scribes and Pharisees didn’t just wander the streets, peeking into windows and doorways, looking for adulterers or harlots. Notice that they called Jesus Master which meant teacher.
Verses 5-6 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
Mosaic law did demand death to those committing the sin of adultery. “And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 20:10 The Scribes and Pharisees, if they did indeed catch this woman in a physical relationship with a man, should have brought the man along too if they were seriously desirous of obeying Mosaic law. If Jesus said not to stone her, He would be guilty of breaking the law. If Jesus said to stone her, He would not be professing love and forgiveness of sins. So what did Jesus do? He just ignored these hypocritical men, stooped down, and starting writing on the ground with his finger.
Application: Three times God wrote. The first time was on Mount Sinai when He wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets for Moses to give to the Hebrew people. Scripture says the Ten Commandments were written with the finger of God, the finger representing the power of God. The second time was when He wrote on the wall of Belshazzar’s palace telling him that his kingdom was going to be overthrown by the Medes and the Persians. This time a man’s hand appeared on the wall and wrote again using a finger. And the third time was when Jesus, who is God, wrote in the dirt on the Temple floor with His finger as recorded above. Three times God personally communicated in writing to mankind. The rest of His communication was through the prophets and the apostles. Notice the progression: first a finger, then a hand, and then the entire body of Jesus Christ, God manifested in the flesh. Yet mankind continued to reject the lordship of God Almighty. His Law was rejected, His judgement was rejected, and His mercy was rejected.
Verses 7-8 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
The Scribes and Pharisees must have thought that they had Jesus in a corner since He did not respond to them. They thought He was “stuck” so they kept pressing Him, asking Him to comment on the situation. They were too arrogant to suspect that they were being ignored. So Jesus finally stood up and looking at them He said one sentence, and then He went back to writing with His finger in the dirt. What did He write? Whatever it was, it caused the Scribes and Pharisees to slink away one by one as recorded in the verse below.
Application: The words written to Moses and to Belshazzar are known and recorded in Scripture. The words written here by Jesus are not recorded in Scripture. But this writer believes one can guess what was written. More than likely Jesus wrote the Ten Commandments in the dirt when He first stooped down and began writing. Why? Because they were the first words written by the finger of God as recorded in Scripture and because they were/are the Law that the religious elite were accusing the woman of violating and the standard by which they had accused her and by which they wanted to judge and condemn her to death. Furthermore, Jesus knew these men only gave lip service to the Law as they followed their own law, the Babylonian Talmud. Then, when Jesus stooped down the second time after telling the accusers to stone the woman if they were without sin themselves, He wrote the names of the men accusing the woman of adultery. Each man’s name was written next to the commandment that had been broken. More than likely, the list of names was lengthy next to the commandment saying, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. Exodus 20:14 Although this is only this writer’s supposition based on Jeremiah 17:13 which says, “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.” it makes sense as these religious leaders were using the Law to convict the woman and so Jesus used the Law to convict the accusers. Were the Scribes and Pharisees ashamed? Verse 9 below says they were convicted and walked away, so yes they were ashamed. Had they forsaken Jesus? Yes, they wanted to kill Him. Were their names written in the earth? Yes, and they knew that Jesus knew their sins and what they were guilty of, and perhaps in some cases they were as guilty of the death penalty as was the woman they had drug through the streets to the Temple and humiliated publicly. It is dangerous to accuse others of sin when sin is also in the life of the accuser. “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:2 The LORD will judge someone who accuse others and condemns them by the same criteria the accuser uses.
Verse 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Jesus did not publicly reveal the sins of these men, although He could have by responding verbally to them. Instead He wrote in the dirt and they were around Him, blocking others in the crowd from seeing what was written. He was merciful and did not expose them for the hypocrites they were. Jesus simply provided the truth and let their consciences convict them. Notice that those who presented as being the most righteous in Jewish society were nothing more than wicked, unrepentant sinners. The woman, however, knew she was a sinner and did not try to make excuses for her actions even though she was facing death by stoning. So after the Scribes and Pharisees withdrew, the woman was left standing with Jesus and the people Jesus had been teaching who would have been witnesses of this conflict between Jesus, the woman, and the religious leaders. One can only imagine what these people were thinking and what they were learning after watching Jesus defeat the elite without argument and with a gentle and forgiving attitude.
Verses 10-11 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
When the verse above says that Jesus saw none but the woman it is referring to the absence of the accusers and not to the multitude He had been teaching as the following verses indicate that those attending the Bible study were still there listening and learning.
Application: Notice that the Scribes and Pharisees accused, but they could not condemn. Only the LORD Jesus Christ can condemn someone as He is the final judge of all things. Also notice that Jesus told the woman to, “go and sin no more.” So often people make excuses for their sins and claim that they just could not help themselves. This cannot be true as Jesus said to sin no more. Sinning is a choice, and not a condition of helplessness. If someone claiming to be a born again Christian, washed in the blood of Jesus and cleansed from all unrighteousness sins and keeps sinning, it is a choice and the salvation of that individual can be questioned. Jesus gives His Holy Ghost/Spirit to all believers to assist them in living a sin-free life. Continual sinning indicates a lack of the presence of the Spirit of God.
Verse 12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
In today’s modern world, most people never walk in darkness. House lights that come on with the flick of a wall switch, automobile headlights, flashlights, headlights, cell phone lights, street lights, and so forth provide an environment where most people never experience a darkness that makes walking or working extremely difficult if not impossible. People in Bible days knew what it was like to be in true darkness in the physical world. So the people to whom Jesus was speaking understood darkness. But Jesus was not talking about physical light and darkness, but spiritual light and darkness. Those who follow Him are not blinded to truth and understand what is required to have eternal life in Heaven. They know where they are going and never become lost in their spiritual walk. “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD. and stay upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
Verses 13-14 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
Even though the men who had accused the woman taken in adultery had left the scene, there were still hypocritical Pharisees in the crowd challenging everything that Jesus said. They basically were saying to the crowd that Jesus was self proclaimed and that He had not gone to their rabbinical school and was therefore not qualified to make the statements He was making. He was not one of them, learned in their law and in their religion, and therefore He was making false statements and lying about Himself. Jesus countered their words by referring to His record which was true. What record? He had always claimed to be God Almighty. He had said that He and the Father were One and that if they had seen Him, they had seen the Father. He had fulfilled prophesy which the Pharisees were very well aware of. And he had healed the sick and raised the dead, things which only God can do. He had cast out devils, calmed wild weather, created food for thousands of people and He spoke with the authority of God Almighty. He had a record that proved He was God, very God, and therefore He was also the Creator, the One who had made the world and who had made physical light to pierce the darkness. The sad thing was that these men failed to recognize that Jesus had come from Heaven, clothed Himself with a body of flesh, and that He would return to Heaven after establishing His spiritual Kingdom here on Earth. They did not know him.
Application: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the father by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” Hebrews 1:1-2 “All things were made by Him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3 Jesus came from Heaven and He was going to go back to Heaven, so He knew from whence He came and wither He was going, but the Pharisees did not know Him and so they could not have eternal life in Heaven. In today’s world, the majority of people do not know Jesus Christ and will not be going to Heaven. Therefore, it is important for true Christian believers to share the Gospel with anyone they can anytime there is an opportunity.
Verses 15-18 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. 16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
Notice that Jesus said, “it is also written in your law” and not “it is also written in the Law of Moses”. This writer has said many times that the Jews of Jesus’ day were not following, and the Jews of today are not following God’s Law and Mosaic Law, but they were/are following their own law, written by their own rabbis going back to the Babylonian captivity, the Babylonian Talmud. The Jewish leaders only followed the religious Law which included animal sacrifices and the celebration of feast days, primarily because they made money from the people. But when it was convenient, they would quote or use Mosaic Law to suit their purposes.
Application: Jesus did not come to Earth to judge, but to save people from their sins. However, there is a final day coming when Jesus Christ will return to Earth as Judge, and His judgment will be true and final. When that happens, on the last day, salvation will no longer be available to sinful mankind. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11 On judgement day, whatever state people are in spiritually, they will remain in that state and they will be found either guilty of rejecting the Gospel and be sentenced to Hell, or they will be found not guilty of rejecting the Gospel but of loving their LORD and they will be sentenced to eternity in Heaven.
Verses 19-20 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
It was forbidden for the Pharisees to speak with a boy under the age of 13 unless they did not know who the boy’s father was. Jesus was 12 years old when He taught them in the Temple, which proves that they did not know then who His father was. The Temple was the hall of records where births and deaths, etc., were recorded and genealogy was always important to the Hebrew people as they wanted to be able to prove their pedigree or from which tribe they were descended. Why, because ownership of the land was predicated upon being able to prove who one’s ancestors were. In the year of Jubilee, all land sales or rentals ended and the land was returned to the owners descended from the original ancestors who were given the land by Joshua when Palestine was first conquered and settled by the Hebrew people. So because Jesus Christ had no earthly father, the Temple records would reflect this, and the Pharisees would not know who Jesus’ father was. In their mind, Jesus was an illegitimate son. But had they personally known and experienced Jesus and accepted the fact that He fulfilled the Law and the prophets, they would have known His Father was God, very God, just as Jesus claimed.
Verse 21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
Application: Like the Pharisees, when people do not know Jesus and die in their sins, they cannot inherit eternal life in Heaven with the LORD.
Verses 22-23 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
The Pharisees were unable to make spiritual applications to what Jesus was saying to them and were only looking at the physical and the things of the world. Therefore Jesus told them they were from this world, whereas He was from Heaven above. This would not have pleased these men as again, Jesus was pointing out to them that He was God.
Verse 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
Application: Jesus was very patient with these evil Jewish leaders and tried repeatedly to get them to understand who He was and the consequences of rejecting His lordship. But the verse above sums up the situation and cannot be taken out of context to mean other than it says. Plain and simply, if one does not believe Jesus is God very God and dies without forgiveness of sins, there is no hope and only eternity in Hell and the Lake of Fire.
Verses 25-27 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27 They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.
The Pharisees kept pressing Jesus, not because they really wanted answers to their questions, but because they wanted to discredit Him in front of all the people in the crowd listening to this discourse. And they were hoping to get Jesus to make statements that were blasphemous according to their laws so that they could arrest Him. Once again, Jesus gives these evil men truth, and once again they don’t understand and don’t want to understand the truth.
Application: Jesus said on numerous occasions that He and the Father were One and that everything He said or did came from the Father. “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” John 5:19 “I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” John 5:30 “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” John 14:10-11 So here were the religious leaders of the Jews, the guides who were supposed to show the people the way to righteousness, dialoguing with God, very God, clothed with a body of flesh and standing in their midst and they refused to listen to Him and to consider His words. This is the condition of the Jews today and of most Gentiles as God’s Word is freely available in the Bible, and the Holy Ghost/Spirit is freely given to all who will listen to Him and who will consider His words. But just as Jesus predicted that the Pharisees would die in their sins and not be able to follow Him to Heaven, so will the masses living on the Earth today die in their sins and not be able to follow Jesus to Heaven, unless they repent and acknowledge Jesus Christ as LORD.
Verses 28-29 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Two situations are presented in verse 28. The first one was natural, the lifting up of Jesus on a wooden cross to die a tortuous death and to be humiliated before sinful mankind. When this event happened, the Earth was plunged into darkness, there was an earthquake, and the 18 inch thick curtain in the Temple separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the building was torn from the top to the bottom exposing the lie of the Jewish religious system as the Ark of the Covenant was not there and had not been there since the Babylonian captivity. It was all a facade of the Jewish elite. All of these powerful events would confirm who Jesus was and so Jesus was predicting His death and the testimony that would follow in this conversation with the Pharisees in the Temple. The second situation was spiritual. When mankind lifts up Jesus in prayer and worship, there is no doubt as to Who it is that is being prayed to and worshipped. This is evident by the witness of unsaved men and women who reach out to Jesus Christ in their moment of desperation and seek Him and find Him. Their lives are changed and they become born again or new men and women. Their old lives, their old sins, and their devils are no longer controlling them. They are free in Jesus Christ and they know it.
Verses 30-32 As he spake these words, many believed on him. 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Application: The Apostle John wrote that many people believed Jesus and what He was saying. The problem is that just believing is not enough. Believers have to continue to follow Jesus and to seek and understand the truth of the Gospel through His written Word and through the teaching of the Holy Ghost/Spirit who resides inside all true believers. Initial salvation is a quick process, but maintaining that salvation is a life long task and is the responsibility of each Christian believer. Scripture is clear that only those who endure to the end (end of physical life) will be truly saved. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Verse 33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
The Pharisees were quick to lie by claiming that they were never in bondage to anyone. They knew their ancestral history and they knew about the more than 400 years of captivity and bondage in Egypt, but lying was a way of life for them. And they were incapable of understanding the spiritual application of Jesus’ words.
Application: There are Christians on Earth today who are in prison for their Faith or who are in prison for criminal reasons and then met Jesus while in captivity. Physically they are in bondage, but spiritually they are free: free of sin and its consequences, free of evil spirits, free of the death sentence of eternity in Hell, and free in their hearts and minds to be in the very presence of a merciful, all powerful, loving God.
Verses 34-36 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they were in bondage because of sin. Sin creates both a physical and a spiritual bondage that is difficult to get out of as evil spirits are present and taking control of the soul: the mind, the will, and the emotions. Once embroiled in sinful pursuits, sinful thoughts, or sinful communications, the individual becomes the servant of those sins. Examples are the sin of alcohol consumption, the sin of drug usage, and/or the sin of gambling. At first the individual dabbles in these things, but eventually they consume and destroy, causing loss of finances, loss of relationships, and loss of physical health. But no matter how caught up an individual is in sinful activities, the LORD Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can make him/her free and restore all that has been broken in life and in spirit.
Verses 37-38 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Clearly Jesus was telling the Pharisees that the difference between them was that His father was God and their father was Satan. He served His Father and spoke words of truth that were directly from the throne of God, whereas they served and spoke words full of lies and deceit that were directly from Satan. They may have had a genetic tie to the patriarch Abraham, but they were not in any way following the example of Abraham who loved and served God. They, instead of serving God, wanted to kill God. Why? Because Satan wanted to kill God if possible and usurp His throne. A careful study of both the Old and New Testament books will reveal Satan’s efforts down through time to destroy the manner in which the LORD Jesus Christ was to come to Earth and establish a New Covenant in His blood.
Verses 39-40 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
The Pharisees did not like being told that Satan was their father, so they did protest. Again, Jesus was speaking in spiritual terms as He already acknowledged that the Pharisees were physical descendants of Abraham.
Verse 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
The deeds of the Pharisees were evil, Satan is evil, and so Jesus told the truth. In retaliation, once again the Pharisees focused on the physical and not the spiritual and brought up what they believed was Jesus’ questionable physical birth. Since He had no physical father recorded in the Temple records, in their minds He had to be illegitimate and, as they put it, born of fornication. But if Jesus was going to claim His Father, God, then they would too.
Application: The words of the Pharisees in this chapter should help Christian believers today understand the mind of unrepentant people calling themselves Jews. Their primary focus is on the physical world and they do not believe in a future spiritual world with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As such, they have to get everything they can in this world as that is all there is. Jewish philosopher Werner Sombert wrote in his work, The Economic Life of Jews, “The fundamental characteristic feature of the Jewish religion consists in the fact that it is a religion which has nothing to do with the other world, but, as one might say, is solely materialistic. . .” They believe that they can, in this world, achieve godhood and they do not particularly care how they attain this status. Lying, stealing, cheating, killing, and any other way of achieving their goals is condoned by their Babylonian Talmud and Kabbala as they believe they are a superior race of people and all other races are to fulfill the destiny of the Jews and to serve them, even if that means the genocide of entire races of people. Hence the cruelty in Palestine for the last 80 plus years and the reason why historically they were expelled from so many countries. The LORD Jesus Christ knew the hearts and minds of the Jews He was interacting with, and He knew what their descendants would believe and do, hence He knew that their spiritual father was Satan.
Verse 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Again, Jesus makes a clear claim to deity. He was sent by God, He came from God, He is God. This was not a new idea to the Pharisees as they knew well the prophecies of Scripture, including those of the prophet Moses. “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet (capital) from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken” Deuteronomy 18:15 No wonder Jesus kept asking these evil religious leaders why they did not listen to and understand what He was telling them. Moses, who they claimed to follow and revere, had written that they were to follow this Prophet as they had followed him in the wilderness.
Verses 43-45 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Jesus was telling the Pharisees and all those who were listening that they were just like the Devil. Therefore, their character was conformed to Satan and they were liars and murderers. And this was proven to be true when they lied about Jesus committing a crime worthy of death, when they brought in false witnesses at Jesus’ unlawful “trial”, and when they insisted on crucifying Him. They lied and they murdered the very Son of God who was their prophesied Messiah. They were of their father, the Devil. And they were not going to allow any one else to possibly rule over them or change their Babylonian religious system that provided them power, position, respect and authority.
Verses 46-47 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
The Greek word translated as “convinceth” is “elegcho” and it means to convict, to expose, to find fault with, to correct or chide, to admonish, or to show one his fault. Jesus was asking to identify themselves as the ones who were convicting Him of committing sin. Since no one apparently came forward with any evidence of wrongdoing, Jesus once again told them clearly that they did not know God or understand the Word of God. After all, they were standing in the very presence of God and failed to comprehend the truth.
Verse 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
Backed up into a political, religious, and moral corner in which the Pharisees could not answer Jesus and refute His Words, they tried another tactic by claiming that Jesus was a Samaritan and therefore had a devil. The Samaritans were residents of Samaria to the north of Judah and were considered to be half breeds by the Jews. They were descended from the 10 northern tribes or Israel who had intermarried with Assyrians and other Gentiles and they were hated more by the Jews than “regular” Gentiles were hated. The Samaritans were in the land of Palestine when the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in the days of the prophets Nehemiah and Ezra.
Verses 49-51 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
The LORD Jesus Christ continued to show patience, mercy and love to these rude Pharisees regardless of the insults they continued to shower Him with in front of other people who had gathered to hear what Jesus had to say. He did not defend Himself with anything other than the Truth. Every time He turned the communication to the spiritual, the Pharisees failed to grasp the concepts being put forth and continued to argue from a natural, physical perspective. In verse 51 above Jesus is speaking about spiritual death, separation from God for eternity, but they did not understand.
Verses 52-53 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
All the Pharisees could understand was that everyone died physically and so they believed that Jesus was lying and elevating Himself above the prophets in making this promise.
Verses 54-56 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
Abraham understood that the Messiah was going to come and visit His people through the experience of being commanded to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on a fiery altar. God provided a ram caught in a thicket for Abraham to kill and offer as a burn sacrifice in place of Isaac which was a foreshadowing of His providing His only Son, Jesus, as the sacrificial Lamb for the remission of mankind’s sins. Since Jesus was/is God, He transcends time and was in the past with Abraham and all the Old Testament prophets, was in the present time of the writing of the book of John with the Pharisees in Jerusalem, and has been to the future. So He could make the statement that He knew Abraham and that Abraham knew Him. But this was all spiritual and not restrained by time or place and the carnal Pharisees did not have a clue as to what Jesus was saying.
Verses 57-59 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (John 8)
The words, I Am, are indicative of deity or of being God with a capital G and not a god with a lower case g. Why is this important? Because the Jews under the teachings of the Talmud and Kabbala had/have other gods. To a certain degree they had adopted paganism and the gods of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece and Rome. They still acknowledged the God of Moses, but He was just one of many. So to say, “I am”, meant that there was no other gods but One and Jesus was saying clearly that He was that One. So in typical fashion, the Jews decided to stone Jesus to death without arrest or trial. But Jesus simply walked through them and out of the Temple which was a miracle.