John 8

I Am the Light of the World

¹²Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”¹³So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.”¹⁴Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony 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.¹⁵You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.¹⁶Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.¹⁷In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true.¹⁸I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”¹⁹They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”²⁰These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

²¹So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”²²So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”²³He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.²⁴I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”²⁵So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.²⁶I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”²⁷They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.²⁸So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.²⁹And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”³⁰As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”³³They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.³⁵The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.³⁷I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.³⁸I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,⁴⁰but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.⁴¹You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.⁴³Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.⁴⁴You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.⁴⁵But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.⁴⁶Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?⁴⁷Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I Am

⁴⁸The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”⁴⁹Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.⁵⁰Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.⁵¹Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”⁵²The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”⁵⁴Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’⁵⁵But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”⁵⁷So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”⁵⁸Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”⁵⁹So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.