I’m not what you’d call a jet-setter, but because of mission trips over the years, I’ve done my share of flying, especially long overseas flights. In 2022, I went on a mission trip to Cape Town, and Radene didn’t travel with me that year, so this happened to me. On one of the longer flights, I sat next to a stranger.
This guy initiated the conversation before we even got off the ground. This guy was mesmerizing to talk with. We probably talked for two hours straight. It was the most entertaining and fun talk I think I’ve ever had with a stranger. He was just good at it.
Honestly, I don’t remember his name now, but I remember everything else fairly well. He is/was an entrepreneur who owned warehouses all up and down the eastern coast. He was Jewish; he went to synagogue and visited regularly with his rabbi; he had a wife and six children; and he was, by all outward measures, an enormous success. I did eventually turn the conversation toward Jesus, but it didn’t really go anywhere. So far, I’ve never met anyone else that engaging who was able to draw me into a conversation so effortlessly and keep it interesting. That was why I had to basically interrupt and ask, “Who are you?”
Recall that in chapter seven, the officers sent to arrest Jesus got mesmerized by His words and returned to the Pharisees empty-handed. They said, “No one ever spoke like this man!” Who are you? It’s the pivotal question of this entire chapter. We’re going to look at the whole of chapter 8 and answer two big questions: “Who is He?” and “Who are we?”
Who Is He?
The Pharisees and the Jews who momentarily believed in Him both asked the question, “Who are you?” in verse 25 and in verse 53, “Who do you make yourself out to be?” But neither were asking in the right spirit.
If you’ve paid attention along the way, there is a traceable thread that John has been weaving. In 1:21, 6:14, and 7:40, “the Prophet” is mentioned. Why do the people keep saying this? Why did the priests and Levites ask John the Baptizer if he was the Prophet?
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
— Deuteronomy 18:18 (ESV)
The people were expecting a prophet like Moses to arise. What does it mean to be a prophet like Moses? First, that prophet would perform the signs that Moses performed. Second, he would be a Deliverer like Moses. This is where much of the expectation that Messiah would deliver Israel from Rome came from. Finally, he would be a covenant-giving prophet.
What had Jesus done up to this point? Moses turned water into blood; Jesus turned water into wine (which, fittingly, would later represent His blood). With Moses, manna was given from heaven; Jesus provided bread for 5000 people from five loaves. Moses struck the rock and gave Israel water; Jesus declared that He gives living water, and that whoever believes in Him would have rivers of living water flow from him. Jesus has been answering the question through His works, and the people have noticed and are coming to the right conclusion: “This really is the Prophet!”
The Pharisees have noticed, have seen His works, have even concluded a few things about Him that are true. However, He did not come to deliver us from Rome, or from any empire, but from the original slave master: sin. And this becomes their biggest hang-up because not only were they hoping for deliverance from Rome, but they were blind to their slavery to sin.
Two Trials
There are two trials in this chapter; both have the religious folks ready to pronounce judgment and stone someone. This first trial, with the woman, demonstrates Christ’s mercy and justice together. He called the Pharisees out, saying that if any of them are sinless, they may cast the first stone. The Pharisees realized their trap had backfired, dropped their stones, and left. Jesus didn’t deny that she had sinned, but He chose mercy, and He sent her away with the admonition to stop sinning.
Jesus gave this woman mercy and instructed her to repent and change her ways. Jesus healed the paralytic in chapter 5 and told him to stop sinning so that nothing worse will happen to him. Jesus loved both of them enough to make them whole, and call them to a life of repentance. You cannot be born again and at the same time be the same person you always were.
In the second trial, Jesus gives the religious crowd truth, and it just hardens their hearts over and over. Jesus may appear to be the one on trial here because they attempted to stone Him by the end, but really, it’s these Pharisees and Jews who are on trial. What will they do with the truth that they’ve witnessed?
Again 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.”
— John 8:12 (ESV)
This statement was loaded. The Feast of Tabernacles had just concluded, and every day of the festival included the ceremonial lighting of candelabras in the Temple courts. The ceremonial lighting of the temple courts during Tabernacles created a visual proclamation of God’s presence and guidance. Jesus’ claim here is that He is the embodiment of the LORD’s presence and guidance. He is claiming to be the fulfillment of what the Feast of Tabernacles was looking forward to.
Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
— John 8:34–36 (ESV)
The people’s response was audacious. They claimed to be children of Abraham, and that they had never been enslaved to anyone. It’s an incredibly short-sighted claim. Ever hear of the Exodus? Does Babylon ring a bell? And why do you suppose Jerusalem has a Roman governor? But that’s not even what Jesus was aiming at. The spiritual bondage to sin is the slavery that is most concerning.
Before Abraham Was, I Am
Jesus never denies that He is the Prophet. The clash with the Jews is that He is claiming something GREATER than the Prophet. He is claiming to be divine. He is claiming Sonship in the capital-letter sense of the word. He is claiming to be Yahweh in the flesh.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
— John 8:58–59 (ESV)
Who is He? He is the I AM! I hear people say Jesus never claimed to be God. Either they haven’t read this or just outright ignore its plain meaning! He claimed the personal name of Yahweh! They could not accept that because of the hardness of their hearts. If you can’t confess that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, then you are lost and without hope! But if you believe this, then He changes EVERYTHING!! How can you live the same knowing such a marvelous truth?
Who Are We?
The religious crowd thought they knew who they were. But again, Jesus redirects their attention.
You 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.
— John 8:44 (ESV)
Who are we? Let’s make one thing clear: we are not all children of God. Despite what is popularly said, not everyone is in Yahweh’s family. Even though He is our Creator and sustains the lives of everyone who breathes, that is not sufficient to be a son or a daughter of the LORD.
Strong words. True words. Words that challenge what we have come to accept as the normal Christian life. You’d think that this would’ve pierced these religious folks to the heart, but it had the opposite effect. They hardened even more. They called Him a Samaritan and demon-possessed. Think about that: moments ago, they said they believed, but now they are walking in utter disbelief. The solution for Jesus isn’t to speak less truth, but to keep speaking the same truth, and even more explicitly, so that the hardness of their hearts is utterly exposed.
Trial concluded. Verdict? The hearts of the religious crowd were given light and truth, but they refused it. They revealed who they were. Not children of Abraham, not children of God, but children of the devil. Why? Because they act like him. Jesus gave us a simple test. Want to know who you are? Figure out who you act like. But remember, everyone in Yahweh’s human family is currently a work in progress. Don’t turn this test into a merit-based entrance exam. But the premise is this: new creations are just that: new. We are fundamentally changed when we are born again. Whatever is in the heart eventually comes out.
Jesus is full of grace and mercy for the humble and broken – the woman – but isn’t satisfied that we remain the same. When He forgives you, He calls you to stop sinning, repent, cease returning to the same empty wells, and come to Him. But to the proud – the Pharisees, the religious crowd – no amount of mercy leads to repentance, and no amount of truth brings conviction. The proud will be left to themselves, convinced of their rightness, never see the truth, and die in their sins. It was true then; it’s true today.
We have no high ground from which to become self-righteous. We are the woman caught in adultery who has been forgiven and admonished to sin no more. We deserved the stones, but we received mercy. In a manner of speaking, Jesus took our stones for us. He was indeed lifted up, hung high on the cross for us, in our place.
It’s not too late. Humble yourself. Break up the hardened soil of your heart. Come to Jesus in repentance, even if you don’t fully understand what it’ll mean tomorrow; today is the day of salvation. Understanding comes after repentance, not before.
Whose Are You?
That guy I sat with on the plane was a great guy. But when I asked him who he was, I was hit with a resume: successful businessman, family man, a religious man. The religious people that Jesus sparred with did something similar: “We’re Abraham’s children.” But Jesus made it clear. It’s not so much “Who are we?” as it is “Whose are we?” That’s really the crux of the matter.
Do you know that you’re lost? Are you someone who has been in church your whole life, but the realization has been gnawing at your conscience that you apparently are actually unsaved and remain in your sins? Where do you find yourself? Are you convicted, or conceited? Are you broken or tough as nails? Does the reality of who Jesus says He is lead you to live a devoted life of discipleship, worship, adoration, and imitation, or are you just kind of meh about Jesus because you’ve heard about Him your whole life?
Meh is a dangerous place. Don’t let embarrassment keep you from eternal life. It is better to admit you were wrong than to stay wrong forever.