What does John chapter 8 mean?
Accessed 3/4/2024 7:07:42 PMThe first section traditionally found in this chapter describes Jesus' encounter with opponents who bring a woman guilty of sin. Jesus exposes the men's hypocrisy: attempting to trick Jesus using the Law, while they are not accurately following it! Jesus also demonstrates that simply having power does not mean using it is always the best choice. That even applies to the authority to execute a guilty sinner. Instead, Jesus both demonstrates mercy and fully applies the letter and intent of the Law, as God intended: with "right judgment."
This story of the adulterous woman is almost certainly not original to this location in the gospel of John, or even to John at all. Different manuscripts have these verses in different places in John. Some manuscripts record the passage at the end of Luke. The earliest manuscripts do not include this story anywhere. Some scholars believe the story of the adulterous woman to be a true, accurate description of a real event. But these points of evidence suggest the story was not originally written in this exact place. Instead, the action interrupted after John 7:52 will resume in John 8:12. That makes the story a side note, not part of Jesus' actions during the Feast of Booths (John 7:52—8:11).
Jesus continues to teach at the Feast of Booths (John 7:37–38) with another analogy related to festival rituals. In this case, it is the burning of lamps, whose wicks were made from priestly garments. Jesus makes the second of His seven "I am" statements highlighted in the gospel of John, declaring that He is "the light of the world." This incorporates Jewish ideals of truth and knowledge, as well as professing to be the one and only source of spiritual truth (John 8:12).
This sets off a debate between Jesus and His most vehement opponents: the religious leaders of Jerusalem and their followers. John collectively refers to this faction as "the Jews." This culminates in an argument over genealogy: they are the descendants of Abraham, so they claim to be favored by God. Jesus points out that spiritual relationships matter more than family lines. Since children act like their fathers, those who legitimately follow God should be obedient to His message, as Abraham was. But the men opposing Jesus act more like the Devil: they deal in lies and murder (John 8:44; 5:18). That proves these men don't know God. In fact, they don't want to know God; the truth is something they can't bear to hear (John 8:13–43).
As the conversation continues, it will become more and more charged. Jesus' critics will resort to insults, smearing His birth (John 8:41) and suggesting that He is insane (John 8:48). Jesus will respond by continuing to discuss Abraham. He suggests that He has first-hand knowledge of Abraham's response to His own ministry (John 8:56). When the crowd misunderstands, Jesus explicitly claims to be God by declaring "before Abraham was, I am," using the same name God applied to Himself when speaking to Moses (John 8:58; Exodus 3:14). The reaction, as one would expect, was not only angry, but violent. Jesus' enemies once again try—unsuccessfully—to kill Him (John 8:44–59).
