John 8:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

NIV: But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

NASB: And He was saying to them, 'You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.

CSB: "You are from below," he told them, "I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

NLT: Jesus continued, 'You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not.

KJV: And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

NKJV: And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

In this passage, Jesus not only makes grand claims about Himself, He also directly attacks the spirituality of the Pharisees, His primary critics. This conversation will continue to escalate, with Jesus making His claims more outrageous and His attacks more pointed. The Pharisees will counter with insults and accusations of insanity, before once again attempting to have Jesus stoned for blasphemy.

Jesus has recently referred to Himself as "the light of the world," which implies that He is the one, single source of spiritual truth (John 8:12). Jesus has also claimed to have been sent by God the Father (John 8:16). For this reason, Jesus claims to be able to speak of things which others on earth have never seen. Here, He makes a similar remark. The men attacking Him are part of the "the world," which carries a dual meaning in Scripture. "The world" can refer to the human, fallen, sinful mindset. It can also mean this physical realm. Both descriptions apply to the men Jesus is debating, but primarily, He means that this lowly place is where these men are from—where they were born. Jesus has His home in heaven and is not bound by the sins and errors of His detractors (Hebrews 4:15).

John 8:12–30 includes the second of Jesus' seven ''I am'' statements, as recorded in the gospel of John. Jesus' reference to light built on a ritual performed during the Feast of Booths, where lamps would be lit using wicks made from the robes of priests. This continues the dialogue of chapter 7, picking up where John 7:52 left off. The exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees will escalate, in part showing that Jesus was not afraid to directly castigate those who misled the people.

This begins with the story of the adulterous woman, a well-known but controversial passage. Most scholars believe this story is authentic, but not originally found in this exact spot in Scripture. The rest of chapter 8 continues Jesus' preaching during the Feast of Booths, where He once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. Here, Christ will make His second ''I am" statement, using the analogy of light, which is a common theme in Hebrew theology. This conversation will become more and more heated. Jesus' opponents become so enraged that they attempt to kill Him right then and there.

Jesus is attending the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. There He once again conflicts with local religious authorities. Previously, Jesus referred to Himself as a source of living water (John 7:37–38). That built on the festival's ritual pouring of water in the temple. In this chapter, Jesus will do something similar with the imagery of lights also related to festival traditions. This demonstrates Jesus' willingness to be direct, even aggressive, with His critics. The next few chapters will complete Jesus' public ministry, as He prepares for His impending death.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.