John 8:46 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

NIV: Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?

NASB: Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?

CSB: Who among you can convict me of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?

NLT: Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me?

KJV: Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

NKJV: Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?

In responding to His critics, Jesus has already pointed out the evidence to which they have access. This includes Scripture (John 5:39–40), miracles (John 8:18; John 5:36), eyewitnesses (John 5:32–33), and His own God-given words (John 8:26). The fact that they reject these is not because they cannot understand, but because they will not understand. They are the spiritual children of the devil, who is a murder and liar (John 8:44). So, they are bound to reject what Jesus teaches. It's the truth, which they "cannot bear" to hear (John 8:43).

At this point, Jesus also brings out another major piece of evidence which supports His claims: His sinless life. If the religious leaders had a single incident which they could use to accuse Jesus of immorality, they would have already brought it out. This is why they resorted to cheap tricks and challenges—they had no other "dirt" to throw. Here, Jesus brings this up directly: none of these men can accuse Him of any sin!

This ties into the hypocrisy of their rejection. If Jesus is attested to by miracles (John 20:30–31), displays a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), and speaks the truth, why would they not believe Him? The answer will be repeated in the next verse: they are not of God and do not want to hear.

John 8:31–59 is a passage which dovetails with John 2:13–22, where Jesus drives corrupt businessmen from the temple. These Scriptures disprove any myths that Jesus was weak, timid, passive, or soft. In this exchange with the Pharisees, Jesus pulls no punches. Jerusalem's religious leaders, and their followers, continue to resist Jesus' preaching. They rely on arrogance and insults, to which Jesus responds with blunt, unfiltered condemnation. This culminates in Jesus making an overt statement of His own divinity, punctuating the debate by declaring ''before Abraham was, I am!''

John chapter 8 includes 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. This chapter 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. Eventually, Jesus' opponents are enraged enough to attempt killing Him right then and there.

Jesus is attending the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem, and has once again come into conflict with the local religious authorities. In the previous chapter, Jesus referred to Himself as a source of living water, playing off of the festivals' ritual pouring of water in the temple. In this chapter, Jesus will use the imagery of lights, also related to festival traditions. This chapter 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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.