ST JOHN
CHAPTER 8
The woman taken in adultery—Christ is the light of the world—He again proclaims his Messiahship—True children of Abraham believe in Christ—‘Before Abraham was I Jehovah.’
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple,[ Jesus is in a public place teaching a large group of people. The Pharisees intentionally pick a public area with plenty of witnesses to pull off what they think is a sure-fire plan to get him into trouble. ] and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes [ A scribes responsibility was to write down or copy word for word what was said. It was not their duty or responsibility to change, altar or modify in any way what was written. However; it was the scribes who were the ones who modified the text of the old testament books to remove or alter what the Messiah would do and be. They changed him to become a political figure such that the people would not recognize the Savior when he did come. They removed the ordinances and covenants to their ways, ways in which they could control the people through "the Law". for this reason Jesus holds some of his strongest rebukes for the scribes because these were the very ones who were manipulating the text to have it read the way that they wanted - they were perverting that ways of God. ] and Pharisees brought unto him a woman [ Note only the woman is brought before Jesus. Where is the man with whom she had committed the act? I believe it takes 2 does it not? Why wasn't he brought as well? What does this say of the Pharisee's motives, as well as what Jesus says to them in v. 7? Double standard. ] taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? [ What logic was really couched in this question? They had what they thought was a well planned trap for Jesus. The question is, will he go against the law of Moses, or will he go against the Romans who have removed from them the power to use capital punishment, and this effort to trap him. 1) If he agreed with Moses that she should be stoned, he would both a) arouse the ire of the people generally by advocating the reinstution of a penalty which did not have popular support, and b) run counter to the prevailing civil law prescribed by Rome - Then they could use this as a reason to have Jesus brought to trial.. 2) If he disagreed with Moses and avocated anything less than death by stoning, he would be accused of preverting the law, and of advocating disrespect of the departure from the hallowed practices of the past. ]
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.[ They are not really interested in the sins of the woman as much as they are trying to find reason to kill Jesus. These are the religious leaders who are willing to destroy this woman in order to rid themselves of Jesus. ] But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, [ the apocraphia while it cannot be generally trusted says this about the incident. It sounds right so it might give us additional insite. It says that the accusers were closest to him, and as Jesus began to write they individually looked over his shoulder, Jesus did not turn around to see who was looking, but he wrote the individual sins of the person looking over his sholder, one by one as they looked liar, thief, adulturer, murderer - no wonder they left. What does this teach us about the nature and characteristics of the Savior? 1) he could have brought their names up out loud - embarassing them in front of everyone. No he did it in a manner that they knew, and that they knew that he knew - that was enough. Now it would be interesting to see what they each did after they left. Did they recognize that they were wrong and change their ways or did they just dismiss the incident an go on as before? How do we react when we are taught that we are doing something wrong? ] as though he heard them not. [ sometimes it is better to take a moment; to listen to the spirit; to not answer immediately - there is power in the contemplation of the answer. ]
7 so when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin [ In part saying is your sin better than her sin; because you all are sinners to some extent. Now think what Jesus has just done, declared specific sins to those comdemning the women How could you possible stay? would you want to stick around and see what he had in store next for you? ] among you, let him first cast a stone [ the Law required the accusing and convicting witness to cast the first stone, cf. Deut. 17:7. ] at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.[ he repeated the process over and over until all of the accusers were gone.]
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, [ and with a little help as Jesus was slowly spelling it out on the ground to them ] went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman,[ lower case ] he said unto her, Woman,[ Upper case – denoting royality queens and princesses in the New Testament or a royal title. Note how the son of God treats a sinner. He shows her great respect. He knows of her eternal lineage. ] where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? [ The Old Testament law required that the witness to the breaking of this commandment was supposed to cast the first stone at the lawbreaker. Technically speaking, the witness against the accused was the only one who had a right to do that, because ostensibly he would be the only one there without sin. ]
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee:[ Even though she had been caught breaking the law and never denied it, Christ told her that He was not condemning her for using her agency. This is coming from the God who gave the law to the children of Israel. Does Jesus forgive her of her sins? This is not in any sense a pardon. He does not say "go thy way thy sins are forgiven thee." He merely declines to act as the magistrate, judge and witness, or participant in any kind of case that legally and properly should come before an official tribunal of which he is not a member. ] go, and sin no more. [ Jesus is telling the woman to sin no more because by not sinning, she can become happy. So what Jesus is really saying to the woman is, “I am not going to condemn you for using your agency, but if you really want to be happy here and in the next life, you need to make some changes.” Go and repent of your sins. See JS Translation—she went and glorified God from that hour – or she went and did as she was commanded.]
12 ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: [ Although the Feast of Tabernacles was over by the time we get here, it had likely not been over for very long (see vs 2). Jesus was still teaching in the temple in Jerusalem. Undoubtedly, the recent display of the giant burning lampstands was fresh in the minds of those who had been there for the feast of the tabernacles. Why was this an appropriate setting for Jesus to announce, “I am the light of the world”? compare Isa. 2:5, Isa. 60:19 one can only wonder if Jesus caught a glimpse of the great golden lamp standing in the temple, and from on top the candles sheding light as part of the Feast of the Tabernacles, and so Jesus takes this opportunity to associate himself with the Messianic prophecies by announcing "I am the light of the world". light is one of those things for which there is not an opposite, in otherwords the opposite of light is the absense of light known as darkness. During the feast of the Tabernacles they people were commanded to live in booths. The proper construction of the booth allowed for a roof that was sparse enough to let some of the light in - the light that comes from heaven. So this would have had special meaning for them from both the great candleabara buring near the temple and the light for their booths. Light means: 1) jesus is alpha and omega the beginning and the end and the life and light of the world D&C 45:7. he is the light of the sun, stars and moon D&C 88:7-9 All thing associated with light are of the Lord. 2) Light is a symbol of the gospel 3) Light means: trueth, understanding , wisdom, knowledge and revelation. 4) Disciples of Christ are lights unto the world. According to ancient sources, Zechariah 14 was read during the lighting ceremony previously described. The four lampstands each had four bowls, a number used frequently in scripture to represent geographic completeness, such as the four corners of the world. As the four bowls on the four lamp- stands were lit, pilgrims at the feast would have heard the references to light in Zechariah 14:6–7, signifying that the Messiah would ultimately be the Light of the World, and not just for the Jews. Furthermore, the references to “all the nations,” “all the families of the earth,” and “all nations” in Zechariah 14:16–
17, 19 in conjunction with worshipping the Lord in Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles pointed to the eventual gathering together of all God’s children through the coming Messiah. By proclaiming himself as the Light of the World and the Light of Life in context of these recently trans- pired festivities, Jesus declared unequivocally that he was indeed the Messiah. ] he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, [ Or live life in the absense of light - without it. So, he’s just declared his Messiahship, and now the Pharisees are gonna challenge him. ] but shall have the light of life.
13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. [ The Pharisees are basically telling Jesus that they don’t believe he is the light of the world. They don’t believe he is the Messiah. And why don’t they believe? Well, they tell us why they don’t believe them. Because:(next verse) It’s like the Pharisees are telling Jesus, that just because you say you are the Messiah, doesn’t mean you are the Messiah. We don’t have to take your word for it. We don’t have to believe what you’re saying is true. But, there’s a little bit more going on here than meets the eye. See, within a Jewish court, two witnesses were needed to establish truth. So here the Pharisees are telling Jesus that they need more than his individual witness of his messiahship in order to believe that he is the Messiah. They need another witness. And, in the Jewish court, this is established by the law which is found in Deuteronomy 19:15, which says: “One witness shall not arise against a man for any sin or guilt that he may commit. According to two witnesses, or according to three witnesses, a matter shall stand.” ]
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. [ Pharisees questioning his Messiahship, yet Jesus is a member of the “divine council”, and he knows he’s going to have to answer, to that council, as well. The new revised standard version translation says this: “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, because I know where I have come from, and where I am going. I testify on my own behalf, and, the Father, who sent me, testifies on my behalf.” ]
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. [Wait a minute here I thought he was the judge- so what is he trying to say? In other words I don't judge man the same way that you judge him. You judge after the manner of the flesh I judge after the manner of the spirit.]
16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father [ What do we know about our judgement - what is the Saviors role in the judgement? John 5:22; 30 The father hath committed all judgement to the son. the Anchor Bible (AB) states the Greek construction of this statement is a form of the Divine name and implies solidarity with the Father] that sent me.
17 It is also written in your law, [ Why does Jesus refer to the law as YOUR LAW, and not MY LAW? Is this a hit or a suggestion by Jesus that they have corrupted the law - the Scribes and the Pharisee's? ] , that the testimony of two men is true.
18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father [ Note who Jesus uses as witneses; himself and the father- who in the previous verse says must both be men "the testimony of two men is true" so Jesus is implying that his father is a man. So, if Jesus can have two witnesses to his Messiahship, then the Pharisees should know that he is the Messiah. It is true, Jesus meets the Jewish Sanhedrin’s threshold of two witnesses only if he and the Father are separate beings, actually Father and Son. And we find Jesus make this distinction himself, between Father and Son over, and over, and over in the New Testament. And, this suggests that they may have been one in purpose, and character, but separate in being. And such, such a statement like this, I testify on my own behalf, and the father who sent me testifies on my behalf, made by Jesus himself, he’s the one that made this statement, it clearly indicates that Jesus understood himself and his father to be two separate beings. And, that would of course mean, we are talking about two separate gods, or a plurality of gods.
] that sent me beareth witness of me.
19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. [ How is this true - are they the same person? Since Jesus is doing the will of the Father, they are one in purpose, they are linked together as one then to know one is to know the other - in action, and deed.]
20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up [ Jesus identifies his murderers and foretells the mode of his death. (McConkie Doctrinal New Testiment Commentary Vol1 pg 455) "lifted up", by being lifted up Jesus will draw all men to himself, cf. 12:31-32. For the OT context of being "lifted up" cf. Deut. 21:22. ] the son of man, [ The "son of God" and the "son of Man" are synonymous... In the pure Adamic language, the name Elohim means "the Gods" it is (plural) in hebrew, the Father, is "Man of Holiness" (signifying that God is a Holy Man), and the name of Christ, the son, is "son of Man of Holiness or son of Man (Mormon Doctine p671; Moses 6:57. The earliest use of this title "Son of Man" (man here means "King") that I can find in the scriptures comes from the Book Of Enoch(Enoch 46:1-3). Other references to that title include Daniel(), Abraham() and Christ himself() and all of them would have had available the Book Of Enoch.
Enoch was given the title Son of Man as a descriptor for Jesus Christ. We find in written in the Book of Enoch 46:1-3 “And I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the hidden things, concerning that Son of Man, who He was, and whence He was, (and) why he went with the Head of Days? And he answered and said unto me:
This is the Son of Man who hath righteousness, with whom dwelleth righteousness, and who revealeth all the treasures of that which is hidden, because the Lord of Spirits hath chosen Him, and whose lot hath the pre-eminence before the Lord of Spirits in uprightness forever. (BoE 46:1-3)”
So from these verses we can see that Enoch's angelic guide has declared that "the Son Of Man" is another name for Jesus Christ. This phrase is used by Daniel when he likens the person that he saw in his vision "like the Son of Man" (Daniel 7:13-14) as does Abraham when he described the individual who volunteered Himself to do the will of the Father as being “like unto the Son of Man.” Therefore the phrase “like the Son of Man” or “like unto the Son of Man,” (Abr 3:27) used in these two examples promote the familiarity through an external source to which both prophets would have had access to that being the Book of Enoch. (Abr 1:31)
This is also why Christ would have referred to himself as "the Son Of Man" because it was the messianic title that embodied the works and mission that would be preformed creation, example, atonement, resurrection, judgement(John 5:22-23,27) are all responsibilities that were given to the Son Of Man. Christ seems to use this title to place specific importance upon the subject matter He was teaching at the time, because the use of that title by Christ typically focuses on the prophecies of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and His latter-day responsibilities. Book Of Enoch(Enoch 46:1-3). Other references to that title include Daniel(), Abraham() and Christ himself() and all of them would have had available the Book Of Enoch.
There is no reason to belive otherwise than those Jews who heard Christ use this title would have been fully aware the title’s source and the bold declaration represented by the messianic prophecies for him as described in the Book of Enoch.
Since the Jews of old would have had access to the book of Enoch, they would have known from there that "the Son Of Man" was a name given to "the Son Of God". So when Christ references that he is the "Son of Man" he is essentially declaring that he is God's Son. Here is the text from Enoch which the jews would have had at the time of Jesus. Multiple copies found with the Dead Sea scrolls.
Enoch Chapter XLVL
This Son of man, whom thou beholdest, shall raise up kings and the mighty from their couches, and the powerful from their thrones ; shall loosen the bridles of the powerful, and break in pieces the teeth of sinners.
4. He shall hurl kings from their thrones and their dominions ; because they will not exalt and praise him, nor humble themselves before him, by whom^ their kingdoms were granted to them. The countenance likewise of the mighty shall He cast down, filling them with confusion. Darkness shall be their habitation, and worms shall be their bed ; nor from that their bed shall they hope to be again raised, because they exalted not the name of the Lord of spirits.
5. They shall condemn the stars of heaven, shall lift up their hands against the Most High, shall tread upon and inhabit the earth, exhibiting all their works of iniquity, even their works of iniquity. Their strength shall be in their riches, and their faith in the gods whom they have formed with their own hands. They shall deny the name of the Lord of spirits, and shall expel him from the temples, in which they assemble
6. And tvith him the faithful, who suffer in the name of the Lord of spirits. ] then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
33 ¶ They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, [ They responded by alluding to their lineage as heirs of Abraham, implying that they had received promises of spiritual liberation and independence regardless of their current political or physical status. ] and were never in bondage [ For a whole week, the pilgrims who gathered to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles lived in booths to commemorate their wander- ing in the wilderness after God delivered them from bondage in Egypt and guided them to freedom in the promised land. As the Savior now addressed those who had at least professed a belief in him,33 he returned to themes of bondage and deliverance that had just been commemorated during the Feast of Tabernacles.
It may seem that the Savior’s audience had forgotten the historical significance of the booths they lived in during the Feast of Tabernacles. They had just spent a week commemorating their deliverance from Pharaoh and yet they were still subject to the emperor of Rome? However, when the Savior promised that those who continue in his word would be his disciples and be free (see John 8:31–32), they seem to have followed his transition from physical bondage and deliverance to spiritual bondage. Why would the Jews say they never were in bondage? What do the Jews believe with regard to sin and repentance? The Jews have an interesting belief regarding repentance. What is the Jewish approach to repentance? by Rabbi Mendy Hecht A. The Jewish approach to repentance is magnificent in its simplicity--in Judaism, there is no such thing as "repentance." B. Repentance is called "Teshuvah" in Hebrew, the official language of Judaism. But teshuvah does not mean repentance. It means return. Speak directly to God and specify your slip-up. Tell Him you're sorry for what you’ve done wrong, that you regret it - you are done - you are foregiven. One confession to God is enough unless the offence was repeated. It never happened. There is NO NEED for a Savior for them as they are without the bondage of sin. ] to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
[ Proud of their lineage and stubborn in their traditions, this group of would-be believers would not accept this declar- tion. As one scholar noted, “People do not always, or even usually, realize that they are in bondage. They tend to rest in some fancied position of privilege, national, social, or religious. So these Jews, proud of their religion, did not even know their need to be free.” ]
38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
[ The myriad animal sacrifices during the Feast of Tabernacles, combined with these hymns of hope for deliverance, would have been fresh in the minds of those who heard the Lord declared here. ]
52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, [ To paraphrase what the Jews say here is "Nah nah smarty pants, we know you lie because you said that if we follow you man will not die, and we know full well the Abraham died(and to them Abraham was the best that you could ever get)" ] and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? [ Their protest was aimed at the one making the claim, Jesus who was claiming “superhuman power.” This discussion on death would have bee front of mind for these pilgrims who have been observing the deaths of hundreds of animals throughout the festal week and may have heightened their own sense of their need for deliverance from their own inescapable demise. ]
54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
56 Your father Abraham [ ] rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
[ So Abraham saw the day of the coming of the Lord. We need to ask ourselves a very searching question firmly eight here. Where is this in the Old Testament? THe answer is it is not found from Abraham in the Old Testament, do you not think that this would be something that Abraham would have included? The answer is Yes he would have. So where is it found, it is gone, it is missing and someone(some termite scribe - Scribes were the termintes of the old testament as they destroyed the plain and precious truths that were contained therein) had to purposefully take it out.So the fact that Jesus references that Abraham saw of his coming is again another testament that it happened, that or Jesus was lying. ]
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. [ He was not claiming to be merely another prophet or messenger from God. Jesus was identifying himself as the Great Jehovah, the God of Israel. The name Jehovah means the “Self-Existent One” or “The Eternal.” It is written in our Old Testament as Lord in capital letters. According to ancient Jewish practice, the name Jehovah or I Am (the Self-Existent One) was not to be spoken for fear of incurring divine wrath.
“Jesus, when once assailed with question and criticism from certain Jews who regarded their Abrahamic lineage as an assurance of divine preferment, met their abusive words with the declaration: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.’ The true significance of this saying would be more plainly expressed were the sentence punctuated and pointed as follows: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham, was I Am’; which means the same as had He said—Before Abraham, was I, Jehovah. The captious Jews were so offended at hearing Him use a
name which, through an erroneous rendering of an earlier scripture, they held was not to be uttered on pain of death, that they immediately took up stones with the intent of killing Him.” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 37.) “The true significance of this saying would be more plainly expressed were the sentence punctuated and pointed as follows: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham, was I AM;" which means the same as had He said—Before Abraham, was I, Jehovah.” James E. Talmage. “Jesus the Christ.]