Jesus Is the Light of the World

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, (A)I am the Light of the world; (B)the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “(C)You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not [a]true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, (D)Even if I am testifying about Myself, My testimony is [b]true, because I know (E)where I came from and where I am going; but (F)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 (G)You judge [c]according to the flesh; (H)I am not judging anyone. 16 But even (I)if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in (J)your Law it has been written that the testimony of (K)two people is [d]true. 18 I am He who testifies about Myself, and (L)the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” 19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; (M)if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” 20 These words He spoke [e]in (N)the treasury, as (O)He taught in the temple area; and no one arrested Him, because (P)His hour had not yet come.

21 Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and (Q)you will look for Me, and (R)will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So (S)the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, (T)Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 And He was saying to them, (U)You are from below, I am from above; (V)you are of this world, (W)I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you (X)will die in your sins; for unless you believe that [f](Y)I am, (Z)you will die in your sins.” 25 Then they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, [g]What have I even been saying to you from the beginning? 26 I have many things to say and to judge regarding you, but (AA)He who sent Me is true; and (AB)the things which I heard from Him, these I say to the world.” 27 They did not realize that He was speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you (AC)lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that [h](AD)I am, and (AE)I do nothing [i]on My own, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me; (AF)He [j]has not left Me alone, for (AG)I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 30 As He said these things, (AH)many came to believe in Him.

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Footnotes

  1. John 8:13 Or valid
  2. John 8:14 Or valid
  3. John 8:15 I.e., by a carnal standard
  4. John 8:17 I.e., valid or admissible
  5. John 8:20 Or at
  6. John 8:24 Or I AM, you will die...; Jesus may be referring to Ex 3:14, I AM WHO I AM
  7. John 8:25 Or That which I have even been saying to you from the beginning
  8. John 8:28 Or I AM, and...; (see note v 24)
  9. John 8:28 Or of Myself
  10. John 8:29 Or did not leave

Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am(A) the light of the world.(B) Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(C)

13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”(D)

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.(E) But you have no idea where I come from(F) or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards;(G) I pass judgment on no one.(H) 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.(I) 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.(J) 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”(K)

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,”(L) Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”(M) 20 He spoke these words while teaching(N) in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put.(O) Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.(P)

Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die(Q) in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”(R)

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.(S) 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he,(T) you will indeed die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy,(U) and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”(V)

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man,(W) then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.(X) 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,(Y) for I always do what pleases him.”(Z) 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.(AA)

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Footnotes

  1. John 8:28 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.