“I Am from Above”
TRANSLATION
(21) Again Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.” (22) The Jews then asked, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come?’” (23) He then said to them, “You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. (24) That is why I said to you that you will die in your sins. Unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”
(25) Therefore they asked him, “Who are you?” Jesus replied to them, “(I am) just what I have been telling you from the beginning. (26) I have much to say in judgment concerning you. But the one who sent me is trustworthy, and the things which I heard from him, these I declare to the world.” (27) They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about his Father. (28) So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak only those things that the Father has taught me. (29) And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” (30) As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
OBSERVATIONS
When Jesus declared that he was “the light of the world” (8:12), the Jews refused to believe him because, as they said, it was a personal testimony given without the support of corroborating witnesses (8:13-18). When, in response, he cited the Father’s testimony, they mockingly asked “Where is your father?” implying that he had been born illegitimately (8:19 & 20).
In this segment, the Jews first speculated that he might be planning to kill himself (8:22) and then asked, “Who are you?” (8:25) In response to their insolence, Jesus gave them three solemn warnings, each emphasized by repetition. First he told them that if they did not believe in him, they would “die in (their) sin(s)” (used three times in vss. 21 & 24). He also warned them, “Where I am going, you cannot come” (vss. 21 & 22). Finally, he identified himself with the phrase, “that I am he” (vss. 24 & 28), claiming to be God’s Messiah. Three other words were repeated: “world” (three times in vss. 23 & 26), “believe(d)” (vss. 24 & 30), and “Father” (vss. 27 & 28).
OUTLINE
I. Where: Jesus will soon be returning to the place from which he came. (21-24)
II. Who: Jesus is the obedient Son of the heavenly Father. (25-30)
IDEA STATEMENT
In answering their challenges, Jesus warned his Jewish adversaries of the consequences of unbelief.
APPLICATION
It is not our many sins that condemn us to eternal separation from God. Rather, it is unbelief, an unwillingness to trust in the one who can save us from our sins, that relegates us to what the Bible calls in graphic terms “the lake of fire.” For that reason, unbelief must be considered the most egregious sin that we can commit because there is no remedy for an unrepentant heart.
Jesus three times used the phrase, “die in your sins,” to describe the result of unbelief. Throughout his ministry he strongly appealed to the Jews to receive his testimony and believe his claims to be the long-awaited Messiah. While there were some who never accepted him, many believed in his words (vs. 30). That has been the case ever since the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. In the introduction to his Gospel, John portrayed the response to the Savior with these words: “He came to his own, but his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” What a blessing it is when the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of unbelievers so that those who have been blinded to the truth of God can finally see the truth of the Gospel that alone can save us.