11.02.18 Jn. 8:21-30 Jerusalem
WARNING AGAINST UNBELIEF
21 Then He said to them again, “I’m going away; you will look for Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I’m going, you cannot come.”
22 So the Jews said again, “He won’t kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I’m going, you cannot come’ ?”
23 “You are from below,” He told them, “I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
25 “Who are You?” they questioned.
“Precisely what I’ve been telling you from the very beginning,” Jesus told them. 26 “I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the One who sent Me is true, and what I have heard from Him — these things I tell the world.”
27 They did not know He was speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own. But just as the Father taught Me, I say these things. 29 The One who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”
30 As He was saying these things, many believed in Him.
“He won’t kill Himself, will He?” Clearly, they did not understand Jesus. They believed that those who committed suicide were destined to the darkest place in Hell. The only exceptions were those who committed suicide to escape the Roman sword in conflicts such as Gamala and Masada.[1]
“Who are you?” This question had nothing to do with the personal identity of Jesus or His genealogy; those records were available for study in the temple. Rather, the exasperated critics questioned the authority, status, and claim of Jesus to be the leader in the religious life of Israel. The last thing they wanted to hear were the opinions of the crowds who referred to Jesus as the prophet (Jn. 7:40) or “the Christ” (Jn. 7:16, 18, 26, 29).
[1]. Gilbrant, “John.” 233.