Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. John 8:12-20
I am not sure if the Pharisees were just unable to grasp who Jesus was or just refused to believe Jesus. Once again in today’s verses we see that they continue to question Jesus’ authority. Today we see their legalism when they insist that Jesus cannot bear witness to Himself. They insisted that He have two witnesses to speak for Him.
Had they been able to see who Jesus was then they would have know that He needed no other witness than Himself. God needs no further witness when He speaks. So too the Son of Man did not need any additional witnesses. His words and actions spoke to who He was. Jesus did thing no one else could do. Yet they refused to see what their eyes told them.
So when Jesus told them that God the Father also bore witness to Him they could not accept that God was Jesus’ father. They insisted on know who it was that Jesus spoke of, who was His father. Then in a moment of unintended truth they proclaimed not to know where Jesus’ father was or who he was. If they had truly known God then they would have known who Jesus father was and where His father was. Unfortunately they had turned the religion God gave them into a dim shadow of its self. They had ceased to follow God and were following a man made religion. They had lost sight of the one true God.
Had they but turned back to the faith of Abraham and Moses they would have recognized the Messiah when He came to them. Instead they missed Him and in so doing they missed out of eternal life with God. They had all the information they needed but just would not believe. So today, just as back then, people have all the information they need to find God but they refuse to believe.
Have a blessed day,
David
