John 8:12–47
Jesus Is the Light of the World
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “aI am the Light of the world; bhe who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “aYou are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not 1true.”
14 Jesus answered and said to them, “aEven if I testify about Myself, My testimony is 1true, for I know bwhere I came from and where I am going; but cyou do not know where I come from or where I am going.
15 “aYou judge 1according to the flesh; bI am not judging anyone.
16 “But even aif 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 ayour law it has been written that the testimony of btwo men is 1true.
18 “I am He who testifies about Myself, and athe 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; aif you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”
20 These words He spoke in athe treasury, as bHe taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because cHis hour had not yet come.
21 Then He said again to them, “I go away, and ayou will seek Me, and bwill die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.”
22 So athe Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘bWhere I am going, you cannot come’?”
23 And He was saying to them, “aYou are from below, I am from above; byou are of this world, cI am not of this world.
24 “Therefore I said to you that you awill die in your sins; for unless you believe that 1bI am He, ayou will die in your sins.”
25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “1What have I been saying to you from the beginning?
26 “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but aHe who sent Me is true; and bthe things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.”
27 They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.
28 So Jesus said, “When you alift up the Son of Man, then you will know that 1bI am He, and cI do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; aHe 1has not left Me alone, for bI always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”
30 As He spoke these things, amany came to believe in Him.
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “aIf you continue in My word, then you are truly bdisciples of Mine;
32 and ayou will know the truth, and bthe truth will make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “aWe are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, aeveryone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
35 “aThe slave does not remain in the house forever; bthe son does remain forever.
36 “So if the Son amakes you free, you will be free indeed.
37 “I know that you are aAbraham’s descendants; yet byou seek to kill Me, because My word 1has no place in you.
38 “I speak the things which I have seen 1with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from ayour father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is aour father.” Jesus * said to them, “bIf you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.
40 “But as it is, ayou are seeking to kill Me, a man who has btold you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.
41 “You are doing the deeds of ayour father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; bwe have one Father: God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, ayou would love Me, bfor I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have cnot even come on My own initiative, but 1dHe sent Me.
43 “Why do you not understand 1awhat I am saying? It is because you cannot bhear My word.
44 “aYou are of byour father the devil, and cyou want to do the desires of your father. dHe was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because ethere is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks 1a lie, he fspeaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of 2lies.
45 “But because aI speak the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If aI speak truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 “aHe who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”