Teen Life Application Study Bible - Gospel of John - Flipbook - Page 15
JOHN 8
away one by one, beginning with the oldest,
until only Jesus was left in the middle of the
crowd with the woman. 10Then Jesus stood up
again and said to the woman, “Where are your
accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn
you?”
11
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no
more.”
JESUS, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD 12Jesus
spoke to the people once more and said, “I
am the light of the world. If you follow me, you
won’t have to walk in darkness, because you
will have the light that leads to life.”
13
The Pharisees replied, “You are making
those claims about yourself! Such testimony is
not valid.”
14
Jesus told them, “These claims are valid
even though I make them about myself. For I
know where I came from and where I am going,
but you don’t know this about me. 15You judge
me by human standards, but I do not judge
anyone. 16And if I did, my judgment would be
correct in every respect because I am not alone.
The Father* who sent me is with me. 17Your own
law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact.* 18I am
one witness, and my Father who sent me is the
other.”
19
“Where is your father?” they asked.
JUDGE NOT
(8:9-11) Jesus refused to condemn a woman caught in
adultery. By this action, Jesus wasn’t saying, “Adultery
is okay” (see Exod 20:14). Actually, he was reacting to the
hypocrisy of the Pharisees who wanted to condemn
the woman.
Judging someone else is always easier than judging
our own actions. During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’
warning to “judge not” included this advice: “Why worry
about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in
your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let
me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you
can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First
get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well
enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye” (Matt
7:3-5). Tempted to judge someone else? Judge not.
FREE
(8:32-36) Jesus spoke of the freedom he offered. What’s
your idea of freedom? Having wheels that can take you
wherever you want to go? Being able to make your own
choices? But some choices aren’t good. In fact, making
their own choices caused trouble for Adam and Eve (see
Gen 3). Consequently, we were all born with a desire to
do wrong. That’s why Jesus said, “Everyone who sins
is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). But the freedom Jesus
offers is the freedom to choose not to do wrong. Are
you free?
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Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who
I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you
knew me, you would also know my Father.”
20
Jesus made these statements while he was
teaching in the section of the Temple known as
the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because
his time* had not yet come.
THE UNBELIEVING PEOPLE WARNED 21Later
Jesus said to them again, “I am going away. You
will search for me but will die in your sin. You
cannot come where I am going.”
22
The people* asked, “Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, ‘You cannot
come where I am going’?”
23
Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am
from above. You belong to this world; I do not.
24
That is why I said that you will die in your sins;
for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to
be,* you will die in your sins.”
25
“Who are you?” they demanded.
Jesus replied, “The one I have always
claimed to be.* 26I have much to say about
you and much to condemn, but I won’t. For I
say only what I have heard from the one who
sent me, and he is completely truthful.” 27But
they still didn’t understand that he was talking
about his Father.
28
So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the
Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I Am he.* I do nothing on my own
but say only what the Father taught me. 29And
the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”
30
Then many who heard him say these things
believed in him.
JESUS AND ABRAHAM 31Jesus said to the
people who believed in him, “You are truly my
disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.
32
And you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.”
33
“But we are descendants of Abraham,”
they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”
34
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35A slave is not
a permanent member of the family, but a son
is part of the family forever. 36So if the Son
sets you free, you are truly free. 37Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And
yet some of you are trying to kill me because
8:16 Some manuscripts read The One. 8:17 See Deut 19:15.
8:20 Greek his hour. 8:22 Greek Jewish people; also in 8:31, 48,
52, 57. 8:24 Greek unless you believe that I am. See Exod 3:14.
8:25 Or Why do I speak to you at all? 8:28 Greek When you have
lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am. “Son of Man”
is a title Jesus used for himself.
