John 8:22 – Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith Whither I go, ye cannot come.  Jesus continued to teach in kindness to the few who received His doctrine. Jesus told them He was leaving and after He leaves they will seek Him and cannot find Him. Where He was going they could not come. Then the Jews turned Jesus’ word to ridicule by asking will He kill Himself. Through all of His teaching and miracles, He performed they still didn’t accept Him as the Son of God. They rejected His teaching, this is why Jesus told them they would die in their sins.  They were rejecting the only way they could be rescued from sin. Sadly, even today, so many are taken up with the value of this world they are blinded to the priceless gift Jesus offers. Jesus once said, “Where your treasure is there will be your heart be also”. The term treasure implies the addition or accumulation of things.  People are more engrossed with materialistic than the spiritual, and none of these things can they take with them when they die.  If entertainers and actors who have died, if it was possible for them to talk to the living they would tell them; none of their treasures are with them. Everyone had an appointed to be born and we also have appointed a time to die. Our treasures should be Jesus and expectation of being with Him when we die.

John 8:23 – And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above, ye are of this world, I am not of this world.  Jesus was not referring to hell but to this world.  The Spirit of the Lord Jesus was not from this world but from above, He came from His Father. He was from above; those who have been born of the Spirit of God also is not from this world although they are in the world (They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world – John 17:16). Jesus was praying for His own, those that were with Him then and for the ones that were coming, those that would accept His salvation and make Him not only their Savior but their Lord indicating they have forsaken the actions and thinking of the world, this is why we have been admonished to have the mind of Christ (Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus – Philippians 2:5).

John 8:24 – I said, therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am him ye shall die in your sins. “I am” was God’s designation of Himself. Jesus was claiming to be God; this assertion was not understood by the religious leaders then and by some now. Some believe that Jesus is the Father and Son because of their misunderstanding of Scripture. Jesus reiterated that they were going to die in their sins if they didn’t believe that He was the Son of God that was sent by God. Jesus didn’t come teaching of Himself but was teaching what the Father had taught Him. Then Jesus taught His disciples to teach others, it’s a terrible thing for one to die and have rejected the Word of God and His Son. Although Jesus is the Son of God, He is also God; God Himself called Jesus God (But into the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God is for ever and ever: A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom – Hebrews 1:8).

John 8:25 – Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.  Jesus already told them who He was and who sent Him. After all of this, they are still asking Him who is He; Jesus’ reply to them, I’m the same person I told you I was from the beginning. They were listening but not hearing as some are doing today.  When the Word of God is preached or taught if the listeners have spiritual ears to hear and a heart that will believe in faith his or her life would be completely changed.  Because Jesus’ listeners didn’t have faith to believe they would die in sin.

John 8:26 – I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I  have heard of him. Jesus didn’t come to speak of Himself but to teach the world what He had learned from His Father. He had so much to tell them but because of their unbelief, He couldn’t tell them. Although He could not accuse them to His Father, yet the Father who sent Him would do the judging. Jesus came to set the captives free and when people reject the freedom through the Son, God judges them.

John 8:27 – Thy understood not that he spake to them of the Father.  They were listening to what Jesus said but didn’t understand that Jesus was speaking of His Father.  Although Jesus spoke so plainly of God as His Father in heaven, yet they didn’t understand; they were spiritually blinded just like day and night are alike to the blind so were they. Many attend church but are blinded to the requirements of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

John 8:28 – Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. “Lifted up” is a reference to the Crucifixion. He’s telling them after His crucifixion then will they understand that He was the Son of God. He’s continuing to reiterate, He does nothing of Himself but as the Father has taught Him this is what He speaks. The saw the miracles but didn’t believe, they heard Him say, He was the Son of God but didn’t believe. After His crucifixion will they understand who was talking with them.

John 8:29 – And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.  He’s telling them, as God the Father has sent Him, He’s not alone, the Father is always with Him because He always does the things that please the Father. As Christians, when our mind has been changed; to have the mind of Christ, we too can know that we’re never alone no matter what we go through or even in the time of loneliness, we’re not alone the Father is there with us. We seek to do the things that please the Father and not try to do things that will please the fleshly side of us.

John 8:30 – As he spake these words, many believed on him.  As Jesus spoke the words, telling them the words He speaks was that of the Father many believed that He was who He was claiming to be, the Son of God, but many of the religious leaders rejected His words.

John 8:31 – Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my words, then are ye my disciples indeed.  Jesus instructed the Jews who believed “if” they continued in the Word that He spoke then would they be His disciples.  As Christians, we are the spiritual Jew and we must continue in the instructions of the Word of God if we want to be Jesus’ disciple and a child of God. We can’t pick or chose Scriptures we want to live by and neglect the other. We must take the time and read the instructions of the Word of God with spiritual understanding.  We can’t understand the Word with our intellect, it must be spiritually discerned by the teaching of the Holy Spirit.

John 8:32 – And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  Only through the understanding of the truth of the Word of God will one be set free from the bondage of sin. One who abides in the Word of God knows the truth; the word free refers to freedom from the bondage of sin. Many know the Word and can quote Scripture but after quoting the Scripture can they live by what they teach and quote? Understanding and knowing are differing. Understanding is when one willingly accept the Word of God as truth and is willing to submit to its instructions. Knowing is when we read and see the Word but will not accept its teaching. Only when we read and allow the Holy Spirit to give us understanding and willingly submit to the knowing and understanding of the Scripture will the person be set free.