48 The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death—ever.” 52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death—ever.’ 53 Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not known Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. John 8: 48-59 LSB
John 8: 48-59
V. 48 Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon - He just accused them of being the spawn of Satan based upon their fruit, and this is the response of their bruised egos. They have attacked Him for His claims to deity, but He has shown fruit that establishes as much. They have accused Him of breaking the Sabbath, but they didn't last 5 minutes in that argument, so now it's pretty much down to school yard name calling based upon other than His own character. A Samaritan was a half breed to the Jews, a people they despised and avoided. I think it is highly probable, in light of other things they said, that this is also an attack on His virgin birth, though that was also prophesied.
…6He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” 7Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.” 8This is what the LORD says: “In the time of favor I will answer You, and in the day of salvation I will help You; I will keep You and appoint You to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to apportion its desolate inheritances,… Isaiah 49: 6-8
Spurgeon - You know this form of answer; it is an old trick, when there is no case, abuse the plaintiff. So, when there is no answer to what Christ has said, call him a Samaritan, and say that he has a devil.....Always abuse your adversary if you cannot answer him: this is always the devil’s tactic. When he cannot overthrow religion, then he seeks to append opprobrious titles to those who profess it. It is an old and stale trick, and has lost much of its force. Our Saviour did not answer the accusation of his being a Samaritan, but inasmuch as what they said about his having a devil would touch his doctrine, he answered that. - Precept Austin
NET Note on the Jews - Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (Jn 8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. Jn 8:31). They had become increasingly hostile as Jesus continued to teach. Now they were ready to say that Jesus was demon-possessed!... It is not clear what is meant by the charge (Samaritan and have a demon). The meaning could be “you are a heretic and are possessed by a demon.” Note that the dual charge gets one reply (John 8:49). Perhaps the phrases were interchangeable: Simon Magus (Acts 8:14–24) and in later traditions Dositheus, the two Samaritans who claimed to be sons of God, were regarded as mad, that is, possessed by demons. - Precept Austin
V. 49 I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me - This goes back to Who He is in relation to the Father. If you don't honor the Son then you are in no way honoring the Father.
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be 1grasped,
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death 1on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2: 6-11
V. 50 One Who seeks and judges - What did God say about Jesus? "This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." Christ didn't come into the world to judge it, it was already under judgment. He came as the answer, the Savior, but those who reject Him will face God's ultimate judgment for rejecting the One He sent. There is a practical application here for those of us who are Christ's followers; we need to pray for our enemies and not be so caught up in the injustices towards us, or what men say about us. God will judge.
There is One who (present tense - continually) seeks (zeteo) and (present tense - continually) judges (krino) - The idea is that His Father is continually seeking glory and honor for His Son. As the NLT paraphrases it "God is going to glorify me." Judges speaks of the Father's judgment between Jesus and the Jews. God’s judgment is on one hand to declare that Jesus’ is due the glory He will receive and on the other hand to condemn His accusers for rejecting Him and refusing to give Him glory. In short, God the Father seeks His Son's glory and will ultimately judge all who reject His Son. - Precept Austin
…21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. 22For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. 23As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.… Proverbs 25: 21-23
V. 51-53 Will never taste of death - Those who keep His word. They argue back from the only realm they currently know or belong to. They know of great men who died, but they also know of Elijah and Enoch. We know that Christ's Apostles all met with death, only one probably from old age. They have no comprehension of a passing on into glory, giving up this body of death that they now are in and taking hold of eternal life.
…47Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men! 48What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah 49Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old, which You faithfully swore to David?… Psalm 89: 47-49
What does He mean by the phrase keeps My word (logos)? Is Jesus teaching salvation by works? Of course not. He is teaching that obedience to His Word was crucial. In John 8:30 it says they came to believe in Him as He spoke the Word. In this passage, Jesus is saying that belief is shown to be saving belief by the individual's subsequent response. If they keep His Word, they show that their heart has believed and they have a supernatural desire and power from God which enables them to keep His Word. The root is their believing His Word. The fruit is their keeping His Word. His Word would refer to all that He had spoken to them that opens the door to the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life. - PA
V. 54 It is My Father Who glorifies Me, of Whom you say, "He is our God" - The Author of the great book, the God of the prophets to whom they refer, that is Jesus' Dad. He has stayed with this even though it is an unpopular part of His message.
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1: 20-23
V. 55 And you have not known Him - Their fruit makes it evident that they know of Him, have His words on paper, but not in their hearts, their deeds, their inability to recognize the Landowner's Son when He comes, to pay Him respect, shows they don't know the God they speak about. There is no intimacy. Faith without works is dead.
…5For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.… 2 Corinthians 4: 5-7
V. 56-57 Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad - Notice this is in the present and past, an ongoing relationship between the Son of God and Abraham, whom these Jews hope in. The Promised One being sent to earth, this is something that Abraham longed for and now witnessed. The inheritance is through the Son, it is only fulfilled in that justice and mercy both meet in Him. Their response to this is that Jesus is not even 50 years old. They continue to not understand His very clear claims of being God's Son, from the Father, from somewhere else, brought here to be born of a virgin, become a man to be the second Adam by way of which the elect will be saved. There is no ability to ascertain spiritual things in them at all.
…10Concerning this salvation, the prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and investigated carefully, 11trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.… 1 Peter 1: 10-12
V. 58 Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am - He gives the Amen, Amen before what He says, and He is placing great emphasis here, pay attention, this is foundational. Before Abraham was, before he was born, before he was given the name Abraham, before time and space, before all of your history, before the patriarchs, "I am". There are so many cults out there that say they are Christian, say they believe in Jesus, but they say He is not God, yet that is not what Jesus Himself taught. If you struggle with that I would encourage you to go back through John 1. It's important not to worship a false Christ, or preach one other than the Real Lord and Savior.
1Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel. 2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel— One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. 3Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.… Micah 5: 1-3
…5For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.… Isaiah 9: 5-7
…16For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.… Colossians 1: 16-18
…10And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.”… Hebrews 1: 10-12
…13Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.… Exodus 3: 13-15
Spurgeon - Here he claims his Deity to the fullest extent, and those who can read the New Testament, and profess to believe it, and yet not see Christ as a claimant of Deity, must be sinfully blind.....They had asked him, “Whom makest thou thyself?” and now they have his answer: “Before Abraham was, I am,” saith Christ. It is the very name by which God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush, “I AM.” Yet Jesus takes this title to himself: “Before Abraham was,” — not, “I was;” notice that; but, “I am;” as if his life was one continued present existence, as indeed it is, for with God there is no past or future, but all things are ever-present to his infinite mind. When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” he claimed the Godhead, he declared that he was certainly God, self-existent from all eternity. - PA quoting C. H. Spurgeon
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