The Gospel of John Made Easy
Chapter 8
Verses 1 -30
Verses 1 – 11
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. This was a garden of olive trees. Jesus often went here to pray.
Jesus prayed often and long. In many places we read where he went alone to pray. Jesus was a good example for us. If Jesus, God’s Son needed to pray and give time alone with his father—–how much more do we need to pray.
Jesus came back to the temple. The people came around him. He began to teach them.
Verse 3
The Jewish leaders brought a woman to Jesus. They said they saw her having sex with a man that she was not married to. They wanted to stone her to death. This means throwing big stones at her until she died. (That was the punishment for adultery.)
They thought Jesus would agree with them—but he did not.
He picked up a stick and began to write words in the dust on the ground.
He said to the leaders, who of you that has no sin—–throw the first stone. We do not know what Jesus wrote in the dust. It probably was the sins of the leaders. When they saw what Jesus wrote, they knew they had done sins, too.
One by one the men left. Then Jesus looked up and asked the woman if anyone had thrown a stone. She said that no one had, they were all gone.
Jesus said, “I do not condemn (say you are guilty).” “Go, but do not sin any more.”
In John 3:17 Jesus said, “God did not send his son into the world to condemn (blame) the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”
We need to see our sin—-so we can see our need of forgiveness. Seeing our sin is not for us to beat ourselves up and hide from God. We need to see our sin, so we know we need to ask God for forgiveness.
God wants us to see our sin—yes—-so that we will turn to him so he can forgive them and wash them away. It is the relationship that Jesus/God wants. Showing us our sin is only to bring us to him so he can save us from sin.
Verses 12
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He that follows Me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life.”
Verses 13 -20
The Pharisees said to Jesus—this is one group of the Jewish church leaders—-“If you are the only one to bear witness of yourself, then your witness is not true.”
In a court of law, the testimony of something needs two witness, or more, to be proof that something is true.
Jesus said to them, “If I am the only witness of myself— my witness is true. Because I know where I came from, and I know where I am going, You can not tell where I came from or where I am going. You judge me by the wisdom of men.”
“I do not judge anyone. But if I did judge, my judgment would be true. Because I am not alone, My Father is with me—that is two witnesses.”
“In your law, two witnesses are needed.” “So, I am one witness, and my Father is the other witness.”
The Pharisees said, “Where is your Father?”
Jesus said, “You do not know me, or my Father. If you had known me, you would have known my Father.”
These are the words Jesus said to the people. No man tried to catch him to take him, because his time had not yet come.”
Verses 21 -24
Jesus said to them, “I go my way, you will look for me, but you will die in your sins, where I go you can not come.”
The people said, “Will he kill himself? What does he mean that he will go away and we can not come?”
Jesus said, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world.”
Jesus said, ” I told you that you would die in your sins because you have not believed that I am “He”, this is why you will die in your sins.”
(When Jesus said, “I am He”, Jesus means that He is the promised Messiah that God promised would come to save them.)
Verses 25
They asked him again, “Who are you?” Jesus said, “I am who I told you I was.”
Verse 26
Jesus said, “I have many things to say to you, and things to blame you. He that sent me is true. I tell the world the things He tells me to say.”
Verse 27
The people could not understand the things Jesus was saying to them about the Father.
Verse 28, 29, 30
Jesus said, “When the Son of Man is lifted up, then you will understand that I am He.
And that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father has shown me, that is what I say. He that sent me is with me. The Father has not left me alone. I always do those things that please Him.”
As Jesus was speaking these words, many began to believe on him.
(When Jesus talked about “being lifted up”, he was talking about being lifted up on the cross. When the people would see him on the cross, see him die, then see him alive again after his resurrection—–they would believe he was come from God and that he was God’s son.)
Jesus said, “I always do those things that please Him.” Do we always do the things that please God? As humans we are weak, but the important thing is —-Do we always want to please God?