John 8:13-18 13Then the Pharisees said to him, “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I myself testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15You yourselves judge according to the flesh, but I myself judge no one. 16And even if I myself do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17And in your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18I am the one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.
The Pharisees continue to argue with Jesus in these verses. They quote Jesus’ own words from 5:31 because they think he testifies on his own behalf. Jesus counters with a logical argument that confirms the truth of what he says to those who believe. However, to those who do not believe, what he says still seems confusing. Jesus repeats ideas he gave before in 5:19–30, 36–37. There are several parts to his response. First, according to verse 14, Jesus knows his origins and destiny. He is self-aware and self-confident because of his relationship to his heavenly Father. He knows that he is no ordinary human being but born in a special way. He is fully human, like all other people, but is also unique because he came from the Father. He also knows that he will return to the Father at some point in the future. The Pharisees did not recognize his divine origins and identity because of their hardened hearts. To those who believe, the evidence is clear and convincing. To those who do not believe, the evidence is only confusing and misleading.
Second, in verse 15, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for viewing the evidence from a human, earthly perspective (flesh, sarka). The thought of the second half of the verse is incomplete. It could be taken to mean that Jesus does not judge at all that point in time because it was not the final judgment when he will judge everyone. Basically, he did not descriminate or choose sides but came to everyone with the same message. Or, he could be saying that he does not judge in a fleshly way like the Pharisees. It would be a combination of these two ideas, that Jesus looked at the situation fairly, honorably, and without prejudice and would reserve his judgment until the time of resurrection. This was a time for the Pharisees to choose to believe before it was too late for them.
Third, although Jesus did not intend to judge in a fleshly way like the Pharisees, his very presence caused a division between those who believed and those who did not. His judgment was related to his teaching. The truth makes the darkness and deceit clearer. What Jesus said was true because he got his words from the Father. They were a team. Jesus did not act on his own but said only what the Father directed him to say. John’s Gospel gives a clear picture of Jesus’ connection with God, and believing in this relationship is crucial to receiving eternal life.
Fourth, Jesus appeals to the Law that the Pharisees studied and interpreted. According to Deuteronomy 17:6, a person is considered guilty or innocent based on the testimony of at least two people. A person’s own testimony is not enough to confirm the truth of a matter. The problem is that the Pharisees did not understand what Jesus was saying, or if they did, they refused to believe what he claimed. They thought Jesus stood on his own words but missed the crucial point that the Father was also witness. Jesus did not break the law nor did he assume the Pharisees wrote the law. Their problem, and perhaps why he calls it your law is that they built their lives on their own interpretations of the law and missed the crucial aspects of it, namely, the law of love. Jesus gives another “I am” saying, though this one is unique because it does not give a metaphor but the more literal idea the one who testifies (martyrōn). The great I AM was Jesus’ primary witness. The I AM was present in him and testified about him. No greater witness was needed to confirm the truth of what he said.
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