John 8:25-30 ²⁵Then they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I have been telling you from the beginning. ²⁶I have many things to say about you and much to judge, but the one who sent me is true, and I say to the world what I have heard from him.”

The gathered Jews asked the most significant question of John’s Gospel: Who is Jesus? The question comes at a crucial point in the Gospel as the decision about believing in Jesus shines forth as the key theme. This question is what all readers of John must answer. Jesus had given the Jews plenty of obvious answers to this question, but they had a hard time seeing through the fog of legalism and humanistic thinking. His statement at the end of verse 25 shows some exasperation or frustration that they were so slow to understand. But with verse 26, he continues his revelation and repeats many of the same ideas from the earlier dialogue. One gets the idea that these topics were what he taught in the temple courts when he was in Jerusalem. What often happens when a person is confronted is that he or she doubles down in his or her opinions and ideas either in self-defense or pride. The Jews were hardening their position at this point and were not opening their minds and hearts to what God was saying through Jesus.

In verse 26, Jesus makes his position clear. What he teaches is from him, referring to God the Father.  The opening statement shows how we are accountable for what we hear. The Jews had the gospel and so were accountable for their response to it. Jesus saw through their hypocrisy but was extending grace through his teachings. Grace can be accepted or rejected. The Jews were rejecting the word of grace and so would be judged for it. The evidence was clear before them and was true (alēthēs), a word repeated many times in this Gospel. Jesus makes his position as a genuine, valid, and truthful mouthpiece of God. He spoke only what he received from his heavenly Father.

The crucial issue for the Jews and the readers of this Gospel, both past and present, is whether to accept the claim to truth of the words written in it. Do we accept that Jesus is the Son of God? How does this belief change our lives? Many did come to believe in Jesus, even some of the Pharisees, but others did not. Even the so-called righteous can harbor a rebellious heart. The Jews should have known their own Scriptures that predicted the coming of the Messiah–even with great detail. Yet, in their effort to preserve their comfort, position, and interpretation, they would not allow faith to bring new life to them. Understanding leads to faith, but faith also brings understanding.

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