Disputes over Who He Is3 The Torah-teachers and the P'rushim
-- the scribes and Pharisees --
... 6 [intended to trap Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus)],
so that they might have grounds for
bringing charges against him;
... 12 ... [. after avoiding the trap,
and preventing an "(adulteress)
from being stoned:]
. " I am the light of the world;
my followers will not be walking in the dark
but will have the light which gives life."
13 So the P'rushim [Pharisees] said to him,
"Now you're testifying on your own behalf;
your testimony is not valid."
14 Yeshua answered them,
"Even if I do, .. my testimony is indeed valid;
because I know where I came from
and where I'm going;
but you
do not know where I came from
or where I'm going.
15 You judge by merely human standards.
As for me, I pass judgment on no one;
16 but if I were indeed to pass judgment,
my judgment would be valid;
because I am not by myself
--with me is the Father who sent me.
...
28 "When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I AM [who I say I am],
and that of myself I do nothing,
but say only what the Father has taught me.
29 Also,
the One who sent me is still with me;
he did not leave me to myself,
because I always do what pleases him."
30 Many (including Judeans)
who heard him say these things
trusted in him.
[ Judeans are called jews but aren't jewish:
Judea and Galilee were two separate political states
Jesus Himself was not a resident of Judea,
He was a Galilean (Matthew 26:69; John 7:41),
and a Judahite (in the jewish Tribe of Judah).
The Judeans of prominence were Edomites.
(from a kingdom south of kingdom of Judah)
In Roman times, the Samarian kingdom
had it's northern area renamed Galilee .
Pilate was being ironic when he tagged JC
"Jesus of Nazareth,
King of the Judeans" (John 19:19).
That is, "the Galilean who was King of the Judeans,"
His disciples were fishermen from the Sea of Galilee.
And although He visited Jerusalem,
he spent most of His life in his home country of Galilee.
"After this Jesus stayed in Galilee;
for He could not walk in Judea,
because the Jews sought to kill him."
(John 7:1-13, 19:38, 20:19). ]
31 [to any Judeans who trusted
JC's position of being a servant of
the god of their forefathers]:
"If you obey what I say,
then you are truly my talmidim,
[students of the Rabbi]
32 you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free."
[you will have knowledge of
what is true,
and that will make you free.]
33 They answered,
"We are the seed of Avraham
and have never been employees to anyone; ...
34 Yeshua answered them, "Yes, indeed!
I tell you that everyone who practices sin
is an employee of sin.
35 Now an employee
does not remain with a family forever,
but a son does .
...
37 I know you are the seed of Avraham.
Yet you are out to kill me,
because
what I am saying makes no headway in you.
38 I say what my Father has shown me;
you do what your father has told you!"
39 They retorted, "Our father is Avraham."
Yeshua replied,
"If you are children of Avraham,
then do the things Avraham did!
40 As it is, you are out to kill me,
a man who has told you
the truth heard from God.
Avraham did nothing like that!
41 You are doing the things your father does."
[. the father of lies who kills .]
they said to him:
"We're not illegitimate children!"
"We have only one Father -- God!"
[. the use of "(illegitimate) caught my eye;
because, this may be yet another reference
where the people understood
that his "(miraculous) birth was illegitimate;
in fact, it was just such a beginning
-- filled with whispers --
that made JC sympathetic to the shunned .]
...
44 You honor your father, Satan, [Evil One]
and you want to carry out your father's desires.
From the start he was a murderer,
and did not go in the true way;
because, there is no truth in him.
When he says what is false,
it is natural to him, for he is false:
indeed, the father of lying .
...
47 He who is a child of God
gives ear to the words of God:
your ears are not open to them because
you are not from God.
48 The Judeans answered him,
"Aren't we right in saying
you are from Shomron[Samaria]
and have a demon[evil spirit]?"
[ Shomron refers to Samaria
. what is now Israel was in JC's day
divided into kingdoms:
# northern kindom of Israel
(Samaria is in the middle of it;
JC's Galalee is in the far north;
Jericho is on the bottom);
# southeastern kindom of Judah:
(Jerusalem is near the top,
-- where JC is during this argument --
(in a temple at the Mountain of Olives)
Hebron in the middle,
Beersheba near the bottom).
# southwestern area:
(Philistine states)..]
49 Yeshua replied, "Me? I have no demon.
I am honoring my Father.
But you dishonor me.
50 I am not seeking praise for myself.
There is One who is seeking it,
and he is the judge.
51 Yes, indeed! I tell you
that whoever obeys my teaching
will never see death."
[. his teaching equals god's teaching:
if your life's purpose is serving god,
your purpose lives forever .]
52 The Judeans said to him,
"Now we know for sure
that you have [an evil spirit]!
Avraham died, and so did the prophets;
yet you say,
`Whoever obeys my teaching
will never taste death.'
53 Avraham avinu died;
you aren't greater than he, are you?
And the prophets also died.
Who do you think you are?"
54 Yeshua answered,
... my Father [is] the very one
about whom you keep saying,
`He is our God.'
55 Now you have not known him,
but I do know him; indeed,
if I were to say that I don't know him,
I would be a liar like you!
But I do know him,
and I obey his word.
56 Avraham, your father,
was glad that he would see my day;
then he saw it and was overjoyed."
57 Judeans retorted:
"Why, you're not yet fifty years old,
and you have seen Avraham?"
58 Yeshua said to them,
"Yes, indeed!
Before Avraham came into being, I AM!"
[. this is apparently a play on words:
both an abbreviation for
"(I am who I say I am, not a liar)
and the name god sarcastically gave to Moses:
"(say that I AM sent you);
indicating that JC(Yeshua) feels he is
being faithful to the eternal god
-- the god who had the same will now
and in the beginning,
as during the time of their
first forefather, Avraham .]
59
At this, they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Yeshua was hidden and left the Temple grounds.
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