John 8 – One God

John 8. “The Word, Israel, and Real Freedom”

1. Setting the Foundation: Jesus Is the Word

Before we dive into John 8, we need to understand who Jesus really is.

John doesn’t start his Gospel with “Once upon a time” or “Jesus was born…”.
No - he goes straight to the truth:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1

John is basically saying:
- Jesus didn’t start when He was born
- He didn’t start when He did miracles
- He didn’t start when He called the disciples

He always existed.

He is the Word of God - the mind, voice, and power behind creation itself.

So when Jesus speaks in John 8:
He isn’t just giving good advice.
He isn’t just having an argument with religious leaders.
He is speaking as the Author of Truth - the One who existed before everything.

This is important, because once you know who is talking, you understand why His words carry weight.

Jesus is not debating.
He is revealing truth.

2. What Does “Israel” Really Mean?

Before we look at Abraham and the whole “Jew/Gentile” conversation in John 8, we need to understand where the word Israel comes from.

Back in Genesis, Jacob wrestles with God. God gives him a new name:

“Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel.”
Genesis 32:28

Israel means “God prevails” or “the one who wrestles with God.”

This is important because:
- Israel wasn’t first a country
- It wasn’t first a group of people
- It wasn’t a race or culture at the start

It started with one man who had an encounter with God.

The identity of Israel was always meant to be spiritual, not just biological.
It meant: a people who belong to God because God chose them.

But by the time Jesus arrives, many Israelites believed “Israel” meant:
- being born in the right family
- having the right bloodline
- following traditions
- being better than gentiles
- having access to God that others didn’t

In John 8, Jesus challenges all of that.

He shows that being God’s people has nothing to do with what family you come from, and everything to do with who you choose to follow.

3. Abraham: The Promise and the Problem

Let’s rewind to Abraham, because the Jews in John 8 keep saying,
“Abraham is our father.”

God promised Abraham:
- a son
- a nation
- a covenant
- generations that would bless the whole world

But Abraham got impatient.

Sarah couldn’t have children, so Abraham slept with Hagar, Sarah’s servant.

This resulted in:
- Ishmael - born through a slave woman
- A gentile lineage
- A symbol of human effort instead of God’s promise

Later, God kept His word and Sarah gave birth to:
- Isaac - the true child of the promise
- Born through the free woman
- A symbol of the covenant

So Abraham fathered two kinds of children:

- One from a slave
- One from a free woman

This became a picture of two spiritual identities:
Slavery - trying to do things by human effort
Freedom - trusting God’s promise

By Jesus’ day, Jewish leaders believed that being a descendant of Isaac automatically made you “the chosen” and “masters” over gentiles.

But Jesus flips all of that in John 8.

4. Masters and Slaves Under the Old Covenant

Under the old Jewish mindset:
- Jews were “masters” because they came from Isaac
- Gentiles were “slaves” or outsiders, linked to Ishmael
- Jews had the laws, the covenants, the temple
- Gentiles were excluded from God’s promises
- Jews were “clean”
- Gentiles were “unclean”

This created a system of:

1. Jew vs Gentile
2. Master vs Slave
3. Included vs Excluded

But Jesus came to break that system.

He came to show that God’s promise does not come through your family, culture, or nationality.

It comes through faith.

And John 8 is where that truth becomes explosive.

5. Stepping Into John 8: Jesus vs Religion

John 8 opens with the woman caught in adultery.

The religious leaders:
- drag her into public
- humiliate her
- quote the law
- carry stones to kill her

But Jesus says:

“Let the one who is without sin throw the first stone.”

Silence.
Stones drop.
The accusers walk away one by one.

Why?

Because Jesus exposes the reality:

They were more interested in punishment than in mercy.

They were more focused on rules than on love.

This moment sets the tone for the entire chapter:

Jesus stands for truth, freedom, and grace.
The religious leaders stand for pride, control, and appearance.

6. Jesus Reveals His Identity

Jesus then says:

“I am the light of the world.”
John 8:12

This is huge.

To the Jews, the law was the light.
The temple was the light.
The priests and religious leaders thought they were the light.

But Jesus steps in and says:

“I am the Light.”

He is basically saying:

“You’ve been following shadows.
The real Light is standing right in front of you.”

But instead of celebrating, they argue.

They say His words don’t count.
They question His authority.
They judge Him by tradition, not truth.

Jesus tells them:

“You judge according to the flesh.”

Meaning:
- You judge by appearance
- You judge by background
- You judge by culture
- You judge by pride

But none of that equals truth.

7. The Big Claim: “Abraham Is Our Father”

Now everything goes deeper.

The Pharisees say:

“Abraham is our father.”
John 8:39

They’re basically saying:

“We come from Isaac, so we are automatically chosen.”
“We are the masters, not the slaves.”
“We are God’s people, not the gentiles.”
“We are right because of where we were born.”

Jesus challenges everything:

“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did.”

In other words:

Being Abraham’s descendant doesn’t make you Abraham’s child.

Abraham obeyed God.
Abraham believed God.
Abraham welcomed God’s truth.

But the Pharisees were rejecting God’s truth, the very truth standing in front of them.

So Jesus tells them the shocking part:

“You are of your father, the devil.”
John 8:44

Not because they were evil people,
but because:
- they rejected truth
- they lived in pride
- they trusted tradition instead of God
- they walked in darkness rather than the Light

Jesus is exposing a key reality:

Your spiritual father is the one you act like, not the one you’re related to.

8. Real Slavery: Not Physical, but Spiritual

Then Jesus hits the core of John 8:

“Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
John 8:34

The Jews believed:

“We are children of Isaac, we have never been slaves.”

But Jesus isn’t talking about physical slavery.
He is talking about something every teenager today understands:

You can be free on the outside
and still a prisoner on the inside.

You can be:
- trapped by addiction
- trapped by anger
- trapped by lust
- trapped by depression
- trapped by fear
- trapped by trying to prove yourself
- trapped by social pressure
- trapped by sin

And Jesus is saying:

“You can come from the right family and still be a slave.”
“You can know scripture and still be a slave.”
“You can go to church and still be a slave.”

Then Jesus gives the answer:

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:36

Freedom is not something you earn.
It is someone you accept.

Your friends can’t free you.
Your parents can’t free you.
Your pastor can’t free you.
Your talent can’t free you.
Motivation can’t free you.
Discipline can’t free you.
School can’t free you.
Money can’t free you.
Relationships can’t free you.

Only Jesus can.

9. “Before Abraham Was, I Am.”

Then comes the moment that changes everything.

Jesus says:

“Before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 8:58

He uses God’s sacred name from Exodus 3:14 “I AM.”

The crowd loses it.
They try to stone Him.

Why?

Because Jesus didn’t just claim to be old.
He claimed to be eternal.
He claimed to be God.

He is saying:

“I existed before Abraham.
I made Abraham.
I gave the promise to Abraham.
I am the Word.
I am the Light.
I am the One you have been waiting for.”

This destroys the whole “Jew vs Gentile,”
“master vs slave,”
“chosen vs unchosen” system.

Because if Jesus is the true Master,
then nobody else can claim that position.

10. Galatians 3:28–29 - Jesus Breaks the Old Divide

After Jesus’ resurrection, Paul explains the new identity under Christ:

“There is no Jew or Gentile, no slave or free… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:28

This means:
- No more spiritual hierarchy
- No more identity based on race
- No more division based on culture
- No more “we’re chosen, you’re not”
- No more “masters” vs “slaves”

And then Paul hits the truth:

“If you belong to Christ, you are Abraham’s seed.”
Galatians 3:29

That means:
- You become God’s child
- You become part of the promise
- You become Israel in spirit
- You become free
- You inherit God’s blessing
- You receive God’s Spirit
- You are included through Christ

Jesus becomes the Shepherd.
We become His sheep.
He becomes the Master.
We find freedom by following Him.

But without Him?

We stay slaves - not to people,
but to sin.

11. Final Message to the Youth

John 8 is not just a chapter about a debate between Jesus and religious leaders.
It is a message for every young person:

Your identity is not in your family.
Your identity is not in your culture.
Your identity is not in your background.
Your identity is not in your mistakes.
Your identity is not in your achievements.
Your identity is not in your past.

Your identity is found in one thing:

Do you follow the truth?

Jesus is the Word.
Jesus is the Light.
Jesus is the Promise.
Jesus is the “I AM.”
Jesus is the One who sets people free.

He invites you into:
- a new identity
- a new freedom
- a new purpose
- a new family
- a new life
- a new relationship
- a new covenant

And the choice is simple:

Follow Him and become truly free.
Reject Him and remain a slave to sin.

But His arms are open.

And His freedom is real.

And now, lets read John 8.

¹but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

¹²When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

¹³The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

¹⁴Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. ¹⁸I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

¹⁹Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” ²⁰He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

²¹Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

²²This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

²³But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

²⁵“Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. ²⁶“I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

²⁷They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up^[a] the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” ³⁰Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

³¹To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.^[b]”

³⁹“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would^[c] do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. ⁴³Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jesus’ Claims About Himself

⁴⁸The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

⁴⁹“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

⁵²At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. ⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. ⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

⁵⁸“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” ⁵⁹At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.