João 8
William Barclay · Citado em PreceptAustin
João 8
Barclay points out that "When Jesus made his claim to be the Light of the World the scribes and Pharisees reacted with hostility. That claim would sound even more astonishing to them than to us. To them it would sound like a claim--as indeed it was--to be the Messiah, and, even more, to do the work that only God could do. The word light was specially associated in Jewish thought and language with God. "The Lord is my light" (Ps 27:1). "The Lord will be your everlasting light" (Isaiah 60:19). "By his light I walked through darkness" (Job 29:3). "When I sit in darkness the Lord will be a light to me" ( Micah 7:8). The Rabbis declared that the name of the Messiah was Light. When Jesus claimed to be the Light of the World, he was making a claim than which none could possibly be higher. So (oun) - Then. Therefore. The Pharisees were like a brood of vipers, ever looking for an opportunity to strike at Jesus with their objections and accusations. And so we see a quick negative reaction among the religious leaders is elicited by Jesus' great "I Am" statement in John 8:12, "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." (Jn 3:20) Truth exposes darkness. It is very possible that the Pharisees jumped on Jesus' earlier statement in John 5:31 (“If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true"), yanking it out of context, for even in that statement He had added that there was another (HIS FATHER) Who testified about Him and His testimony was true (Jn 5:32). The Pharisees are like a lot of religious bigots who yank text out of context to make it a pretext to support their supposition and in this case their accusation against Jesus. Leon
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Barclay - FEW New Testament passages have such a complete picture of discipleship as this (John 8:31-32). (1) Discipleship begins with belief. (ED: CONTRA CONSTABLE, ET AL) Its beginning is the moment when we accept what Jesus says as true—all that he says about the love of God, all that he says about the terror of sin, all that he says about the real meaning of life. (2) Discipleship means constantly remaining in the word of Jesus, and that involves four things. (a) It involves constant listening to the word of Jesus. It was said of the eighteenth-century cleric John Brown of Haddington that when he preached he paused every now and then as if listening for a voice. Christians are people who all their lives listen for the voice of Jesus and will take no decision until they have first heard what he has to say. (b) It involves constant learning from Jesus. The disciple (mathētēs) is literally the learner, for that is what the Greek word means. Throughout their lives, Christians should be learning more and more about Jesus. The shut mind is the end of discipleship. (c) It involves constant penetrating into the truth which the words of Jesus bear. None of us can hear or read the words of Jesus once and then say that we understand their full meaning. The difference between a great book and one which is fashionable and of the moment lies in the fact that we read the latter once and never wish to go back to it; whereas we read a great book many times. To remain in the word of Jesus means constantly to study and think about what he said until more and more of its meaning becomes ours. (d) It involves constant obeying of the word of Jesus. We study it not simply for academic satisfaction or for intellectual appreciation, but in order to find out what God wishes us to do. The disciple is the learner who learns in order to do. The truth which Jesus brought is designed for action. (ED: I WOULD JUST ADD THAT IF YOU SAY YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS AND DON'T OBEY JESUS' WORDS, YOU ARE DECEIVING YOURSELF. YOU ARE NOT A BORN AGAIN BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST. DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY FALSE TEACHING THAT SAYS YOU ARE, FOR IF YOU DIE IN THIS DECEPTION, YOU WILL HEAR JESUS' FRIGHTENING COMMAND IN Mt 7:23 I NEVER KNEW YOU. DEPART FROM ME YOU WHO PRACTICE (present tense - as you lifestyle!) LAWLESSNESS). (3) Discipleship issues in knowledge of the truth. To learn from Jesus is to learn the truth. ‘You will know the truth,’ said Jesus. What is that truth? There are many possible answers to that question, but the most comprehensive way to put it is that the truth which Jesus brings shows us the real values of life. The fundamental question to which everyone has consciously or unconsciously to give an answer is: ‘To what am I to give my life? To a career? To the amassing of material possessions? To pleasure? To the service of God?’ In the truth of Jesus, we see what things are really important and what are not. (4) Discipleship results in freedom. ‘The truth will make you free.’ ‘In his service is perfect freedom.’ Discipleship brings us four freedoms. (a) It brings us freedom from fear. (2Ti 1:7+, Heb 2:14-15+) Those who are disciples never again have to walk alone. They walk forever in the company of Jesus, and in that company fear is gone. (b) It brings freedom from self (sarx). Many of us fully recognize that our greatest handicap is our own self. And we may in despair cry out: ‘I cannot change myself. I have tried, but it is impossible.’ But the power and presence of Jesus can re-create us until we are altogether new. (c) It brings freedom from other people. There are many whose lives are dominated by the fear of what other people may think and say. H. G. Wells once said that the voice of our neighbours sounds louder in our ears than the voice of God. Disciples are people who have ceased to care what people say, because they think only of what God says. (d) It brings freedom from sin. (Ro 6:11-13+) Many people have come to the stage when they sin, not because they want to, but because they cannot help it. Their sins have so taken over their lives that, try as they will, they cannot break away from them. Discipleship breaks the chains which bind us to them and enables us to be the persons we know we ought to be. The prayer that the old self may be put aside and that as disciples of Christ we may become new people will indeed be answered. Continue (abide, endure, remain, stay) (3306) meno in simple terms means to remain in the same place or position over a period of time. It means to reside, stay, live, lodge, tarry or dwell. Menō describes something that remains where it is, continues in a fixed state, or endures. Meno can mean "to take up permanent residence" or "to make yourself at home." Meno is the root of the Greek noun mone which means mansion or habitation (Jn 14:2, 23). Louw-Nida - 1. stay, remain, abide (to remain in the same place over a period of time) (Acts 27:31); 2. wait for, remain in a place or state, and expect something in future (Acts 20:5); 3. continue to exist, remain in existence (Mt 11:23); 4. keep on, continue in an activity or state, as an aspect of an action (2Jn 9) (Borrow - Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : based on semantic domains) Analytical Lexicon - (1) intransitively; (a) of someone or something remaining where it is remain in a place, stay, tarry (Mt 10.11), opposite exerchomai (go away, depart); (b) in a more permanent sense dwell, live, lodge (Jn 1.38); (c) figuratively, as remaining unchanged in a sphere or realm continue, abide, remain (2Ti 2.13); (d) figuratively, as remaining in a fixed state or position keep on, remain, abide (1Cor 7.11; Heb 7.3); (e) of persons continuing on through time last, remain, continue to live (Jn 12.34), opposite apothnesko (die, perish); (f) of things continuing on through time last, be permanent, endure (Heb 13.14); (2) transitively; (a) as expecting someone or something wait for, await (Acts 20.5); (b) of things, such as danger, that threaten await, face (Acts 20.23) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Disciples (3101) mathetes from manthano = to learn which Vine says is "from a root math, indicating thought accompanied by endeavor". Gives us our English = "mathematics" - see matheteuo) describes a person who learns from another by instruction, whether formal or informal. Another sources says mathetes is from from math- which speaks of "mental effort that thinks something through" and thus describes is a learner; a follower who learns the doctrines and the lifestyle of the one they follow. Discipleship includes the idea of one who intentionally learns by inquiry and observation (cf inductive Bible study) and thus mathetes is more than a mere pupil. A mathetes describes an adherent of a teacher. As discussed below mathetes itself has no spiritual connotation, and it is used of superficial followers of Jesus as well as of genuine believers. The Lord calls everyone to grow as a disciple (a learner of Christ; cf. also Mt 11;29,30), one who lives in faith, who lives in and by His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. Every believer is a disciple, without exception, in contrast to teaching (even in some evangelical circles) that says not all believers are disciples. That is a false and dangerous teaching! SUMMARY OF ATTEMPTS TO AMEND JOHN 8:31ff D A Carson's excellent summary of the attempts to make the text in John 8:31ff says something other than what it clearly says... (1) John 8:31, or some part of it, is a gloss, i.e. a later insertion into the text. There is no manuscript evidence for this suggestion. Moreover, glossators are known for their tendency to remove ostensible difficulties from the text by additional explanation, not for any tendency to add fresh difficulties. (2) Some argue that there is a difference in meaning between pisteuō (the verb ‘to believe’) plus the preposition eis (‘to’, ‘into’), plus the accusative, used in v. 30, and pisteuō plus the dative, used in v. 31. In this view, the first construction is reserved for genuine, saving faith; the second describes inadequate, superficial faith. That means v. 31 introduces a new group of people. The problem is that the linguistic distinction does not stand up. The former construction, ostensibly referring to saving faith, is used in Jn 2:23 of spurious faith; the latter construction, allegedly reserved for superficial faith, clearly refers to genuine faith in Jn 5:24! Whatever distinction there may be between the two expressions does not lie in the distinction between the genuine and the spurious (cf. Bultmann, p. 252, n. 2). (3) Others suggest that these ‘believers’ are Judaizing Christians, those who hold to the necessity of adhering to circumcision and the constraints of the Mosaic code while nevertheless confessing Jesus as the Messiah. John therefore presents them as children of the devil, in much the same way that Paul pronounces his anathema on the Judaizers with whom he had to deal (Gal. 1:6–9). But this not only makes John’s Gospel hopelessly anachronistic, it misconstrues the terms of the debate in this chapter. The focus here is on the authority of Jesus, his unique relation to his Father and consequent revelatory stance—not on competing opinions regarding the conditions of entrance to the messianic community, focusing on the place of the law in the stream of redemptive history. (4) Still others (e.g. Schnackenburg, and esp. Erich Gräßer10) argue that vv. 30–31 refer to genuine believers, but that the polemics of the succeeding verses are not directed against them but against Jewish controversialists in John’s day who were a continual threat against the fledgling faith of new Jewish converts. In other words, the sharp exchanges of 8:33ff. are not designed to put down spurious converts, but to strengthen new converts by putting down those most likely to damage them. However, it must be frankly acknowledged that the text itself does not support this view. The problem of the text is ‘resolved’ by manufacturing a group that is not actually mentioned, a group whose existence is finally dependent on a synthetic Sitz im Leben (life-setting) in John’s church, a Sitz im Leben characterized by unnecessary anachronism and historical reconstruction of a sort that comports well with certain scholarly fads but is little based on exegesis. Cf. Introduction, § III. (5) The component of anachronism in the latter reconstruction can be removed by postulating that, in addition to genuine believers in vv. 30–31, there are others present in the temple precincts in the time of Jesus who had no room for his word (Jn 8:37), and that Jesus’ harshest condemnations were reserved for them. That others were present in so public a setting is undoubtedly true, but this ‘solution’ fails to account for v. 31, which stubbornly insists that Jesus’ ensuing remarks were directed ‘to the Jews who had believed him’.11 It seems wiser to observe that John has already introduced the theme of fickle faith. In John 2:23, the many people who believed in his name when they saw the miraculous signs Jesus was doing turn out to have untrustworthy faith (Jn 2:24–25). Some seek to exclude this parallel on the ground that the faith in question is the fruit of signs, not words, and signs are elsewhere deprecated (Jn 4:48). But the signs can foster an acceptable faith (Jn 10:38). More important, the same theme of fickle faith recurs in Jn 6:60, where many of Jesus’ disciples turn away from him after a discourse of which they disapprove, not after a sign. A similar situation develops here. Some believe in Jesus: whether or not their faith is genuine cannot be determined by the linguistic expression selected by the Evangelist. But Jesus now lays down exactly what it is that separates spurious faith from true faith, fickle disciples from genuine disciples: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. The verb rendered ‘hold’ is menō, to abide, to remain—a theme of critical importance that returns in a concentrated way in ch. 15. In short, perseverance is the mark of true faith, of real disciples. A genuine believer remains in Jesus’ ‘word’ (logos), his teaching (cf. notes on 1:1): i.e. such a person obeys it, seeks to understand it better, and finds it more precious, more controlling, precisely when other forces flatly oppose it. It is the one who continues in the teaching who has both the Father and the Son (2 Jn. 9; cf. Heb. 3:14; Rev. 2:26). This interpretation makes sense of the literary context, and suits the purpose of the book. To the Jews who have professed faith in him, Jesus, understandably enough, indicates what genuine faith does: it perseveres, it holds tight to Jesus’ teaching, with some glorious consequences (v. 32). But such faith costs not less than everything, and the freedom it brings presupposes that life before such faith is pitiful slavery. By sketching genuine faith in such stark terms, Jesus is standing true to a pattern we find elsewhere: he is never interested in multiplying numbers of converts if they are not genuine believers, and therefore he insists on forcing would-be disciples to count the cost (cf. Lk 9:57–62; Lk 14:25–33). Up to this point in the text it is unclear to the reader whether these ‘believers’ will prove true or false. Verses 33ff. settle the matter: they cannot follow Jesus’ teaching unhesitatingly, they cannot believe that he is necessary to their true freedom, they will not recognize their own slavery to sin, not even the fickleness that oscillates between hero-worship and massive discontent. The movement in reactions to Jesus is entirely parallel to the flow from 6:14–15 to 6:60ff. The Evangelist includes all of this material not because he is trying to nurture the faith of fledgling believers, but because he is trying to evangelize Jews and proselytes who must carefully understand what faith in Jesus Christ entails. They, too, must count the cost, and John, like Jesus, must present the gospel in such a way that spurious professions of faith are soon unmasked before they flood the ranks of the messianic community with people who have never been born again (BORROW his commentary - see page 346ff for this discussion - The Gospel According to John) (Bolding Added) Dr Thomas
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Barclay - The spiritual freedom that comes to us is as dramatically different as that of a slave and a son. The son is in the house and has access to everything. He can go wherever he wants to go. He can stay as long as he wants to stay. But the slave has no rights. If you are a slave to sin, the son’s freedoms are not yours. John 8:36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. AMP So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free BGT John 8:36 ἐὰν οὖν ὁ υἱὸς ὑμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ, ὄντως ἐλεύθεροι ἔσεσθε. KJV John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. NET John 8:36 So if the son sets you free, you will be really free. CSB John 8:36 Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. ESV John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. NIV John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. NLT John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. NRS John 8:36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. NJB John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free. NAB John 8:36 So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. YLT John 8:36 if then the son may make you free, in reality ye shall be free. GWN John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be absolutely free. BBE John 8:36 If then the son makes you free, you will be truly free. RSV John 8:36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. NKJ John 8:36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. ASV John 8:36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. MIT John 8:36 If, then, the son sets you free, you will really be free. Jn 8:31,32 Ps 19:13 119:32,133 Isa 49:24,25 61:1 Zec 9:11,12 Lu 4:18 Ro 8:2 2Co 3:17 Ga 5:1 John 8 - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. REAL FREEDOM! So if the Son makes you free (eleutheroo) - If is known as a third class conditional sentence which speaks of potential action. In other words, the condition may or may not be fulfilled. He will not make captives into puppets -- it's not just "Let go & let God"...we must still make a choice to yield, surrender, present ourselves to Truth (Ro 6:13b+, Ro 12:1-2+) and walk in that Truth (Gal 5:16+, Col 1:10+, Eph 4:1+, etc) and then we will discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Makes you free is in the subjunctive mood (mood of possibility) because we still have a choice but now we have the power (Ro 6:1-7+) whereas before Christ came into our lives we had no power over sin. Now we are in Christ and Paul calls us to "consider (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Ro 6:11+)
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Barclay - “It is not difficult to honour oneself; it is easy enough – in fact, fatally easy – to bask in the sunshine of one’s own approval.” Carson - Jesus refutes any suggestion that he has promoted himself. He well understands that any self-praise, any self-glory, independent of the glory of God, means nothing (cf. Heb. 5:5). That is why his own submission is so absolute. At the same time, however, Jesus insists that the Father is the one who glorifies me (cf. notes on Jn 5:23; 8:50; 17:1, 4–5). From Jesus’ perspective, the irony is that his opponents claim this God as their own, but they display no knowledge of this God’s profound commitment to glorify his unique Son (cf. Jn 5:37ff.). (Borrow The Gospel according to John) J C
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Barclay writes that agalliao "is the joy which leaps for joy. As it has been put, it is the joy of the climber who has reached the summit, and who leaps for joy that the mountain path is conquered." (Daily Study Bible) Agalliao - 11x/11v - exultation(1), exulted(1), glad(2), greatly rejoice(2), rejoice(1), rejoiced(2), rejoiced greatly(2). Matt. 5:12; Lk. 1:47; Lk. 10:21; Jn. 5:35; Jn. 8:56; Acts 2:26; Acts 16:34; 1 Pet. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:8; 1 Pet. 4:13; Rev. 19:7 Glad (5463) chairo means to be "cheer" full, calmly happy or well-off. Chairo implies and imparts joy. Chairo is used in a whole range of situations in which the emotion of joy is evoked. To be in a state of happiness and well being (often independent of what is happening when the Source is the Spirit!). Chairo means to enjoy a state of gladness, to be delighted. Several Greek lexicons (Zodhiates, Liddell-Scott, et al) associate the origin of chairo with charis or grace as follows - Chairo is from the root char-, "favorably disposed, leaning towards" and cognate with cháris, "grace" and so properly means to delight in God's grace ("rejoice") and literally, to experience God's grace (favor) or be conscious (glad) for His grace. It follows that rejoicing ("glad by grace") is principally internal and eternal because it depends only on grace. In contrast, "happiness" is external and temporal (requiring pleasant "happenings"). Thus Zodhiates writes "The word charis is related to chairo, to rejoice, and chara, joy, delight, the result of the activity of the grace of God in man." John 8:57 So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" BGT John 8:57 εἶπον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πρὸς αὐτόν· πεντήκοντα ἔτη οὔπω ἔχεις καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ἑώρακας; KJV John 8:57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? NET John 8:57 Then the Judeans replied, "You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?" CSB John 8:57 The Jews replied, "You aren't 50 years old yet, and You've seen Abraham?" ESV John 8:57 So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" NIV John 8:57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" NLT John 8:57 The people said, "You aren't even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham? " NRS John 8:57 Then the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" NJB John 8:57 The Jews then said, 'You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!' NAB John 8:57 So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?" YLT John 8:57 The Jews, therefore, said unto him, 'Thou art not yet fifty years old, and Abraham hast thou seen?' GWN John 8:57 The Jews said to Jesus, "You're not even fifty years old. How could you have seen Abraham?" BBE John 8:57 Then the Jews said to him, You are not fifty years old; have you seen Abraham? RSV John 8:57 The Jews then said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" NKJ John 8:57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" ASV John 8:57 The Jews therefore said unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? MIT John 8:57 The Jews said to him, "You are under 50 years old, and you have seen Abraham?" DBY John 8:57 The Jews therefore said to him, Thou hast not yet fifty years, and hast thou seen Abraham? NIRV John 8:57 "You are not even 50 years old," the Jews said to Jesus. "And you have seen Abraham?" John 8 - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries JEWS QUESTION JESUS REGARDING SEEING ABRAHAM Despite the difference of opinions on what Jesus meant in saying Abraham rejoiced to see My day (John 8:56), the Jews understood Him literally and responded accordingly So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham? - The Jews twisted His words, for Jesus did not say He had seen Abraham (as they assert) but that Abraham had seen His day. Once again they prove themselves literalists and reason “How can a man who isn’t even fifty claim to have seen a man who lived 2,000 years ago?” Once again they show they cannot understand what Jesus is saying, because as He explained in Jn 8:43, they were completely unable to hear His Word with "spiritual" ears!