The Gospel According to John (American Standard Version, 1901) · 14 of 37 · tr. American Standard Version (1901)
7:52-8:23
[7:52] They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
[7:53] [And they went every man unto his own house:
[8:1] but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
[8:2] And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
[8:3] And the scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman taken in adultery; and having set her in the midst,
[8:4] they say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act.
[8:5] Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her?
[8:6] And this they said, trying him, that they might have whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
[8:7] But when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
[8:8] And again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
[8:9] And they, when they heard it, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst.
[8:10] And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, Woman, where are they? did no man condemn thee?
[8:11] And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.]
[8:12] Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.
[8:13] The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true.
[8:14] Jesus answered and said unto them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go.
[8:15] Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
[8:16] Yea and if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
[8:17] Yea and in your law it is written, that the witness of two men is true.
[8:18] I am he that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
[8:19] They said therefore unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye know neither me, nor my Father: if ye knew me, ye would know my Father also.
[8:20] These words spake he in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man took him; because his hour was not yet come.
[8:21] He said therefore again unto them, I go away, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sin: whither I go, ye cannot come.
[8:22] The Jews therefore said, Will he kill himself, that he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come?
[8:23] And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
'Ye know neither me, nor my Father' and the question 'Where is thy Father?' underscore the radical unknowability and concealment of the divine from those outside the relationship of knowledge.
The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.
Jesus declares 'I am the light of the world' and contrasts walking in darkness with having 'the light of life,' making divine light the central self-revelation of the passage.
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
'If ye knew me, ye would know my Father also' implies that direct knowledge of the divine person (Jesus) is the path to knowledge of the Father, not mere ritual or law-observance.
Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.
Jesus's response to the trap question—refusing both to condemn and to acquit in the expected legal terms, instead inverting the accusers' moral authority—destabilizes their framework and induces a reversal of judgment.
The phenomenon where spiritual messengers or healers are rejected by their own community due to familiarity or lack of awe.
The Pharisees and scribes actively test and seek to accuse Jesus, and the crowd questions his origin ('Art thou also of Galilee?'), illustrating a spiritual teacher rejected by his own community.
Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.
The Pharisees bring the adulteress to trap Jesus, exposing their own sinfulness; their one-by-one departure after 'let him that is without sin' cast the first stone is a direct indictment of outward religious observance lacking inner transformation.