Joh 8:19 | KingComments | STEP | The cause of their unfamiliarity with His true origin is that they can only judge things in a carnal, natural way ( ). Their own self is the source of their judgment. Then a person does not look beyond what he can perceive. He has no understanding for what lies beyond his horizon. Christ, Who is God over all, blessed forever ( ), and Who has perfect knowledge of all things, is not judging anyone, but serves all. He is not judging anyone, for that is not the command with which the Father has sent Him into the world. The fact that He is not judging anyone does not mean that He would not be able to do so. He has a perfect, infallible judgment over all things. His judgment is perfectly true, without any uncertainty. That is because He is not alone. He judges because the Father has given Him all judgment ( ). That not the Father, but He judges, does not mean that He exercises the judgment independently of the Father. The Father Who sent Him is in complete agreement with the judgment He exercises. In order to underline His words in a way that matches their knowledge of the law, the Lord again refers to their law given by Him and to which they appeal. Therein it is written that the testimony can only be accepted as truth if there are two people who bear the same witness ( ). The Lord responds to what He Himself has written in the law. Does the law require the testimony of two people? Well, then He can say that He speaks in accordance with the law in His testimony about Himself. He and the Father bear witness concerning His Person. The Lord always refers to the Father as the One Who sent Him. He always shows that as the eternal Son He is perfectly one with the Father and also that as the Son of Man He testifies of the Father on earth in perfect dependence on the Father and declares the Father. In turn, the Father bears witness to the Son ( ; ; ). This word about His Father makes them challenge Him to tell them where His Father is. In order to convince them, He must show them His Father, with the undertone that of course He will never be able to do so. But he who is blind to the Son does not see the Father either, for the Father is known only through the Son ( ). They understand that He speaks of God as His Father, but in their unbelief and bias they reject any thought of it. They see this as blasphemy. Their question stems from contempt. The Lord answers that they know neither Him nor the Father and that knowing the Father is inseparable from knowing Him. Because they reject Him, they cannot know the Father either. The Son is the only and exclusive possibility to know the Father ( ). Without Him that is completely impossible. These particularly important words that reveal so much about the glory of His Person are spoken by the Lord in the treasury. His words in which He reveals His glory for to those who believe can be compared to the opening of a treasury or treasure room. Only faith sees its value. The Lord teaches in the temple, where religious leaders pretend to stand up for the right of God, while seeking only their own honor. His teaching is most offensive to them. How much they had wanted to seize Him. But no matter how great their hatred and murderousness, they are powerless until the moment determined by God has come. This may also be an encouragement to us. People can’t do anything to us unless God allows it because it fits into His plans. Our times are in His hand ( ) and not in the hands of people.

‏ John 8:19

His Testimony and That of the Father

The cause of their unfamiliarity with His true origin is that they can only judge things in a carnal, natural way (Jn 7:24). Their own self is the source of their judgment. Then a person does not look beyond what he can perceive. He has no understanding for what lies beyond his horizon. Christ, Who is God over all, blessed forever (Rom 9:5), and Who has perfect knowledge of all things, is not judging anyone, but serves all. He is not judging anyone, for that is not the command with which the Father has sent Him into the world.

The fact that He is not judging anyone does not mean that He would not be able to do so. He has a perfect, infallible judgment over all things. His judgment is perfectly true, without any uncertainty. That is because He is not alone. He judges because the Father has given Him all judgment (Jn 5:22). That not the Father, but He judges, does not mean that He exercises the judgment independently of the Father. The Father Who sent Him is in complete agreement with the judgment He exercises.

In order to underline His words in a way that matches their knowledge of the law, the Lord again refers to their law given by Him and to which they appeal. Therein it is written that the testimony can only be accepted as truth if there are two people who bear the same witness (Deu 17:6 ; Deu 19:15). The Lord responds to what He Himself has written in the law. Does the law require the testimony of two people? Well, then He can say that He speaks in accordance with the law in His testimony about Himself. He and the Father bear witness concerning His Person.

The Lord always refers to the Father as the One Who sent Him. He always shows that as the eternal Son He is perfectly one with the Father and also that as the Son of Man He testifies of the Father on earth in perfect dependence on the Father and declares the Father. In turn, the Father bears witness to the Son (Jn 5:37; 1Jn 5:9; Mt 3:17).

This word about His Father makes them challenge Him to tell them where His Father is. In order to convince them, He must show them His Father, with the undertone that of course He will never be able to do so. But he who is blind to the Son does not see the Father either, for the Father is known only through the Son (Jn 14:9). They understand that He speaks of God as His Father, but in their unbelief and bias they reject any thought of it. They see this as blasphemy. Their question stems from contempt.

The Lord answers that they know neither Him nor the Father and that knowing the Father is inseparable from knowing Him. Because they reject Him, they cannot know the Father either. The Son is the only and exclusive possibility to know the Father (1Jn 2:23 ; 1Jn 4:15). Without Him that is completely impossible.

These particularly important words that reveal so much about the glory of His Person are spoken by the Lord in the treasury. His words in which He reveals His glory for to those who believe can be compared to the opening of a treasury or treasure room. Only faith sees its value.

The Lord teaches in the temple, where religious leaders pretend to stand up for the right of God, while seeking only their own honor. His teaching is most offensive to them. How much they had wanted to seize Him. But no matter how great their hatred and murderousness, they are powerless until the moment determined by God has come.

This may also be an encouragement to us. People can’t do anything to us unless God allows it because it fits into His plans. Our times are in His hand (Psa 31:15) and not in the hands of people.