The Woman Caught in Adultery
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early the next morning, he returned to the temple courts where all the people gathered around him. He sat down and began teaching them. The religious teachers and Pharisees brought a woman to him who had been caught committing adultery. They forced her to stand in front of everyone and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The Law that Moses gave us commands that we stone women like this to death. What do you say we should do?" They asked this question to trap Jesus, hoping to find something they could use to accuse him of wrongdoing. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. When they kept pressing him for an answer, he stood up and said to them, "Whichever one of you has never sinned should throw the first stone at her." Then he bent down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard his words, they began leaving one by one, starting with the oldest men, until Jesus was left alone with the woman still standing there. Jesus stood up and asked her, "Woman, where did everyone go? Has no one condemned you to death?" She answered, "No one, Lord." Then Jesus said to her, "I don't condemn you either. Go now, and don't sin anymore."
Jesus the Light of the World
Jesus spoke to the people again, declaring, "I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light that gives life." The Pharisees challenged him, saying, "You're making claims about yourself, so your testimony doesn't count as valid evidence." Jesus answered them, "Even though I am speaking about myself, what I say is true, because I know where I came from and where I'm going. But you don't know where I came from or where I'm going. You make judgments based on human standards and appearances. I don't judge anyone in that way. But if I did judge, my judgment would be absolutely right, because I'm not acting alone—the Father who sent me is with me. Your own law says that when two witnesses agree, their testimony is valid. I am one witness testifying about myself, and my Father who sent me is the other witness testifying about me." They asked him, "Where is this Father of yours?" Jesus replied, "You don't really know me or my Father. If you truly knew me, you would know my Father too." Jesus said all these things while he was teaching in the temple area near the place where people brought their money offerings. Even so, no one arrested him, because the time for his suffering had not yet arrived.
Where I Am Going You Cannot Come
Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am leaving this place, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot follow me there." The Jewish leaders began asking each other, "Is he planning to kill himself? Is that why he's saying we can't go where he's going?" Jesus answered them, "You belong to what is below; I belong to what is above. You are part of this world; I am not part of this world. This is why I warned you that you will die in your sins. If you do not believe that I am who I say I am, you will indeed die in your sins." They demanded, "Who are you?" Jesus replied, "I am exactly who I have been telling you I am from the very beginning. I have many things I could say about you and many judgments I could make against you. But the One who sent me speaks only truth, and I tell the world only what I have heard from him." The people did not understand that Jesus was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus continued, "When you lift up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I am who I claim to be. You will see that I do nothing by my own authority, but I speak only the words that the Father has taught me. The One who sent me stays with me always. He has never left me alone, because I always do the things that bring him joy." While Jesus was saying these words, many people came to believe in him.
The Truth Will Set You Free
Jesus spoke to the Jewish people who had come to believe in him. "If you hold on to my teaching and live by it," he said, "then you are truly my followers. When you do this, you will come to know the truth, and that truth will set you free." The people answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham. We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean when you say we will be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you with complete certainty: everyone who sins becomes a slave to sin. A slave doesn't have a permanent place in the family home, but a son belongs there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be truly free." Jesus continued, "I know you come from Abraham's family line, but you are trying to kill me because my teaching finds no welcome in your hearts. I tell you what I have witnessed in my Father's presence, while you do what you have learned from your father."
The Children of Abraham and the Devil
The people answered Jesus, "Abraham is our father." Jesus replied, "If you were truly Abraham's children, you would act like Abraham did. Instead, you're trying to kill me—a man who has simply told you the truth I received from God. Abraham would never have done something like that. You're acting just like your real father." They shot back, "We're not illegitimate children! We have one Father—God himself." Jesus said to them, "If God were really your Father, you would love me, because I came from God. I didn't come here on my own—God sent me. Why can't you understand what I'm saying? It's because you refuse to listen to my message. You belong to your father the devil, and you want to do what he desires. He has been a murderer from the very beginning and has never stood with the truth, because truth isn't in him at all. When he tells lies, he's speaking his natural language, because he is a liar and the father of all lies. But because I tell you the truth, you don't believe me! Can any of you prove that I've sinned? If I'm telling the truth, then why don't you believe me? Anyone who belongs to God listens to God's words. The reason you don't listen is because you don't belong to God."
Before Abraham Was, I Am
The Jewish leaders shot back at Jesus, "Aren't we right when we say you're a Samaritan and possessed by a demon?" Jesus answered them calmly, "I don't have a demon. I honor my Father, but you dishonor me. I'm not trying to bring glory to myself. There is someone else who seeks my glory, and he will be the judge of all this." Then Jesus said something that would shake them to their core: "I tell you the absolute truth—if anyone obeys my teaching, that person will never experience death." This statement sent the Jewish leaders into a fury. "Now we're absolutely certain you have a demon!" they declared. "Abraham died! All the prophets died! Yet you're standing there claiming that anyone who follows your teaching will never taste death. Do you think you're greater than our ancestor Abraham? He's dead. The prophets are dead. Just who do you think you are?" Jesus responded with quiet authority: "If I were trying to make myself look great, that glory would be worthless. But the one who brings me glory is my Father—the very one you claim as your God. The truth is, you don't really know him at all. But I know him completely. If I said I didn't know him, I would be lying just like you do. But I do know him, and I live by his word." Jesus continued, "Your ancestor Abraham was filled with joy because he looked forward to seeing my time on earth. He saw it, and he was thrilled." The Jewish leaders couldn't believe what they were hearing. "You're not even fifty years old," they said, "and you claim you've seen Abraham?" Jesus looked directly at them and spoke words that would either prove him to be the Son of God or a complete blasphemer: "I tell you the absolute truth—before Abraham was even born, I AM." The moment those words left his mouth, the Jewish leaders knew exactly what he was claiming. In their rage, they bent down and grabbed stones from the ground, ready to kill him on the spot for what they saw as the ultimate blasphemy. But somehow Jesus slipped away from them, hidden from their sight, and left the temple area entirely.