Whoever is Without Sin

With the rising of the sun He entered the temple again. Then all the people came to Him, and sitting down He taught them.

Now the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman to Him who had been caught in adultery. And placing her in the center they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught committing adultery — in the very act! And in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. But You, what do You say about her?” (Now they said this to test Him, so that they might bring an accusation against Him.)

Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. But when they kept asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let the one without sin among you throw the first stone at her.” Then He bent down again and wrote on the ground with His finger.

But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the older ones, until the last. And Jesus was left alone, with the woman still standing in the middle.

Straightening up, Jesus saw no one but Himself and the woman. He said to her, “Woman, where are the ones who accused you? Has no one condemned you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and do not sin again.”

The Light of the World

So then again Jesus spoke to the people, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Pharisees then said to Him, “You are saying these things about Yourself. Your testimony is not true.”

Jesus responded, saying, “Even if I testify about Myself, what I say is true, because I know where I come from and where I go. But you do not know where I am from or where I go.

“You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one. But even if I were to judge, My judgment would be true, for I’m not alone — but I and the Father who sent Me.

“Now it is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am one witness for Myself, and the Father who sent Me is a witness for Me.”

Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”

Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. Had you known Me, you would have known My Father also.” Jesus said these things in the treasury, teaching in the temple. But no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Jesus said therefore again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sins. Where I go, you can’t come.”

The Jews therefore said, “Will He kill Himself? Is that why He says, ‘Where I am going, you can’t come?’”

He said to them, “You are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM He, you will die in your sins.”

They said therefore to Him, “Who are you?”

Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you. However He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I say to the world.”

They didn’t understand that He spoke to them about the Father. Jesus therefore said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM He. And I do nothing of Myself, but as My Father taught Me, I say these things. He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

As He spoke these things, many believed in Him. Jesus therefore said to those Judeans who had believed in Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed, and have never been in bondage to anyone. Why do you say, ‘You will be made free?’”

Jesus answered them, “I tell you the absolute truth, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. A slave does not live in the house forever. A son remains forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be truly free. I know that you are Abraham’s seed, yet you want to kill Me, because My word finds no place in you. I say the things which I have seen with My Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father.”

They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you look to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the works of your father.”

They said to him, “We were not born from sexual immorality. We have one father, God.”

Therefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love Me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but He sent Me. Why don’t you understand My speech? Because you can’t accept My word.

“You are of your father, the devil. And you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it.

“But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God.”

The Jews then said to Him, “Do we not say well that You are a Samaritan, and that You have a demon?”

Jesus answered, “I have no demon. But I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. Yet I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks and judges. I tell you the absolute truth, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”

Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If a man keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ Are You greater than our father Abraham who died? The prophets died! Who do You make Yourself out to be?”

Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ You have not known Him, but I know Him. If I said, ‘I don’t know Him,’ I would be like you, a liar. But I know Him, and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day. He saw it, and was glad.”

The Jews therefore said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old! And You have seen Abraham?”

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the absolute truth, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Therefore they took up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus was hidden, and left the temple in that way, passing right through the middle of them.

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