The Gospel of John 8:21-30 (Jesus confuses the religious leaders)

Jesus confuses the religious leaders in John 8:21-30 about who he is and what his relationship to God is.

²¹Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

²²This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

²³But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

²⁵“Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. ²⁶“I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”²⁷They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” ³⁰Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

Questions for discussion:

Is there a secondary purpose of the leaders asking if Jesus would kill himself, other than being confused by him saying he is going away and they cannot follow him?
What did Jesus mean by, “you will die in your sin.” Was he condemning the religious leaders to damnation?
Is it right for us to continually feel guilty about our past sins?

Leave a Comment:

3 comments

Rick says December 2, 2023

Rick’s thoughts:

1. Is there a secondary purpose of the leaders asking if Jesus would kill himself, other than being confused by him saying he is going away and they cannot follow him?

The Jews believed a person who commits suicide would go to the deepest parts of hell, which underscores what the religious leaders thought of Jesus and what they wished for him. Ironically, they would be condemning themselves if they killed him unless he was NOT the Messiah, in which death was the penalty for blasphemy.

2. What did Jesus mean by, “you will die in your sin.” Was he condemning the religious leaders to damnation?

The expression comes from Ezekiel 3:18. “When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.” Jesus was warning them, not condemning them. He has been trying to tell them how they can be saved from their sin by believing in him. “But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.” In verse 24 he tells them how they could be saved.

3. Is it right for us to continually feel guilty about our past sins?

No. We should realize that we are forgiven and move on. We should learn by our past mistakes not relive them over and over. As one person put it, we would be crucifying Jesus over and over again.

van says December 6, 2023

If we continually remember our sin after we are forgiven, we are doing shaitan’s work for him.

Rick says December 8, 2023

Hi Van,

Good point. I think you comment is hard to remember when we are burdened with guilt and shame. Thanks for your thoughts.

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