John 8:12-59 | What's happening (and who's involved)?

Well there is a lot to cover in this passage. Jesus is in the temple, speaking with the Pharisees and you have two sides juxtaposed to one another. On one side, you have Jesus. He is making some extremely bold claims concerning Himself and concerning His opponents. Concerning Himself, He highlights some truths that are critical to our faith.

• He is the light of the world
• His witness is truth
• His judgment is true
• He comes from the Father
• The truth He presents sets free
• He is the Son who makes free
• He does what the Father instructs
• It is not by the power of demons but of the Lord that He does what He does
• God honors Him
• "Before Abraham was, I AM"

Those are some very big claims, and that last one carries a significant amount of meaning to it. On the other side, you have the Pharisees. Jesus offers a fair bit about them as well.

• They do not know Him or the Father
• Their unbelief will cause them to die in their sin
• They cannot go where He is going
• If they were truly Abraham's children, they would follow in his footsteps
• If they were truly God's children, they would believe what Jesus is saying
• They are of their father the devil who is the father of lies
• The inferred statement is that they are lies

To make a long passage short, we see a contention between the truth and the lie; the light and the darkness. Whoever comes to Jesus would be set free, but those who were still living in darkness and under their own bondage of lies would find themselves still captured by that. The only way to freedom is by Jesus.

What observations are you making?