THEY UNDERSTOOD NOT

John 8:23-27 And He said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins. Then said they unto Him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things, which I have heard of Him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. (Also See John 8:12-22)

In verses 12 through 22, we find a number of discourses between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, which centers on Jesus proclaiming Himself to be the light of the world (Vs. 12). Immediately they continue to find fault with Jesus by condemning Him for such a statement, which, they said, bore an untrue record of Himself (Vs. 13). Continuing on with these verses, Jesus defends His deity by showing that His authority comes from His Heavenly Father. The two verses preceding the lesson text tell us of the spiritual state of these Jews that were unrelenting in their quest to slander, condemn, and have Jesus slain. However Jesus assures them that, in their unrepentant condition and failure to understand and accept the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, they would not be allowed to enter heaven with the Savior, because they would die in their sins. Because of this fact, these Jewish leaders refused to understand and accept the will of God.

The truth of His deity continues in the lesson text with Jesus saying unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above. These Jewish leaders could not follow Jesus into heaven was because they are from beneath. This carries more meaning than that they were simply human beings currently living on earth, but that they had been corrupted by worldly, sensual, self-satisfying, sinful desires. Jesus, on the other hand, was from above. This is the same idea as found in Isaiah 55:7-9, which tell us that the mind of God is just the opposite of the mind of wicked mankind, with the central meaning being that My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. Jesus continues to tell these Jews that they were of this world, and He is not of this world.

Indeed, the continual thoughts of worldliness leave no room in one's mind for thoughts of preparing for eternal life hereafter. There is no room left to study and learn from the prophets of old, and believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of their prophecies. To believe that He is the promised Messiah is necessary for salvation, and without that belief, Jesus said, ye shall die in your sins.

Although Jesus had indirectly told these Jews that He was the Messiah foretold by the Old Testament prophets, He had not specifically affirmed this to be true. Jesus' closest disciples professed Him to be the Son of God and Savior of the world, and many thought Him to be a prophet of God having miraculous powers to heal the sick and afflicted. Yet these Jewish leaders thought Him to be an imposter that came from Galilee, and gained the following of uneducated Jews though inspiring oration, slight of hand, and trickery. Yet they seemed to be dumbfounded and amazed at, not only His knowledge of God's word, but His persistence to critically oppose their religious leadership. Their confusion seemed to prompt this derisive question to Him: Who art thou? This was asked, not to identify Himself to them, but as if to ask: "Who do you think you are, that we should ignore our religious leaders and believe that you hold the knowledge of eternal salvation?" Previously Jesus had made a lengthy speech to establish Himself as the Son of God sent from heaven to offer eternal life to all that believe on Him as the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world, fulfilling God's prophets that had been sent to the Jewish nation (John 5:17-47). This, Jesus told them was even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

Verse 26 assures us that Jesus knew their unbelieving minds that were filled with stubborn pride and hypocrisy. As it is now, so it was then; minds fixed by man's wisdom prevent them from accepting God's truths. The message Jesus continued to teach to the multitudes, fell on deaf ears, especially the elite religious Jewish leaders. He continued to teach this truth: He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things, which I have heard of Him. And yet they understood not that He spake to them of the Father. They refused to accept Jesus as God's Son, and His message to be that of His Heavenly Father.