8:28 Then Jesus said, 17 “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, 18 and I do nothing on my own initiative, 19 but I speak just what the Father taught me. 20
1 sn Nathanael is traditionally identified with Bartholomew (although John never describes him as such). He appears here after Philip, while in all lists of the twelve except in Acts 1:13, Bartholomew follows Philip. Also, the Aramaic Bar-tolmai means “son of Tolmai,” the surname; the man almost certainly had another name.
2 tn “Also” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
3 tn Grk “judged.”
4 tn Grk “judged.”
5 tn See the note on the term “one and only” in 3:16.
5 tn The direct object of ἠρώτα (hrwta) is supplied from context. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
7 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
8 tn Grk “an hour.”
9 tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).
10 tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.
11 tn Grk “on this one.”
11 tn Or “resurrect him,” or “make him live again.”
12 sn Notice that here the result (having eternal life and being raised up at the last day) is produced by looking on the Son and believing in him. Compare John 6:54 where the same result is produced by eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. This suggests that the phrase in 6:54 (eats my flesh and drinks my blood) is to be understood in terms of the phrase here (looks on the Son and believes in him).
13 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
14 sn Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. These words are at the heart of the discourse on the Bread of Life, and have created great misunderstanding among interpreters. Anyone who is inclined toward a sacramental viewpoint will almost certainly want to take these words as a reference to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist, because of the reference to eating and drinking. But this does not automatically follow: By anyone’s definition there must be a symbolic element to the eating which Jesus speaks of in the discourse, and once this is admitted, it is better to understand it here, as in the previous references in the passage, to a personal receiving of (or appropriation of) Christ and his work.
15 tn That is, “no eternal life” (as opposed to physical life).
15 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them” (the words “to them” are not found in all
16 tn Grk “that I am.” See the note on this phrase in v. 24.
17 tn Grk “I do nothing from myself.”
18 tn Grk “but just as the Father taught me, these things I speak.”
17 tn Grk “This sickness is not to death.”
18 tn Or “to God’s praise.”
19 sn So that the Son of God may be glorified through it. These statements are highly ironic: For Lazarus, the sickness did not end in his death, because he was restored to life. But for Jesus himself, the miraculous sign he performed led to his own death, because it confirmed the authorities in their plan to kill Jesus (11:47-53). In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ death is consistently portrayed as his ‘glorification’ through which he accomplishes his return to the Father.
19 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
20 sn The piece of bread was a broken-off piece of bread (not merely a crumb).
21 tn Grk “after I have dipped it.” The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.
22 tn The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.
21 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Grk “said again.” The word “again” (when used in connection with the phrase “a second time”) is redundant and has not been translated.
23 tn Grk “He said to him.”
24 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.