8:39 They answered him, 13 “Abraham is our father!” 14 Jesus replied, 15 “If you are 16 Abraham’s children, you would be doing 17 the deeds of Abraham. 8:40 But now you are trying 18 to kill me, a man who has told you 19 the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! 20 8:41 You people 21 are doing the deeds of your father.”
Then 22 they said to Jesus, 23 “We were not born as a result of immorality! 24 We have only one Father, God himself.” 8:42 Jesus replied, 25 “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. 26 I 27 have not come on my own initiative, 28 but he 29 sent me. 8:43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept 30 my teaching. 31 8:44 You people 32 are from 33 your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. 34 He 35 was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, 36 because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, 37 he speaks according to his own nature, 38 because he is a liar and the father of lies. 39 8:45 But because I am telling you 40 the truth, you do not believe me. 8:46 Who among you can prove me guilty 41 of any sin? 42 If I am telling you 43 the truth, why don’t you believe me? 8:47 The one who belongs to 44 God listens and responds 45 to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, 46 because you don’t belong to God.” 47
13:18 “What I am saying does not refer to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture, 57 ‘The one who eats my bread 58 has turned against me.’ 59 13:19 I am telling you this now, 60 before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe 61 that I am he. 62 13:20 I tell you the solemn truth, 63 whoever accepts 64 the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 65
13:21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed 66 in spirit, and testified, 67 “I tell you the solemn truth, 68 one of you will betray me.” 69
1 tn Grk “But I said to you.”
2 tc A few witnesses lack με (me, “me”; א A a b e q sys,c), while the rest of the tradition has the word (Ì66,75vid rell). It is possible that the
3 tn Grk “When Jesus knew within himself.”
4 tn Or “were grumbling.”
5 tn Or “Does this cause you to no longer believe?” (Grk “cause you to stumble?”)
6 tn The genitive in the phrase τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ (thn agaphn tou qeou, “the love of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“God’s love”) or an objective genitive (“love for God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, the emphasis would be on the love God gives which in turn produces love for him, but Jesus’ opponents are lacking any such love inside them.
7 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
8 tn The word “people” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
9 tc The first person pronoun μου (mou, “my”) may be implied, especially if ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) follows the second mention of “father” in this verse (as it does in the majority of
10 tn Grk “The things which I have seen with the Father I speak about.”
11 tn Grk “and you.”
12 tc A few significant witnesses lack ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here (Ì66,75 B L W 070 pc), while the majority have the pronoun (א C D Θ Ψ 0250 Ë1,13 33 565 892 Ï al lat sy). However, these
13 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
14 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
15 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
16 tc Although most
17 tc Some important
18 tn Grk “seeking.”
19 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
20 tn The Greek word order is emphatic: “This Abraham did not do.” The emphasis is indicated in the translation by an exclamation point.
21 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
22 tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (א B L W 070 it sys,p co) lack the conjunction here, while the earliest witnesses along with many others read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; Ì66,75 C D Θ Ψ 0250 Ë13 33 Ï). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the combined testimony of two early papyri for the conjunction is impressive, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 52). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA27 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
23 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
24 sn We were not born as a result of immorality! is ironic, because Jesus’ opponents implied that it was not themselves but Jesus who had been born as a result of immoral behavior. This shows they did not know Jesus’ true origin and were not aware of the supernatural events surrounding his birth. The author does not even bother to refute the opponents’ suggestion but lets it stand, assuming his readers will know the true story.
25 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
26 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
27 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
28 tn Grk “from myself.”
29 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
30 tn Grk “you cannot hear,” but this is not a reference to deafness, but rather hearing in the sense of listening to something and responding to it.
31 tn Grk “my word.”
32 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
33 tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).
34 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
35 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
36 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
37 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
38 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
39 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
40 tn Or “because I tell you.”
41 tn Or “can convict me.”
42 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
43 tn Or “if I tell you.”
44 tn Grk “who is of.”
45 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
46 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
47 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
48 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
49 tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”
50 tn Grk “I keep.”
51 tn Grk “his word.”
52 tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”
53 tn Grk “has no need except to wash his feet.”
54 tn Or “entirely.”
55 sn The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet. A common understanding is that the “bath” Jesus referred to is the initial cleansing from sin, which necessitates only “lesser, partial” cleansings from sins after conversion. This makes a fine illustration from a homiletic standpoint, but is it the meaning of the passage? This seems highly doubtful. Jesus stated that the disciples were completely clean except for Judas (vv. 10b, 11). What they needed was to have their feet washed by Jesus. In the broader context of the Fourth Gospel, the significance of the foot-washing seems to point not just to an example of humble service (as most understand it), but something more – Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross. If this is correct, then the foot-washing which they needed to undergo represented their acceptance of this act of self-sacrifice on the part of their master. This makes Peter’s initial abhorrence of the act of humiliation by his master all the more significant in context; it also explains Jesus’ seemingly harsh reply to Peter (above, v. 8; compare Matt 16:21-23 where Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”).
56 tn The word “disciples” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb. Peter is not the only one Jesus is addressing here.
57 tn Grk “But so that the scripture may be fulfilled.”
58 tn Or “The one who shares my food.”
59 tn Or “has become my enemy”; Grk “has lifted up his heel against me.” The phrase “to lift up one’s heel against someone” reads literally in the Hebrew of Ps 41 “has made his heel great against me.” There have been numerous interpretations of this phrase, but most likely it is an idiom meaning “has given me a great fall,” “has taken cruel advantage of me,” or “has walked out on me.” Whatever the exact meaning of the idiom, it clearly speaks of betrayal by a close associate. See E. F. F. Bishop, “‘He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me’ – Jn xiii.18 (Ps xli.9),” ExpTim 70 (1958-59): 331-33.
60 tn Or (perhaps) “I am certainly telling you this.” According to BDF §12.3 ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι (ap’ arti) should be read as ἀπαρτί (aparti), meaning “exactly, certainly.”
61 tn Grk “so that you may believe.”
62 tn Grk “that I am.” R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:555) argues for a nonpredicated ἐγώ εἰμι (egw eimi) here, but this is far from certain.
63 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
64 tn Or “receives,” and so throughout this verse.
65 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
66 tn Or “greatly troubled.”
67 tn Grk “and testified and said.”
68 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
69 tn Or “will hand me over.”