The Father

Jesus teaches about His relationship with the Father. Everything He does, and is, comes from the Father. In John 8:21-29, the Jews continued to wonder about this man whose words confounded even the wise. When Jesus stated that He was going away, they questioned what it meant. Their natural eyes desired to see, but could not, for His words are spirit and life. Jesus, the Son of Man, spoke to them in this passage about His departure, their present condition and the Father.

His Departure

Jesus told them He was going away. Then He added that they would look for Him and not be able to find Him because they couldn’t come to where He was going. To them it sounded like He might be planning His own demise. What else could He possibly be saying? Jesus at that point added how He differed from them.

Their Present Condition

They were of this world while He was not. A divide exists. Unless they put their faith in Him, they would die as sinners. As a result, they returned to the same question. “Who are You?” Until this question is settled, nothing changes.

The Father

Next, Jesus goes to the essence of His life and His message. The words I have spoken are not My own. I received them from the Father. There is nothing that I do of my own accord. Everything comes from the relationship with the Father. The Father taught Him the words to speak, then the Father sent Him, He never left Him alone, and everything Jesus did was to please the Father. “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself.”

The first verse of chapter 9 tells us that many believed when they heard these words. For Jesus, the Son of Man, spoke to them in this passage about His departure, their present condition and the Father.