John 8-11

8: This first part of chapter 8, while a well known story, is likely a later addition to the gospel. It does not appear at all in the earliest, best manuscripts. It is still a good story though.

Jesus is in a running argument with "the Jews," which in John is a kind of shorthand for those who reject Jesus' claims out of a sense of ethnic entitlement. Jesus makes a claim to greater authority and position than Abraham and their revealed Scriptures. Jesus is making the point that if you understood, believed and trusted in God, you would believe in me and not think of Abraham in this way. His opponents seem so angry that they make wild claims, such as "we have never been slaves to anyone (v. 33)," which is simply factually false. It is a reminder of how far people will go to maintain a privileged status. Jesus makes the ultimate statement of privilege, "before Abraham was, I am," a blatant claim to divinity. The crowd is not amused.

9: Jesus opens by shifting the focus of the cause of the blindness(was it sin?) to purpose (the work of God that you might believe). The entire story is about blindness: who sees and who does not; who blinds themselves and who has their eyes opened. Who is stubborn and who simply tells the story of their experience of Jesus. The story is also another of Jesus' "signs."

10: Jesus the good shepherd, who offers his life for the sheep, even to death. He also makes the brash claim to oneness with God, "I and the Father are one." Jesus points to his good works - his "signs" that show he is indeed from God.

11: The greatest sign outside of Jesus death and resurrection is the raising of Jesus' friend, Lazarus. We hear again and again in the story the purpose of these signs - that you may believe that Jesus is the one sent by God. It is ironic that Jesus, more than anywhere else, is the bringer of new life, yet it is also after this event that the religious leaders begin to plan the death of Jesus. As opposed to just reacting to what he is saying, they start a project.