Church Fathers Commentary John 8:13-18

"The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. Yea and if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. Yea and in your law it is written, that the witness of two men is true. I am he that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me." — John 8:13-18 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Our Lord having said, I am the Light of the world, and, he that follows Me does not walk in darkness, the Jews wished to overthrow what He said. The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You testify about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.”

Alcuin of York: It was as if our Lord Himself were the only one who testified for Himself, when in fact, before His incarnation, He had sent many witnesses to prophesy about His divine mysteries.

St. John Chrysostom: Our Lord, however, refuted their argument. Jesus answered and said, “Even though I testify about Myself, My testimony is true.” This is an accommodation to those who thought Him no more than a mere man. He adds the reason: “For I know from where I come and to where I am going”; that is, I am God, from God, and the Son of God. He does not say this expressly, however, from His habit of blending lofty and humble words together. Now, God is surely a credible witness for Himself.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The testimony of light is true, whether the light reveals itself or other things. The Prophet spoke the truth, but from where did he get it, if not by drawing from the fountain of truth? Jesus, then, is a credible witness for Himself: “For I know from where I come and to where I am going.” This refers to the Father, for the Son gave glory to the Father who sent Him. How greatly, then, should man glorify the Creator who made him.

However, He did not separate from His Father when He came, nor did He desert us when He returned; He is unlike the sun, which leaves the east when it goes to the west. And just as that sun shines on the faces of both the one who sees and the one who does not—yet only the one sees with the light while the other does not—so the Wisdom of God, the Word, is everywhere present, even to the minds of unbelievers. But they do not have the eyes of the understanding with which to see.

To distinguish, then, between believers and enemies among the Jews, as between light and darkness, He adds, “But you cannot tell from where I come or to where I am going.” These Jews saw the man and did not believe in the God, and therefore our Lord says, “You judge according to the flesh”—that is, by saying, “You testify about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.”

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is as if to say: “You judge falsely, according to the flesh, thinking that because I am in the flesh, I am only flesh and not God.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: Because you do not understand Me as God and see Me only as a man, you think I am arrogant for testifying about Myself. For any person who gives high testimony for himself is considered proud and arrogant. But people are frail and can either speak the truth or lie; the Light cannot lie.

St. John Chrysostom: Just as to live according to the flesh is to live wrongly, so to judge according to the flesh is to judge unjustly. They might say, however, “If we judge wrongly, why do you not convict us? Why do you not condemn us?” So He adds, “I judge no one.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: This can be understood in two ways. First, “I judge no one” means “not now,” as He says elsewhere, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” This means He is not abandoning His justice, but only deferring it. Alternatively, after saying, “You judge according to the flesh,” He immediately says, “I judge no one,” to let you know that Christ does not judge according to the flesh, as they judged Him. For the fact that Christ is a judge appears from the next words: “And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true.”

St. John Chrysostom: It is as if He said: “In saying, ‘I judge no one,’ I meant that I was not preempting judgment. If I were to judge justly, I would condemn you, but now is not the time for judging.” He alludes, however, to the future judgment in what follows: “For I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.” This means that He will not condemn them alone, but He and the Father together. This is also intended to quiet suspicion, since people did not think the Son was worthy of belief unless He also had the testimony of the Father.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But if the Father is with You, how did He send You? O Lord, Your mission is Your incarnation. Christ was here according to the flesh without withdrawing from the Father, because the Father and the Son are everywhere. Blush, you Sabellian! Our Lord does not say, “I am the Father, and I, the self-same person, am the Son.” Instead, He says, “I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” Therefore, make a distinction of persons and a distinction of intelligences. Acknowledge that the Father is the Father and the Son is the Son, but beware of saying that the Father is greater and the Son is less. Theirs is one substance, one co-eternity, and perfect equality. Therefore, He says, “My judgment is true,” because I am the Son of God. But so that you may understand how the Father is with Me, know that it is not for the Son ever to leave the Father. I have taken on the form of a servant, but I have not lost the form of God. He had spoken of judgment; now He speaks of testimony: “It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.”

Do the Manichaeans make poor use of this, noting that our Lord does not say, “in the law of God,” but, “in your law”? Who does not recognize here a manner of speaking customary in Scripture? “In your law” means “the law given to you.” The Apostle speaks of his Gospel in the same way, even though he testifies to have received it not from men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

There is much difficulty, and a great mystery seems to be contained, in God’s words: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” It is possible for two to speak falsely. The chaste Susannah was accused by two false witnesses; the whole people spoke falsely against Christ. How then must we understand the saying, “By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established,” except as an intimation of the mystery of the Trinity, in which there is perpetual stability of truth? Receive then our testimony, lest you feel our judgment. I delay My judgment; I do not delay My testimony. “I am one who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”

The Venerable Bede: In many places the Father testifies about the Son, as in, “This day have I begotten You,” and also, “This is My beloved Son.”

St. John Chrysostom: “It is written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.” If this is to be taken literally, in what respect does our Lord differ from men? The rule has been laid down for humans on the grounds that one person alone is not to be relied on, but how can this be applicable to God? These words are quoted, then, with another meaning. When two men testify about an impartial matter, their testimony is true; this constitutes the testimony of two men. But if one of them testifies about himself, then they are no longer two witnesses. Thus our Lord means to show that He is consubstantial with the Father and does not need another witness—that is, besides the Father’s. “I and the Father who sent Me.” Again, according to human principles, a person is admitted as a fair and credible witness in an impartial matter, but not in a matter relating to themselves unless supported by other testimony. But here it is quite different. Our Lord, though giving testimony in His own case and saying that He is testified to by another, pronounces Himself worthy of belief, thus showing His all-sufficiency. He says He deserves to be believed.

Alcuin of York: Or it is as if He said, “If your law admits the testimony of two men, who can be deceived and testify to more than is true, on what grounds can you reject My testimony and My Father's, which is the highest and most certain of all?”