17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
8:17
It is also written in your law
With this verse Jesus returned to the issue at hand, the legal competency of His testimony about Himself. His testimony was from direct knowledge of and with the Father.
“Your law” may refer to Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15, which refer to the need for two witnesses to a situation. Jesus harked back to His argument in John 5:37.
that the testimony of two men is true [valid].
Israel’s law required two witnesses to testify about whether something was true; otherwise, it would not be legally admissible. Jesus met the formal requirements of the law.
8:18
I am One who bears witness of Myself,
Jesus argued as the unique “I am” in the defense of who He claimed to be. This is the first witness to who He was.
and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
The second witness to Christ is the Father. The only witness that could testify of Christ other than Himself was the Father. The witness of Christ to Himself and the witness of the Father gave the two witnesses necessary under Jewish law. Jesus had the required twofold witness to His claim to deity. Only Christ and the Father were competent to authenticate the veracity of Jesus as the light.
PRINCIPLE:
Christ’s mission, authenticated from the Father, gave Him the right to assert ultimate truth.
APPLICATION:
Jesus did not deny His right to judge. Rather, He claimed that His prerogatives were legitimate because they were in accord with the mission given to Him by the Father.
