They said therefore to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
Parallel translations
- KJV Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
- BSB “Who are You?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied.
- NKJV Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
- NASB Then they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I even been saying to you from the beginning?
- NLT “Who are you?” they demanded. Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When asked "Who are you?", Jesus points back to all he has consistently revealed about himself. His identity is not new information but what he has declared from the start.
Overview
The leaders' question exposes their unwillingness to grasp Jesus' repeated self-disclosure as the one sent from the Father. Rather than offering a fresh title, Jesus directs them to his whole testimony already given. The verse underscores that Christ's identity is plainly revealed to those willing to hear, and that unbelief is a moral, not merely intellectual, problem.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- John 5:17–29But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.”
- John 8:12Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
- John 1:22They said therefore to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
- Luke 22:67“If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe,
- John 19:9He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
- John 10:24The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
- John 1:19This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 8:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.