Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus therefore said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things.
- BSB So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.
- NKJV Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
- NASB So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and I do nothing on My own, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me.
- NLT So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I Am he. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me.
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
Jesus foretells that when he is "lifted up" on the cross, people will recognize he is the divine "I am" who acts in perfect union with the Father. The crucifixion will vindicate his claims.
Overview
"Lifted up" points to the cross and, ultimately, to his exaltation, the means by which his identity is unveiled. Jesus stresses total dependence on the Father, doing and speaking nothing on his own initiative. The verse ties his self-revelation to the gospel itself: it is at Calvary that his deity, obedience, and saving mission are most clearly disclosed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- John 5:19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
- John 5:30I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
- John 6:38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
- John 12:49–50For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
- John 3:14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
- 1 Th 2:15–16Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
- John 12:32–34And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
- John 16:10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
- John 19:18Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
- Rom 1:4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
- Acts 2:41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
- Heb 2:2–3For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
- Acts 4:4Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
- Matt 27:50–54Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
- John 8:24I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
- John 11:42And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
- Num 16:28–30And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.
- John 3:11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
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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 8:28 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
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