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.
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.
- KJV 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.
- 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.
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 5:19Jesus therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.
- John 5:30I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.
- John 6:38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
- John 12:49–50For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
- John 3:14As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
- 1 Th 2:15–16who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and didn’t please God, and are contrary to all men;
- John 12:32–34And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
- John 16:10about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more;
- John 19:18where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.
- Rom 1:4who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
- Acts 2:41Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
- Heb 2:2–3For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense;
- Acts 4:4But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
- Matt 27:50–54Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.
- John 8:24I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”
- John 11:42I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude that stands around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”
- Num 16:28–30Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works; for they are not from my own mind.
- John 3:11Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive 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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