John 8:25

‘They therefore said to him, “Who are you?” '

His statement has brought them up short. They now recognised that He seemed to be claiming even more than they had at first realised (the crescendo is building up). ‘Who are you?' they asked. There is a stress on the ‘you'. Was the statement one of awed curiosity, or of angry cynicism? Possibly a little of both, for among the questioners would be some who were willing to give His words consideration (see John 8:31).

‘Jesus said to them, “Even that which I have told you right from the beginning”.'

(We could in fact translate these words either as ‘even what I have told you from the beginning' or as ‘why do I talk to you at all?'. Either is possible but the former seems more likely, for there would be some whose interest was genuine).

He had now been with them for some time, and by this stage He considered that they should have been aware of the truth about Him, but He patiently points back to what He had already said. He has been consistent in His claims from the start. If only they had listened they would have known Who He was.

‘From the beginning.' He was drawing their attention to His past words. He wanted them to know that He had consistently said the same thing and that nothing had changed. But the writer possibly has in mind John 1:1 and sees behind it a deeper inference. It is not only what He has said from the beginning of His ministry that is important, but what He has been saying from the beginning of time.

Jesus was not, however, deceived by them. He knew that many of them were still arguing because they hoped that He would fall into a trap. Up to this point His words, while clear, had not taken Him beyond the pale, but He knew that they were hoping for something that was incontrovertible with which to condemn Him They were like many of us are when we argue. They were not genuinely weighing up His arguments in the light of the facts, but were simply refusing to give Him credence and waiting for Him to trip up. They were simply not prepared to consider that they might need light. They considered that they had the light.