John 7:28

Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, ¹  cried out, ²  “You both know me and know where I come from! ³  And I have not come on my own initiative, ⁴  but the one who sent me ⁵  is true. You do not know him, ⁶ 

1Sa 2:12; Ps 9:10; Pr 2:3-5; Jer 9:6; Jer 31:34; Ho 4:1; Ho 5:4; Ho 6:3-6; Mt 2:23; Mt 11:27; Lu 2:4,11,39,51; Lu 10:22; Joh 1:46; Joh 3:2; Joh 3:33; Joh 5:32; Joh 5:43; Joh 8:14; Joh 8:16,42; Joh 8:19,54,55; Joh 8:26; Joh 10:36; Joh 12:49; Joh 14:10,31; Joh 16:3; Joh 17:3,25; Ac 17:23; Ro 1:28; Ro 3:4; 2Co 1:18; 2Co 4:6; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18; 1Jo 2:3,4; 1Jo 5:10

¹ tn Grk “the temple.”

² tn Grk “Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying.”

³ sn You both know me and know where I come from! Jesus’ response while teaching in the temple is difficult – it appears to concede too much understanding to his opponents. It is best to take the words as irony: “So you know me and know where I am from, do you?” On the physical, literal level, they did know where he was from: Nazareth of Galilee (at least they thought they knew). But on another deeper (spiritual) level, they did not: He came from heaven, from the Father. Jesus insisted that he has not come on his own initiative (cf. 5:37), but at the bidding of the Father who sent him.

⁴ tn Grk “And I have not come from myself.”

⁵ tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.

⁶ tn Grk “the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know.”