Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin?
In this rhetorical question, Jesus challenges His audience, primarily the Pharisees, to identify any sin in His life. This is significant because, according to Jewish law, a sinless life was a prerequisite for being a true prophet or the Messiah. The question underscores Jesus' sinlessness, a key tenet of Christian theology, as seen in 2 Corinthians 5:21, which states that Jesus "knew no sin." The challenge also highlights the inability of His opponents to find any legitimate fault in Him, despite their efforts. This moment reflects the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah's purity, such as Isaiah 53:9, which speaks of the suffering servant having "done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth."

If I speak the truth,
Here, Jesus asserts His role as the bearer of divine truth. In the Gospel of John, truth is a central theme, with Jesus often referring to Himself as the embodiment of truth (John 14:6). This statement connects to the broader biblical narrative where truth is associated with God's character and His revelation to humanity. The emphasis on truth also contrasts with the deception and falsehood that Jesus attributes to the devil earlier in the chapter (John 8:44). The cultural context of the time valued truth as a divine attribute, and Jesus' claim would have been understood as a declaration of His divine authority.

why do you not believe Me?
This question addresses the spiritual blindness and hardness of heart of Jesus' audience. Despite witnessing His miracles and hearing His teachings, many still refused to believe in Him. This disbelief fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 6:9-10 about people who hear but do not understand. The question also serves as a call to self-examination for the listeners, urging them to consider the reasons for their unbelief. In a broader theological context, this highlights the theme of faith and the necessity of belief in Jesus for salvation, as emphasized throughout the New Testament, particularly in John 3:16-18.

1. Jesus Christ
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is addressing the Jewish leaders and the crowd, challenging them to find any sin in Him, thereby asserting His sinlessness and divine authority.

2. Jewish Leaders
The religious authorities of the time, often in opposition to Jesus, questioning His teachings and authority.

3. Jerusalem
The setting of this discourse, a significant city in Jewish religious life, where Jesus often taught and performed miracles.

4. The Crowd
The general populace present during Jesus' teaching, witnessing the interaction between Jesus and the Jewish leaders.

5. The Temple
While not explicitly mentioned in this verse, much of John 8 takes place in or around the temple, a central place of worship and teaching.The Sinlessness of Christ
Jesus' challenge to His accusers underscores His unique nature as the sinless Son of God. This is foundational to understanding His role as the perfect sacrifice for sin.

The Authority of Truth
Jesus' question about speaking the truth invites reflection on the authority of His words. Believers are called to trust in His teachings as the ultimate truth.

The Call to Believe
The challenge of belief is central to this passage. Despite the evidence of Jesus' sinlessness and truth, many did not believe. This calls us to examine our own faith and response to Jesus' words.

The Nature of Unbelief
The resistance to Jesus' message highlights the spiritual blindness and hardness of heart that can prevent belief. This serves as a warning to remain open to God's truth.

Living in Truth
As followers of Christ, we are called to live in truth, reflecting Jesus' sinless nature in our conduct and interactions with others.(46) Which of you convinceth me of sin?--He appeals to their knowledge of His sinless life, as in John 8:29. He asserted His own knowledge of entire conformity to His Father's will. It is an appeal that spotless purity alone could make, and is His own testimony uttered in the dignity of certain knowledge. (Comp. John 14:30.)

If I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?--We may suppose that the last question was probably followed by a pause, during which any one might have answered the challenge. No one of all who had watched Him in Galilee and Judaea dared utter a syllable. Their silence is the seal to His own testimony. But if He is thought of by these as without sin, they cannot think of His words as untrue. They admit, then, that He speaks the truth, and yet they do not believe. On the absolute sinlessness of Christ, comp. 1John 3:5; 2Corinthians 5:21; 1Peter 1:19; 1Peter 1:22. . . .

Verse 46. - Which of you convieteth me of sin? Ἐλέγχω is used in the sense of John 16:6-8 (see note) - Which of you can justify a charge of sin against me? can bring it home to me or others? Sin (ἁμαρτία) is not mere "error," as Erasmus and some others have urged, because the word throughout the New Testament (and in the classics when not accompanied by some explanatory term) always means "contrariety to the will of God," moral offence not intellectual defect (so Meyer, Luthardt, Godet, Westcott). Nor is it sound exegesis to limit ἁμαρτία to one particular form of sin (such as "false doctrine," Calvin, Melancthon, Tholuck). There is no need to limit its reference; and in the unanswered query, while we cannot say that by itself this passage is sufficient to demonstrate the sinlessness of Christ, it reveals a sublime depth in his translucent consciousness that places him - unless he were the most deluded or self-sufficient of human teachers - on a different position from all other Divine messengers. In proportion as other great moral prophets have set their own standard high, they have become conscious of their own defects; and from Moses to St. Paul, from Augustine to St. Francis, the saintliest men have been the most alive to their own departures from their ideas of right. The standard of Jesus is higher than that of any other, and he appears nevertheless absolutely without need of repentance, above the power of temptation, beyond the range of conviction. True, the Jews brought a charge of madness and folly upon him immediately; but, so far from convincing him or mankind, they stand forever covered with the shame of their own incompetence to apprehend his message or himself. He being, then, without sin, and assuming that he stands in the eternal truth, and is the absolute Truth of things, and that he cannot from his moral purity deceive or misinform them, and that his testimony to himself is final, sufficient, and trustworthy, asks, If I say the truth - without your having convicted me of sin or brought any moral obliquity or offence against me - if I say (the) truth, why do ye not believe me? The reason is in them rather than in him. Their non-belief discloses no flaw in his revelation, but makes it evident that they and he are on different planes of being, with a discrepant, opposed, moral paternity. "Why do ye not believe me?" He marvelled at their unbelief! He is from God; they are from God's great enemy. The moral perfection of Jesus as the God-Man is absolutely necessary to his character as "God's Lamb," as "the Only Begotten," "the Son," and as "the Judge," of the human race. As he subsequently said, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing fit me." To account for this sinless, perfect humanity, the entire conception of the Divine nature blended in indissoluble union with his own is found imperative at every epoch of Christ's life. At every development of his official character, in every new combination of circumstance, in conflict and sorrow, when smarting from treachery and dying alone upon the cross, he is "perfect," he fulfils the perfect norm, he reaches the standard of Divine humanity. There is no discrepance here with even Mark's account of his language to the young ruler (Mark 10:18), for he does not there say that he is not good, nor does he do other than suggest that he is identified with the One who is good.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Which
Τίς (Tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

of
ἐξ (ex)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

you
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

can prove Me guilty
ἐλέγχει (elenchei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1651: (a) I reprove, rebuke, discipline, (b) I expose, show to be guilty. Of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish.

of
περὶ (peri)
Preposition
Strong's 4012: From the base of peran; properly, through, i.e. Around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.

sin?
ἁμαρτίας (hamartias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 266: From hamartano; a sin.

If
εἰ (ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

I speak
λέγω (legō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

[the] truth,
ἀλήθειαν (alētheian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 225: From alethes; truth.

why
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

{do} you
ὑμεῖς (hymeis)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

not
οὐ (ou)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

believe
πιστεύετέ (pisteuete)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4100: From pistis; to have faith, i.e. Credit; by implication, to entrust.

Me?
μοι (moi)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.


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NT Gospels: John 8:46 Which of you convicts me of sin? (Jhn Jo Jn)