Connect John 8:28 with Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. Setting the Scene: John 8:28 “ ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.’ ” (John 8:28) Key phrases to trace back into the Old Testament: • “lifted up the Son of Man” • “you will know that I am He” • “speak exactly what the Father has taught Me” “Lifted Up” in the Wilderness: Numbers 21 • Numbers 21:8-9—“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.’ … If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” • Foreshadowing: a single, God-provided object of faith lifted up for the healing of a condemned people. • Jesus explicitly links this episode to His own cross-work in John 3:14, framing His “lifting up” as the ultimate fulfillment: salvation granted to all who look in faith. The Exalted Servant: Isaiah 52–53 • Isaiah 52:13—“Behold, My Servant will prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” • The same Hebrew verb for “lifted up” appears, pointing ahead to Messiah’s public elevation. • Isaiah 53 spells out what that lifting entails: – Verse 5—“He was pierced for our transgressions…” – Verse 10—“Yet it pleased the LORD to crush Him…” • The Servant’s suffering precedes His exaltation, echoing Jesus’ words: first the cross, then the recognition of His true identity. The Divine “I Am He”: Isaiah 43 • Isaiah 43:10—“You are My witnesses… that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.” • “I am He” is the Greek ἐγώ εἰμι in John 8, the same self-designation Jesus repeatedly uses. • By choosing this phrase, Jesus anchors His identity to the covenant name of the LORD in Isaiah, declaring Himself the very God who speaks in those prophecies. Words Given by the Father: Deuteronomy 18 • Deuteronomy 18:18—“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” • Jesus claims perfect obedience to this pattern: “I do nothing of Myself; but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.” • The verse promises a prophet whose every word is divinely sourced—precisely what Jesus asserts in John 8:28. Threads Woven Together • Numbers 21 shows the need for a saving figure to be “lifted up” for the healing of sinners. • Isaiah 52–53 clarifies that the lifted figure is the Servant-Messiah, suffering yet ultimately exalted. • Isaiah 43 identifies that Servant as none less than the LORD Himself—“I am He.” • Deuteronomy 18 assures that this Servant-Prophet will speak only the Father’s words. Taken together, these passages converge in Jesus’ declaration: when He is hoisted on the cross, the prophecy-threads tighten into one unmistakable revelation—He is the promised, God-sent Messiah, speaking with the very voice of the Father. |
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