John 7:28 kjv
Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
John 7:28 nkjv
Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.
John 7:28 niv
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,
John 7:28 esv
So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.
John 7:28 nlt
While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he called out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from. But I'm not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don't know him.
John 7 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jn 1:10 | He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. | The world's ignorance of Creator. |
| Jn 5:19 | Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself..." | Jesus' dependence on the Father. |
| Jn 5:30 | I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous... | Jesus acts on Father's will. |
| Jn 6:42 | And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?" | Superficial knowledge of Jesus' origins. |
| Jn 7:41-42 | "Does the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David..." | Doubts based on perceived origin. |
| Jn 8:19 | They said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You neither know Me nor My Father..." | Ignorance of Father leads to ignorance of Son. |
| Jn 8:26 | ...and He who sent Me is true; and these things which I heard from Him I speak to the world. | The Father's truthfulness as the source of words. |
| Jn 8:42 | Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God..." | Divine origin and Father-Son relationship. |
| Jn 8:50 | ...I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. | Seeking the Father's glory, not His own. |
| Jn 14:6 | Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." | Jesus embodies truth. |
| Jn 14:10 | "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority..." | Oneness with the Father, non-self origin. |
| Jn 15:21 | But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. | Persecution due to ignorance of God. |
| Jn 16:3 | And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. | Deeper reason for hostility: spiritual ignorance. |
| Jn 17:3 | And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. | Knowing the Father as the "true God." |
| 1 Jn 5:20 | And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true... | The "true God" revealed in Christ. |
| Mic 5:2 | "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel..." | Prophecy of Messiah's origin. |
| Isa 53:8 | ...and who can declare His generation? | Messianic origin, unknown by humans. |
| Mt 13:55-56 | "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?" | Hometown skepticism based on human origin. |
| Acts 17:23 | ...For as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. | Athenian ignorance of God. |
| Rom 3:4 | Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true and every man a liar. | God's inherent truthfulness. |
| Heb 1:2 | ...He has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things... | God sent His Son. |
| Gal 4:4 | But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son... | God the Father as the Sender of the Son. |
| Lk 4:22 | So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" | Initial acceptance quickly turning to doubt based on parentage. |
John 7 verses
John 7 28 Meaning
In John 7:28, Jesus emphatically declares that while the Jewish authorities claim superficial knowledge of His human identity and origin, their understanding is fundamentally flawed. He asserts that His ultimate origin is not from Himself but from God the Father, who is "true" and sent Him. Critically, Jesus exposes their profound spiritual ignorance of this "true" God, revealing that their lack of understanding of the Father is why they cannot truly recognize or accept Him, the Son. This statement is a direct challenge to their presumed religious authority and insight, distinguishing between carnal, geographical knowledge and true, divine revelation.
John 7 28 Context
John chapter 7 unfolds during the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, a time of great religious pilgrimage and intense nationalistic fervor. Jesus initially defers going publicly but later appears in the Temple courts, teaching openly. His presence stirs significant debate among the crowds and the Jewish authorities regarding His identity, authority, and origin. Questions arise about whether He is the Messiah, a good man, or a deceiver. The authorities are actively seeking to arrest Him.
Against this backdrop of controversy, John 7:28 marks a moment where Jesus, likely with powerful emotion, directly confronts the superficial knowledge and spiritual blindness of those listening. He is challenging their understanding of Messiah's origin, asserting His divine sending and highlighting their failure to recognize the true God. His public outcry signifies the urgency and importance of this truth in an atmosphere charged with skepticism and misunderstanding.
John 7 28 Word analysis
- Then Jesus cried out (ἔκραζεν, ekrazen): This is a strong, public proclamation, not a quiet teaching. It indicates a fervent, authoritative, and perhaps indignant declaration, emphasizing the gravity of His words. It means "to shout" or "to exclaim aloud," signifying an urgent and unavoidable truth being announced in a place full of opposition.
- in the temple, as He taught: The location underscores the public and confrontational nature of His declaration within the central place of Jewish worship and legal authority, where debate over religious truth was common. "As He taught" suggests His proclamation was integral to His ongoing instruction.
- saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; This statement is deeply ironic. The people knew His visible, human origins (Nazareth, Galilee, His family), leading them to conclude He couldn't be the Messiah. Jesus acknowledges this surface-level knowledge only to immediately subvert it, implying it's incomplete and misleading. They know of Him, but not who He truly is.
- and I have not come of Myself, (ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ, ap' emautou): This directly refutes the idea that His authority or mission originates from Himself as merely a man. It negates self-initiation, claiming a higher source. Jesus consistently attributes His actions and words to the Father.
- but He who sent Me is true, (ὁ πέμψας με ἀληθινός ἐστιν, ho pempsas me alēthinos estin): "He who sent Me" explicitly identifies God the Father as the source of His mission and authority. The Greek word alēthinos ("true") here implies "genuine," "real," or "authentic" – not merely veracious but representing ultimate reality. It contrasts with their superficial "knowing," highlighting the Father's absolute reality and trustworthiness as the sender of Jesus. This establishes the divine legitimacy of Jesus' person and mission.
- whom you do not know." This is the stark climax. Despite their religious piety and claims to know God, Jesus declares they profoundly lack true knowledge of the Father. Their spiritual blindness prevents them from recognizing God's agent, Jesus. This is not about factual information but intimate, saving knowledge.
Word-groups analysis
- "You both know Me, and you know where I am from" vs. "I have not come of Myself": This forms a critical tension. Jesus permits their perception of His human origins (which they "know") only to dismantle the implication that this exhausts His identity. He contrasts superficial human knowledge with profound divine truth concerning His true origin and mission.
- "He who sent Me is true" vs. "whom you do not know": This contrast highlights the spiritual disconnect. The Father, the genuine source of all truth, has sent Jesus. Yet, the very people who should know God best are ignorant of Him, thus blind to His truest revelation in the Son. Their ignorance of the Father undercuts their ability to comprehend the Son's divine mission and identity.
John 7 28 Bonus section
The tension between "knowing" and "not knowing" is central to this verse. The Jewish authorities possess a form of "knowing" based on visible evidence and common assumptions about Jesus' human background (Jn 6:42; Mt 13:55). However, this empirical "knowledge" is not only insufficient but actively hinders them from attaining true, spiritual "knowing" – which involves discerning His divine origin and the Father's authentic purpose. This paradox of "knowing" Jesus on one level yet profoundly "not knowing" Him on another highlights a major theological barrier between Jesus and many in His audience throughout John's Gospel. It also speaks to the ongoing human tendency to reject spiritual truth when it challenges pre-existing, carnal understandings or established norms. True knowledge of Jesus necessitates knowing the Father from whom He comes.
John 7 28 Commentary
John 7:28 presents Jesus' resolute defense of His divine authority and identity, directly challenging the deeply entrenched assumptions of the Jewish leadership. His public outcry in the Temple signifies the urgent and foundational nature of His message. The core of their error lay in confusing Jesus' discernible human origins with His ultimate, divine sending. They thought they "knew" Him because they knew His hometown and family, but this earthly knowledge completely overshadowed the spiritual truth of His pre-existence and commission from the Father.
Jesus refutes the notion of self-origin, repeatedly affirming His dependency on the Father. The description of God as "true" (alēthinos) is pivotal. It indicates God's genuine, ultimate reality and absolute truthfulness, standing in stark contrast to human error and superficial understanding. Because God is the true One, His sending of Jesus is perfectly authentic and reliable. The tragic irony is that those who claimed to be God's chosen people, possessing the Law and the Prophets, failed to know the very God they professed to worship. Their ignorance of the Father was the root cause of their inability to recognize His Son. This verse succinctly encapsulates a recurring Johannine theme: the world, even the religious world, fails to know God because they fail to know Jesus, who is the Father's fullest revelation. It calls for a deeper, spiritual discernment beyond mere historical facts.