John 8:20 kjv
These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
John 8:20 nkjv
These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
John 8:20 niv
He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 8:20 esv
These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 8:20 nlt
Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time had not yet come.
John 8 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jn 2:4 | Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." | Indicates Jesus' "hour" marks the start of His public ministry or decisive action. |
| Jn 7:6 | Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready." | Jesus' timing is distinct from human convenience or urgency. |
| Jn 7:8 | Go up to the feast yourselves. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come. | Reiterates Jesus' adherence to a precise divine schedule. |
| Jn 7:30 | Then they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. | Direct parallel, showing divine protection until the predestined "hour." |
| Jn 7:32 | The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. | Authorities' repeated, but foiled, attempts to seize Jesus. |
| Jn 7:44 | But some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. | Underscores human inability to thwart God's divine plan for Jesus. |
| Jn 12:23 | But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified." | Marks the turning point, signalling the imminent passion. |
| Jn 13:1 | Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father... | Indicates the climax of His earthly mission and impending departure. |
| Jn 17:1 | Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son..." | High Priestly Prayer, spoken just before His betrayal and arrest. |
| Acts 2:23 | Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God... | God's prior planning and knowing for Jesus' suffering and death. |
| Acts 4:27-28 | For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed... were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. | Human actions, even evil ones, serve God's sovereign plan. |
| Isa 53:10 | Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. | Old Testament prophecy showing God's will behind the Messiah's suffering. |
| Lk 22:53 | ...But this is your hour, and the power of darkness. | The human and demonic hour of evil, permitted by God for His greater plan. |
| Matt 26:53-54 | Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus? | Jesus' willing submission to fulfill prophecy over exerting divine power. |
| Mk 12:41-44 | Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury... | Confirms Jesus' presence and activity within the temple treasury area. |
| Lk 21:1-4 | And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury... | Another account locating Jesus by the temple treasury. |
| Lk 19:47 | And He was teaching daily in the temple. | Describes Jesus' regular public teaching in the Temple precincts. |
| Matt 21:23 | Now when He came into the temple and was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him... | Illustrates continuous teaching in the temple and opposition from authorities. |
| Jn 10:23 | And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's Porch. | Specifies another common location of Jesus' teaching in the Temple. |
| Lk 4:29-30 | ...And they rose up and thrust Him out of the city... that they might throw Him down over the cliff. But passing through the midst of them, He went His way. | Earlier instance of Jesus miraculously escaping harm before His time. |
| Jn 10:39 | Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. | Another foiled attempt at seizing Jesus due to divine protection. |
| Jn 18:6 | Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. | A dramatic display of Jesus' power at the moment He permitted His arrest. |
| Gal 4:4 | But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law... | God's perfect timing in sending Christ into the world. |
| Eph 1:11 | In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will... | God's overarching sovereignty and predetermination of all events. |
John 8 verses
John 8 20 Meaning
John 8:20 signifies that Jesus delivered His profound teachings, particularly His claims about being the Light of the World, in the publicly accessible and economically significant area of the Temple known as the treasury. Despite the clear and increasing hostility from the Jewish authorities, who sought to arrest Him, they were rendered powerless to seize Him. This was not due to any clever evasion by Jesus or incompetence on their part, but precisely because the divinely appointed moment for His suffering, death, and ultimate glorification—referred to as "His hour"—had not yet come. The verse profoundly underlines God's absolute sovereignty over all events in Jesus' earthly ministry, ensuring His life and sacrifice unfolded according to divine timing and purpose.
John 8 20 Context
John 8:20 is embedded within Jesus' powerful public teachings during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), as detailed in John chapters 7 and 8. Throughout this festival, Jesus courageously taught in the Jerusalem Temple courts, provoking diverse reactions from belief to fervent opposition among the crowds and, more pointedly, from the Jewish authorities. His declarations, such as being the "Light of the World" (Jn 8:12), challenged conventional beliefs and the authority of the religious leaders. The "treasury" (γαζοφυλάκιον, gazophylakion) was a specific, bustling, and prominent area within the Temple, located in the Court of Women, where thirteen collection chests were used for Temple offerings. Teaching here meant His message was highly public and direct. The Jewish religious leaders, particularly the Pharisees and chief priests, harbored intense hostility towards Jesus due, seeing His claims as blasphemous and a threat to their established power. They had already sent officers to seize Him (Jn 7:32) and attempted to arrest Him (Jn 7:30, 44). This verse follows Jesus' assertion of His unique divine origin and their spiritual blindness, underscoring the futility of their attempts to seize Him prior to God's set timing.
John 8 20 Word analysis
- These words: Refers directly to Jesus' preceding declarations and teaching in John 8:12-19, particularly His assertion of being the divine "Light of the World" and His defense against His accusers regarding His origin and truthfulness.
- Jesus spoke: Emphasizes that this was a deliberate and public articulation of His teachings, not a private conversation or whispered instruction.
- in the treasury (γαζοφυλάκιον, gazophylakion): This specific Temple area, situated in the Court of Women, housed thirteen trumpet-shaped chests for receiving various types of offerings. It was one of the most public and financially active parts of the Temple courts. Jesus teaching here highlights His boldness, the open accessibility of His message to all, and places His spiritual truth in stark contrast to the religious formalism often associated with such a place of ritual giving.
- as He taught: Indicates an ongoing, continuous mode of instruction, underscoring Jesus' persistent and unwavering public proclamation of divine truth.
- in the temple: The spiritual and religious heart of Judaism. Teaching within the Temple signified Jesus' direct challenge to the religious establishment and His assertion of His rightful place within God's house.
- and no one seized Him: Despite clear hostile intentions and explicit attempts by the Jewish authorities to apprehend Him (Jn 7:30, 7:32, 7:44), they were completely powerless. The Greek term, epilambanō, here suggests to grasp, lay hold of, or arrest, emphasizing their futile efforts.
- because His hour (ὥρα, hōra) had not yet come: This is a pivotal theological statement in John's Gospel. "Hour" here is not merely a measurement of time, but a divinely determined, decisive, and critical moment. It specifically refers to the culmination of Jesus' redemptive mission: His pre-ordained suffering, betrayal, crucifixion, death, and resurrection, which are intricately linked to His glorification. This phrase signifies the absolute and impenetrable sovereignty of God over every detail of Jesus' life and ultimate destiny, demonstrating that no human plotting could prematurely derail or thwart the Father's perfect salvific plan.
John 8 20 Bonus section
The recurring theme of Jesus' "hour" in John's Gospel (e.g., Jn 2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1) serves to highlight that Jesus was always in control, acting not impulsively, but according to His Father's precise divine timetable. This removes any perception of Jesus being a helpless victim and instead portrays Him as the willing Son who sovereignly walked towards His pre-ordained destiny of glorification through suffering. The historical context of the Temple treasury, a place for earthly monetary contributions, symbolically juxtaposes human acts of devotion with the divine plan of salvation, emphasizing that ultimate spiritual payment came not through human efforts, but through the sacrificial work of the Son at His appointed time. This divine timing implies that the precise circumstances surrounding Jesus' crucifixion were predestined to perfectly fulfill Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah's atoning work.
John 8 20 Commentary
John 8:20 powerfully illustrates the divine sovereignty undergirding the entire earthly ministry of Jesus. Despite growing antagonism and active attempts by Jewish leaders to apprehend and silence Him, Jesus remained unharmed, precisely because His divinely appointed "hour" for sacrifice had not yet arrived. His public teaching in the prominent Temple treasury highlighted both His fearless proclamation of truth and the visible impotence of human opposition against God's precise timetable. This verse unequivocally affirms that Jesus' eventual suffering and death were not random occurrences or the accidental triumph of evil, but rather the sovereignly ordained fulfillment of God's redemptive plan for humanity, carried out at His perfect time. It stands as a bedrock truth that God's purposes for His Son are unassailable by human will.