John 8:13 (ASV)

Passage

The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true.

Nearby Context

John 8:11 And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.

John 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 8:13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true.

John 8:14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go.

John 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pharisees", "therefore", "said", "thou", "bearest", "witness", and "thyself". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pharisees" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Again therefore Jesus spake unto them saying..." into verse 14's "Jesus answered and said unto them Even...", so "pharisees" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "pharisees" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.