Passage
They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father.
John 8:27 (ASV)
Nearby Context
John 8:25 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning.
John 8:26 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you: howbeit he that sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these speak I unto the world.
John 8:27 They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father.
John 8:28 Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am [he], and [that] I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things.
John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me; he hath not left me alone; for I do always the things that are pleasing to him.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "perceived", "spake", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "perceived" and "spake", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 26's "I have many things to speak and..." into verse 28's "Jesus therefore said When ye have lifted...", so "perceived" and "spake" 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 "perceived" and "spake" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.