John 8:55 (DRB)

Passage

And you have not known him: but I know him. And if I shall say that I know him not, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know him and do keep his word.

Nearby Context

John 8:53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom dost thou make thyself?

John 8:54 Jesus answered: If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father that glorifieth me, of whom you say that he is your God.

John 8:55 And you have not known him: but I know him. And if I shall say that I know him not, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know him and do keep his word.

John 8:56 Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see my day: he saw it and was glad.

John 8:57 The Jews therefore said to him: Thou art not yet fifty years old. And hast thou seen Abraham?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "known", "shall", "like", "liar", "keep", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "known" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 54's "Jesus answered If I glorify myself my..." into verse 56's "Abraham your father rejoiced that he might...", so "known" and "shall" 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 "known" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.