John 10:38 (KJV)

Passage

But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Nearby Context

John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

John 10:40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "though", "believe", "works", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "though" and "believe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "If I do not the works of..." into verse 39's "Therefore they sought again to take him...", so "though" and "believe" 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 "though" and "believe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.