John 8:13 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

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

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

John 8:14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and 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", "record", 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 "Then spake Jesus again unto them saying..." into verse 14's "Jesus answered and said unto them Though...", 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.