John 8:55 (LSB)

Passage

and you have not known Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.

Nearby Context

John 8:53 Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?”

John 8:54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’;

John 8:55 and you have not known Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

John 8:57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "known", "liar", "like", "keep", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "known" and "liar", 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 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My...", so "known" and "liar" 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 "liar" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.