Passage
The Pharisees therefore said to him, “You testify about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”
John 8:13 (WEB)
Nearby Context
John 8:11 She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”
John 8:12 Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.Isaiah 60:1 He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:13 The Pharisees therefore said to him, “You testify about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”
John 8:14 Jesus answered them, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you don’t know where I came from, or where I am going.
John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "pharisees", "therefore", "said", "testify", "yourself", "testimony", and "valid". 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 "Again therefore Jesus spoke to them saying..." into verse 14's "Jesus answered them Even if I testify...", 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.