John 8: 13-18
” The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.’
Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.'”
Back in chapter 5, we did a series on how many witnesses were required to establish something according to the law. In this passage, Jesus takes another approach to the question of testimony. One of the things he points out is that he knows where he came from. Interestingly, the Pharisees could not get their head around the facts. In the first place, Jesus “came from” Nazareth only in the sense that that is where he lived when he started his ministry. He was actually born in Bethlehem. Then there is the fact that Jesus originally came from heaven to be here on earth. This concept totally blew past the Pharisees.
Q: What does it mean that Jesus lived someplace else before he was born on earth?