John 8:27

KJV

They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.

KJV (with Strong's)

They understood {G1097} not {G3756} that {G3754} he spake {G3004} to them {G846} of the Father {G3962}.

Complete Jewish Bible

They did not understand that he was talking to them about the Father.

Berean Standard Bible

They did not understand that He was telling them about the Father.

American Standard Version

They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
John 8:27 reveals the profound spiritual incomprehension of Jesus's audience, particularly the Jewish leaders, who failed to grasp the divine nature of His relationship with God. Despite Jesus's clear declarations about His origin and mission, their spiritual blindness prevented them from understanding that He was speaking of God as His unique and intimate Father, underscoring a critical chasm between divine revelation and human receptivity.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated within a series of escalating confrontations and discourses between Jesus and the Jewish authorities in the temple courts during the Feast of Tabernacles. Immediately preceding [John 8:27](/john/8-27 "John 8:27 - Jesus and the Father"), Jesus has just declared Himself the "Light of the World" [John 8:12](/john/8-12 "John 8:12 - Jesus, the Light of the World") and engaged in a heated debate about His identity, origin, and the source of His authority. He repeatedly asserts His unique relationship with the Father, stating that He does nothing of His own accord but only what the Father has taught Him [John 8:28](/john/8-28 "John 8:28 - Jesus's Dependence on the Father"). The audience's failure to understand in [John 8:27](/john/8-27 "John 8:27 - Jesus and the Father") highlights the growing tension and their increasing spiritual resistance to His claims, setting the stage for even more severe accusations and misunderstandings in the subsequent verses of [John 8](/john/8 "John 8 - Jesus's Discourses in the Temple").

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In first-century Judaism, referring to God as "Father" was common, but it was typically understood in a general sense of God as the Father of the nation Israel or as the Creator. Jesus's repeated and emphatic use of "the Father" (ho Patēr) to describe His unique, intimate, and divine relationship with God was revolutionary and deeply offensive to many Jewish leaders. Such a claim implied an equality with God that they considered blasphemous [John 5:18](/john/5-18 "John 5:18 - Jesus Claiming Equality with God"). The setting in the temple courts was significant, as it was the heart of Jewish religious life, where the scribes and Pharisees held authority and where the Law was taught. Their inability to comprehend Jesus's words in this sacred space underscores a spiritual rather than merely intellectual failing, rooted in their adherence to traditional interpretations and their rejection of Jesus's messianic claims.

* **Key Themes:** The primary theme is **spiritual misunderstanding and blindness**, which is a recurring motif throughout [John's Gospel](/john "The Gospel of John - The Divine Son"). Despite Jesus speaking plainly about His divine origin and intimate connection with God, His audience's preconceived notions, hardened hearts, and lack of faith prevented them from grasping the profound truth of His words. This highlights the theme of **Jesus's divine sonship and unique revelation of the Father**, as He consistently points to His source and authority in God, emphasizing that He is sent by the Father and perfectly reveals Him [John 1:18](/john/1-18 "John 1:18 - The Son Reveals the Father"). The misunderstanding also contributes to the overarching theme of **rejection of truth and escalating conflict**, as the Jewish leaders' failure to understand leads to further opposition and ultimately their desire to silence Jesus.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **understood (Greek, _ginṓskō'_):** Derived from a primary verb, this word signifies more than mere intellectual apprehension. It implies a deep, experiential knowledge, a recognition, or a profound awareness. The phrase "understood not" (ouk egnōsan) therefore points to a failure not just of the mind, but of the spirit and heart to truly perceive and acknowledge the divine truth Jesus was conveying. It suggests an unwillingness or inability to enter into a relational understanding of what Jesus was revealing about Himself and the Father.
* **spake (Greek, _légō'_):** This primary verb refers to a systematic or set discourse, distinguishing it from casual speech. Jesus was not merely uttering random words but engaging in deliberate, authoritative teaching. The use of _légō_ here emphasizes that Jesus was clearly and purposefully articulating profound truths about His relationship with the Father, making their lack of understanding even more striking. His words were not obscure riddles but direct declarations of His divine identity and mission.
* **Father (Greek, _patḗr'_):** This word, while commonly used for a literal parent, is employed by Jesus in a unique and profound theological sense. When Jesus speaks "of the Father," He is referring to God in an intimate, personal, and unparalleled relationship of divine Sonship. This term encapsulates His co-equality, shared essence, and perfect unity with God, a claim that was radical and deeply challenging to His Jewish listeners, who could not conceive of such a unique divine sonship.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"They understood not":** This opening clause immediately establishes the central problem: a profound lack of comprehension. It is not merely an intellectual deficit but a spiritual inability to grasp the divine reality being presented. This misunderstanding stems from their spiritual blindness and their unwillingness to accept Jesus's claims about His identity and origin.
* **"that he spake to them":** This phrase highlights Jesus's clear and direct communication. He was not speaking in parables or riddles at this moment, but explicitly conveying truths about His relationship with God. The problem was not in Jesus's clarity, but in the audience's receptivity. He was actively engaging with them, yet their ears were deaf to the spiritual implications of His words.
* **"of the Father":** This is the crucial object of their misunderstanding. Jesus was speaking of God as His unique, intimate, and divine Father, implying a relationship of co-equality and shared essence. This was a claim of divine sonship that transcended the common Jewish understanding of God as a father to His people. Their failure to understand this specific reference reveals their inability to perceive Jesus's true identity as the Son of God.

#### Literary Devices
John 8:27 employs several significant literary devices to underscore its message. **Irony** is prominent, as Jesus, the divine Son, speaks plainly about His Father, yet His listeners, who are ostensibly religious and learned, fail to comprehend the most fundamental truth of His identity. This intellectual and spiritual **contrast** highlights the chasm between divine revelation and human spiritual blindness. Furthermore, the verse contributes to the pervasive **motif of spiritual blindness** found throughout John's Gospel, where many are unable or unwilling to see and believe in Jesus for who He truly is, despite His clear words and miraculous deeds. This motif emphasizes that true understanding requires more than intellectual assent; it demands spiritual discernment and faith.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
John 8:27 powerfully illustrates the profound chasm between divine revelation and human spiritual receptivity. It underscores that understanding God's truth is not merely an intellectual exercise but requires a spiritual openness and a willingness to believe. The Jewish leaders' failure to grasp Jesus's unique relationship with the Father highlights humanity's natural inability to comprehend divine realities without the illumination of the Holy Spirit. This verse points to the necessity of divine grace for spiritual understanding, emphasizing that true knowledge of God comes through revelation received by faith, rather than through human reasoning or traditional interpretations alone. It also reinforces the radical nature of Jesus's claims to divine sonship, which challenged the very core of their theological framework.

* [John 1:10-11](/john/1-11 "John 1:10-11 - The World Did Not Know Him"): "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not."
* [John 14:7](/john/14-7 "John 14:7 - Knowing Jesus Means Knowing the Father"): "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him."
* [1 Corinthians 2:14](/1_corinthians/2-14 "1 Corinthians 2:14 - The Natural Person Cannot Understand Spiritual Things"): "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
John 8:27 serves as a powerful mirror for contemporary believers, challenging us to examine the depth of our own spiritual understanding and receptivity. Just as Jesus's audience struggled to comprehend His divine origin and unique relationship with the Father, we too can fall prey to spiritual blindness, allowing preconceived notions, cultural biases, or intellectual pride to hinder our grasp of God's profound truths. This verse calls us to cultivate a humble and open heart, recognizing that true spiritual understanding is a gift from God, mediated by the Holy Spirit. It encourages us to move beyond mere intellectual assent to a deeper, experiential knowledge of Jesus as the Son who perfectly reveals the Father. We are invited to diligently study Scripture, pray for discernment, and actively seek to align our hearts and minds with God's revealed will, ensuring that we are truly listening to His voice and embracing the full implications of Christ's identity and mission in our lives.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of my life might I be spiritually blind or resistant to God's truth, similar to Jesus's audience?**
* **How does my understanding of Jesus's unique relationship with "the Father" impact my daily walk and worship?**
* **What practices can I cultivate to foster a more open and receptive heart to the Holy Spirit's illumination of Scripture?**
* **Am I truly seeking to know God more deeply through His Son, or am I content with a superficial understanding?**

### FAQ
**Why did Jesus's audience not understand that He spoke of the Father?**

Answer: Their misunderstanding was multifaceted, stemming from both intellectual and spiritual barriers. Intellectually, they struggled to reconcile Jesus's claims of divine sonship with their traditional monotheistic understanding of God, which did not include a co-equal Son. Spiritually, their hearts were hardened by unbelief, pride, and preconceived notions about the Messiah. They sought a political deliverer, not a divine Son who would reveal the Father through intimate relationship. Their inability to "know" (ginōskō) Jesus experientially meant they could not truly grasp His unique connection to God, as Jesus Himself later stated, "If you had known me, you would have known my Father also" [John 14:7](/john/14-7 "John 14:7 - Knowing Jesus Means Knowing the Father"). Their spiritual blindness prevented them from perceiving the divine truth embedded in His words.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
John 8:27, though depicting a moment of profound misunderstanding, paradoxically highlights Jesus's essential Christ-centered mission: to perfectly reveal the Father. The very words that His audience failed to grasp were the words of the Incarnate Son, the one who "is in the bosom of the Father" and has "declared him" [John 1:18](/john/1-18 "John 1:18 - The Son Declares the Father"). Jesus's persistent speaking "of the Father" throughout [John 8](/john/8 "John 8 - Jesus's Discourses in the Temple") and indeed the entire Gospel, underscores that His entire life, ministry, and ultimate sacrifice were designed to make the invisible God known. He is the express image of God's person [Hebrews 1:3](/hebrews/1-3 "Hebrews 1:3 - Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory"), and to see Him is to see the Father [John 14:9](/john/14-9 "John 14:9 - Seeing Jesus is Seeing the Father"). The tragedy of [John 8:27](/john/8-27 "John 8:27 - Jesus and the Father") is not a failure on Jesus's part, but a testament to the spiritual blindness that prevents humanity from recognizing God's ultimate self-revelation in His Son, a revelation that is freely offered to all who would believe.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Isaiah 6:9

¶ And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Romans 11:7

What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

Romans 11:10

Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

John 8:47

He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear [them] not, because ye are not of God.

2 Corinthians 4:3

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

2 Corinthians 4:4

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

John 8:43

Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word.