Jesus and the Pharisees who listen to Him have different ideas of what testimony is. The issue is not that they want human testimony while He speaks of God's testimony. The problem, rather, is that...
Jesus and the Pharisees who listen to Him have different ideas of what testimony is. The issue is not that they want human testimony while He speaks of God's testimony. The problem, rather, is that the people listening to Jesus, who are quite sincere religious people, want external testimony where testimony is possible only as something internal. The Pharisees are religious people who observe the Torah, and they demand from Jesus proofs of His messiahship, or at least of the truth of His testimony, in the same way they might demand testimony of the same kind in court on some accusation.
The logic is simple: present us reliable witnesses that You are telling the truth and really have the right to do what You do and say what You say. Testimony is required, certification, but strictly formal and external. And in this case it is impossible: Jesus brought into the world something that cannot be proved by external testimony alone, and this is exactly what those demanding proof from Him cannot understand - or simply do not want to understand.
This is not surprising: after all, we are speaking about religious people. They need proofs of the corresponding kind - proofs that fit within religious frames. But there proofs can only be external. For any religion is an external thing, a kind of tool originally developed for establishing relations with higher powers - and for verifying those relations. But precisely with God there can be no purely external relations, and no verification is possible here. One might just as well try to prove friendship or love: one can bear witness to both, but prove them...
If he wishes, a skeptic or cynic will always object that this is not friendship or love at all, but simply self-interest or attraction to a partner, and nothing can be proved on the external level, only from within, where certainty about the spiritual authenticity of the relationship lives. So it is with God: proof can be found only within, in one's own heart, and in no other way. But this is no longer religion; it is a relationship with God, one that fits into no religious frames and cannot be proved in any way inside those frames.
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8:12 He that followeth me shall in nowise walk in darkness - In ignorance, wickedness, misery: but shall have the light of life - He that closely, humbly, steadily follows me, shall have theDivine light continually shining upon him, diffusing over his soul knowledge, holiness, joy, till he is guided by it to life everlasting.
8:13 Thou testifiest of thyself; thy testimony is not valid - They retort upon our Lord his own words, Joh 5:31;if I testify of myself, my testimony is not valid. He had then added, There is another who testifieth of me.To the same effect he replies here, Joh 8:14, Though I testify of myself, yet my testimony is valid; for I am inseparably united to the Father. I know - And from firm and certain knowledge proceeds the most unexceptionable testimony: whence I came, and whither I go - To these two heads may be referred all the doctrine concerning Christ. The former is treated of Joh 8:16, etc, the latter Joh 8:21, etc For I know whence I came - That is, For I came from God, both as God and as man. And I know it, though ye do not.
8:15 Ye judge after the flesh - As the flesh, that is, corrupt nature dictates. I judge no man - Not thus; not now; not at my first coming.
8:16 I am not alone - No more in judging, than in testifying: but I and the Father that sent me - His Father is in him, and he is in the Father, Joh 14:10-11; and so the Father is no more alone without theSon, than the Son is without the Father, Pro 8:22-23, Pro 8:30. His Father and he are not one and another God, but one God, (though distinct persons,) and so inseparable from each other.And though the Son came from the Father, to assume human nature, and perform his office as the Messiah upon earth, as God is sometimes said to come from heaven, for particular manifestations of himself; yet Christ did not leave the Father, nor the Father leave him, any more than God leaves heaven when he is said to come down to the earth.
8:17 Deu 19:15.
8:19 Then said they to him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered - Showing the perverseness of their question; and teaching thatthey ought first to know the Son, if they would know the Father.Where the Father is - he shows, Joh 8:23.Meantime he plainly intimates that the Father and he were distinct persons, as they were two witnesses; and yet one in essence, as the knowledge of him includes the knowledge of the Father.