I know I’m dating myself when I ask this question – do you remember the TV game show “To Tell the Truth”? A group of 3 people would all pretend to be the same person, of which one was actually that person. A celebrity panel would ask questions to determine who was the real person, making a guess at the conclusion of the show. The big reveal came after the host would say “Would the real ____ please stand up!” In these middle chapters of John there is a little bit of “To Tell the Truth” going on here. 

We know that during the time of Jesus there were other men making claims to be the promised messiah and many of the religious leaders were trying to determine who was the real messiah: will the real messiah please stand up!  In our text this Sunday we see a group of Pharisees peppering Jesus with questions and getting answers they were not happy with. In verse 25 they come to a point of exasperation and blurt out “Who are you?” And that is a very good question. A question that is still asked today regarding Jesus. In John 8 Jesus provides the verification of who he is – the promised messiah, and those points of verification still provide the proof that Jesus is the messiah. The passage concludes in vs 30 by recording that many people put their faith in Jesus as a result. The verification of Jesus as messiah still has that effect on people today as Jesus calls us to put our faith in Him to meet every need for time and eternity.