John 8: 31 then audience switch?

[Ian]

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

But in the rest of the chapter he goes on to lambast his audience as if they were in the non-believer category. There is no indication by John that Jesus has switched to another (unbelieving) audience. If I was John`s English teacher I would run a red biro through this passage and tell him to be more precise about whom Jesus is addressing. I want to let John off the grammatical hook. But how?

[dizerner]

I don't think there is any audience switch, it's just a mixed crowd with many following him for the wrong reasons. He shows us that following Christ is not always being a disciple of Christ, since we can follow him for the wrong reasons, begin questioning him, things like that. It's a sorting passage where Christ is thinning the ranks of who is a professing and who is a real follower. I think the implication is "those who appeared to believe on him." There may have also been those in that group who accepted what he was saying, who simply didn't speak back.

[Paidion]

Most of the commentators say that these were merely nominal disciples.

My own view is that he turned to the Jews that were his disciples and spoke the words that it was necessary to continue in His word to really demonstrate that they were his disciples. But as Dizerner pointed out, this was a mixed multitude of Jewish people, so that He was speaking to those who were NOT His disciples, when He later said, "You are of your father, the devil."

[TheEditor]

"They did not grasp that he was talking to them about the Father.  Therefore Jesus said: “When once YOU have lifted up the Son of man, then YOU will know that I am [he], and that I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me I speak these things.  And he that sent me is with me; he did not abandon me to myself, because I always do the things pleasing to him.”  As he was speaking these things, many put faith in him.  And so Jesus went on to say to the Jews that had believed him: “If YOU remain in my word, YOU are really my disciples,  and YOU will know the truth, and the truth will set YOU free.”  They replied to him: “We are Abraham’s offspring and never have we been slaves to anybody. How is it you say, ‘YOU will become free’?. (John 8:27-33)

I agree with the previous comments. He appears to have been addressing faithless Jews from the start of the dialogue. At a certain point, some of them "put faith in him" to which he addressed as you noted. But then his dialogue switched back to the faithless ones. Of course, some of these accounts are a little difficult to dope out linguistically, but we can still discern their meaning.

Regards, Brenden.

[Ian]

I don`t know whether the pluperfect tense existed in the original languages but many translations use this tense:

http://biblehub.com/john/8-31.htm

So it could be interpreted "had believed, but..." and then Jesus goes on to flesh out the but.

[Paidion]

The Koine Greek language does have the pluperfect. But that tense is not used here.

30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
"επιστευσαν"(believed), aorist indicative. Often used as a simple past.

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews believing in Him, "If you remain in My word, you are really My disciples ."
"πεπιστευκοτας" (believing), perfect active participle.