What does "I come from" mean in John 8:14?

Question

John 8:14 ESV "Jesus answered, Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from and where I am going".

"I come from"-erchomai-present tense.

A] "After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him". John 7:1.

Is it His coming and going in Galilee which Jesus says to the Pharisees that they do not know? Jesus has been avoiding the Jews and as a result they would not know His movements and where He might appear next.

Even when Jesus comes to Judea the Jews are ignorant of His physical whereabouts as in John 7:11 "Where is he?"

B] Or, is it His coming from the Father into the lives of those to whom He gives life [John 5:21] that they do not know. As in John 14:18 "I will come to you"?

The people Jesus is talking to in John 8:14 do not presently know Jesus coming into their lives as their Saviour sent by the Father [1 John 4:14].

What is Jesus referring to when He says-you do not know where "I come from"?

Answer 1

John 8:14 New International Version

Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came [aorist] from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come [present indicative] from or where I am going.

The aorist "came" indicates the one-time incarnation event: from heaven to human.

The present indicative "come" indicates a continuing present event: the words of God from heaven keep coming onto Jesus.

Even in English today, when someone says something strange, one may react with "Where is that come from?".

A similar usage is in John 3:31:

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.

The context bears this out.

John 8:13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

14Jesus 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. 15You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

Jesus is saying that his words and acts are continuously coming from the Father. That is why the present indicative "come" is used. It is not a one-time event.