Pubic Ministry: Jesus the Light of the World (8:12-30)

Introduction:

We as God’s covenant people are always greatly blessed when we study together God’s written revelation to us, particularly as we have studied this gospel of John. We learned last week, in the context of the completion of the great Feast of Booths and everyone dispersing to their homes, that Jesus was tested by the religious leaders to choose whether to agree that capital punishment should be carried out on a woman caught in adultery, or to let her go. These religious leaders could care less about justice, they wanted to present Jesus before the people as a fraud, and used this woman as a pawn in their evil plan.

This morning, we will look again at how Jesus fulfilled the symbolism contained in the Feast of Booths, as he was not only the water that quenches the thirst of those who seek after God, as the water from the rock did in the Old Testament for their thirsty forefathers, but we will see that Jesus declares himself to be the Light of the World from John 8:12-30, and the implications of that declaration to the people and to us his listeners this morning.

Text: John 8:12-30

John 8:12–30 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 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 or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. 21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Main Idea: Since Jesus is the Light of the World, those of us who follow him will walk in that light, and know God the Father.

Let’s review some of the important events that took place during the Feast of Booths. We’ve already seen how Jesus declared himself to be, metaphorically, the rock from the Old Testament that supplies living water to those who thirst after God (John 7:37 “37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” ), as the water was poured out around the temple area on the last day of the feast.

But now, as the great candelabra was lit in the temple court commemorating the pillar of fire that lead the children of Israel in the wilderness, Jesus declares himself to be the fulfillment of that event as well. So we begin with Jesus…

I. Proclaiming the True Light (8:12-16)

Jesus declares Himself as the Light of the World…

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  

Again Jesus spoke to them - as a continuation of his previous revelation of himself with reference to his fulfillment of the symbolism in the feast of Booths.

I am the light of the world. What Jesus is declaring evokes imagery associated with the feast since, as we have already mentioned, candles were used as part of the celebration of the Feast of Booths, commemorating the pillar of fire that provided light and guidance to Israel in the wilderness (Ex. 13:21).

Jesus is the light to which the pillar of fire as a type pointed. Since God is light (1 John 1:5)

1 John 1:5 ESV

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Jesus’ words amount to a claim of deity. This is now the second of seven “I am” sayings of Jesus that points back to Ex. 3:14.

Whoever follows (akolouthon [pre, act, par] - follow, obey) me will not walk (peripatese [aor, act, sub] - intensionally walk) in darkness, but will have the light of life. - With this statement, Jesus is showing the difference between his true followers and those who are only professing to follow him. Jesus true followers will intensionally obey him by always being people of the light, since light is always associated with life. Light and Darkness are mutually exclusive of the other.

Colossians 1:12–14 ESV

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

1 John 1:7 ESV

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.”

Much of these interactions between Jesus and the religious leaders we have heard before, and Jesus answers them in the same way as we will see.

The Pharisees’ challenge continues the dispute of 5:31–47 (dispute after healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda)

You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true. This discussion, which runs through v. 19, pivots on the question of valid testimony. The Pharisees say that Jesus’ testimony is not legally acceptable because it lacks corroboration (Deut. 17:6; 19:15).

14 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 or where I am going.

Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, - Dispute over the identity of Jesus continues to focus on His origin (cf. vv. 7:25–36 and notes). The people’s questioning remains trapped within the limits of this world

you do not know where I come from or where I am going. Since Jesus knows where He “came from” (heaven), He knows that His testimony is valid and true. Jesus’ origin is again the point of conflict. In the culture of that day, a messenger was considered credible if the source or origin of that message was credible. In other words, Jesus is saying, I came from heaven with a message from my father, and I am returning there when my purpose is complete. You do not know this, Jesus says, because…

15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

You judge according to the flesh. That is, according to the natural understanding and human standards of this world.

When Jesus says, I judge no one, he means that during his earthly ministry he did not come as judge of the world but as its Savior (see 3:17; 12:47). However, Jesus’ coming does itself provide a basis for division and thus “judgment” throughout his earthly ministry as a natural outcome of his message and actions, and at a later time, at his second coming, Jesus will judge the entire world.

16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.

Since the Father is his substantiating witness (v. 18), Christ’s testimony is legally acceptable. In any case, one who has the witness of God needs nothing more. Jesus’ miraculous works are the visible testimony that God bears to the Savior’s authenticity (5:36). This we see next in Jesus…

II. Presenting Divine Authority (8:17-20)

In these verses, Jesus emphasizes His divine authority and unique relationship with the Father, underscoring the credibility and weight of His message as the Light.

17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. The reference is to the passage in Deut. 17:6

Deuteronomy 17:6 ESV

6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.

18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” - again Jesus is reiterating the validity of his witness and mission is substantiated by him and his Father.

19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” - The Pharisees have misunderstood Jesus’ claim as a reference to His physical father, and they may have been eager to challenge Him as a child allegedly born out of wedlock. In speaking of His Father, however, Jesus is not talking about Joseph but about God (v. 27).

“You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” - Knowledge of the Father comes through the Son Matt. 11:27

Matthew 11:27 ESV

27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

The Pharisees’ blindness with reference to Jesus shows that their technical knowledge of the law does not give them saving knowledge of God.

20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

in the treasury - Against the wall in the Court of Women stood thirteen trumpet-shaped chests in which the people deposited their gifts for various causes. Hence, this court was sometimes called the Treasury. Here Jesus was teaching, in the immediate proximity of the hall in which the Sanhedrin held its sessions. It was an area best suited for public dialogue as people could hear clearly what was being said.

And, though it is possible that this respected and impressive body, so thoroughly hostile to Jesus, could almost hear the echo of his voice, no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. There was nothing or no one who could stop Jesus in his mission.

Jesus continues to challenge them on the necessity of seeking and believing on him as he speaks on…

III. Pursuing a Crucial Belief (8:21-24)

These verses show the urgency and necessity of belief in Jesus to avoid spiritual death.

21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”

I am going away. Jesus speaks of His death, resurrection, and ascension.

die in your sin. 3 x, Jesus will use this phrase, and by doing so, he clearly states the two destinies of humanity. Not all will be saved; some cannot go where Jesus is going. The only way of salvation is to believe in Christ (v. 24; 3:16, 18).

Where I am going ultimately refers to heaven, in the presence of the Father.

22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

The Jews, stung by the announcement of their coming doom (you will die in your sin), act as if they have not even heard the words of Jesus with reference to themselves. They reflect only on the last clause in his remarks; i.e., on that which pertained to his plans with reference to himself: that he would soon take his departure to a place to which they could not come. Sneering, they ask, “He is not going to kill himself, is he?” As if by killing himself he would be going to a place where they (as they saw it) could not come!

At a previous occasion (7:35, 36) when Jesus uttered similar words, they had ventured another guess, also uttered in mockery, “He surely does not intend to go to the Diaspora among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, does he?”

The present taunting insinuation that he was possibly contemplating suicide (very prevalent in those days!) was, unbeknown to them, a bitter caricature of the truth; namely, that he was going to give his life as a ransom for many. 

23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. - this of course was their problem,

From below…You are of this world - means belonging to this natural world;

from above…I am not of this world - means from heaven, from God the Father, and also following his will and speaking his truth.

24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

unless you believe that I am he at one level may simply mean “I am the Messiah” or the one “sent” by the Father (or, in view of v. 12, “I am the light of the world”). John is fond of using words with a double meaning and this verse is one of several that hint at a connection with God’s statement to Moses in Ex. 3:14, “I AM [Gk. Septuagint: Egō eimi] WHO I AM.”

you would die in your sins…you will die in your sins - unless you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and place your complete trust in him, you will emphatically die in your sins…there is no alternative!

As Jesus says this, he speaks of…

IV. Persisting in Faithful Understanding (8:25-30)

Here, Jesus provides reassurance and hope, revealing that to know Him is to know truth and experience freedom.

25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.

“Who are you?” - Once again, as in verse 22, the Jews act as if they have not heard the remarks of Jesus with reference to themselves. Probably thinking that the best defence is an offense, they attack him with an expression of scorn and ridicule: “You, who are you?” It is almost like the Jews are saying, “Who do you think you are?”, questioning his audacity to declare them as unbelievers who will die in their sins.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning - there was no change in Jesus’ declaration of truth. Jesus had taken the time necessary at the Feast of Booths to declare that he was Israel’s Messiah, declaring his origin and mission; declaring himself to be the fulfillment of the rock in the Old Testament that brought water to the thirsty; declaring that he was the light, fulfilling the pillar of fire which led their forefathers in the wilderness; therefore…with all that truth clearly revealed concerning himself…if you trust in the Messiah, you will live, if you reject the Messiah, you will die.

26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”

I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true - Jesus I believe is saying here, “I have many things to say concerning you and to judge. But, in spite of your vehemently uttered rejections and your manifestations of unbelief, what I shall say is true, because…

I declare to the world what I have heard from him - In every word of Jesus the mind of the Father is expressed. 

27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.

Even though Jesus had frequently told the Jews in clear language that the Sender was the Father (cf. 5:36, 37; 8:18), yet this fact had failed to register.

28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he - The gist of the remark is certainly this: “having nailed me to the cross, the awful truth will dawn on you that I am in reality the One I have always claimed to be, and that in my words and works I reveal and represent the Father.”

lifted up - this phrase was first mentioned in John 3:14

John 3:14 ESV

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me - again, Jesus is not trying to be all things to all people but is focused solely on his Father’s agenda.

29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

he who sent me is with me - this spiritual closeness rests, of course, upon the trinitarian relationship between Father and Son.

He has not left me alone, has not rejected the Son or cast him off.

for I always do the things that are pleasing to him - This verse affirms not only Jesus’ lack and avoidance of sin but also that he is always doing positive things that are pleasing to God. The absolute obedience of the Son, always doing what is pleasing to the Father, and the continuation of the Father’s love for him is forever true.

30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

From what is said later (vv. 33, 37, 39), it is apparent that their profession is superficial.

True believers are those who abide in His Word (v. 31). Perseverance distinguishes those who are truly born of God (1 John 2:19).

1 John 2:19 ESV

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

So What?

Do we realize that Jesus alone is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophesies and feasts?

Do we understand that once again, the way to the Father, is the way of light found only in Jesus Christ?

Do we understand that if we reject Jesus as the only way to the Father, we will die in our sins and be forever judged?