Light of the World

John 8:12-30

Introduction

Within the property of Silver Dollar City, in Branson Missouri, is one of many, many caves in the state. It’s named Marvel Cave, and it’s special because it’s one of the very few I’ve actually been in. But, there’s a reason I’m bringing this up. If you go and take part in one of their regular cave tours, the guide will bring your group down, down, down into the cave. Then, once you’re sufficiently lost, the guide will stop walking, and turn out the lights. All of them. All the guide lights, emergency lights, and backup lights. Gone.

When that happens, assuming people leave their cell phones in their pockets, is a deep darkness that we hardly ever, if ever, experience. When those lights go out, you cannot see a single thing.

So there you are, for a few minutes, stuck in a strange cave, with a bunch of strangers, with no lights, and absolutely no idea how to get out. Now, after a couple minutes, the guide will turn the lights back on and continue the tour. But that moment of darkness, with all the emotions of wonder, curiosity, helplessness, and probably no small amount of fear, they stick with you.

It’s only then that you realize how much you need light. We don’t often think about it, with our light lights, street lights, headlights, ceiling lights, and any other kind of light you can imagine. But when you take all of that away, things can get scary quickly. When the sense of seeing that we rely on so heavily is taken, we’re left in a rough spot.

With all our light sources now, darkness isn’t a problem, right?

The Book of John began with themes of light and darkness, standing for good and evil, right and wrong, spiritual enlightenment and spiritual ignorance. Being saved and being lost.

These themes resurface even now, just as Jesus utters the second of his famous “I AM” statements. Seven times in the book of John Jesus utters the words “I AM” and fills in the blank with an image or characteristic that reveals something so very important about him and his mission.

This time, he says “I am the Light of the World.”

John 8:12-20

John 8:12–20 ESV

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.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 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. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 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. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 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.” 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.

V. 12 I am the light of the World

Now, Jesus begins by speaking to “them” again. Who is the “them”?

V. 13 enlightens us, but it also brings us back to V. 3, namely, the Pharisees. Jesus is again challenging those who think they know so much and have it all figured out, and he’s revealing bit by bit their own ignorance and sin. They thought they were good, they were righteous, they were doing just fine.

In reality, they are no more than, as he says elsewhere, the “blind leading the blind.”

And Jesus is calling them, and anyone else within ear shot, to not be blind any more. How?

The famous John Calvin once wrote:

“It is a most beautiful praise of Christ that he is called the light of the world. With this statement, we who are by nature blind are offered a remedy, by which we are snatched and freed from darkness and made to share in the true light. This blessing is not offered to this or that individual only; Christ declares himself the light of the whole world. By this universal statement, he takes away the distinction not only between the Jew and the Greek, but also between the learned and the ignorant, the distinguished and the common people.”

Haroutunian, Joseph, and Louise Pettibone Smith. Calvin: Commentaries. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958. Print.

There is not an economic barrier, or racial barrier, or societal barrier between Christ’s offer of light and the world that he loves. (John 3:16, right?) But there is a condition that does have to be met. V. 12 continues on and contrasts those who follow Jesus and those who don’t. V. 24 also specifies that following involved believing that “...I am he” and we’ll get to that in a minute.

But for now, Jesus offers any who follow him the “light of life.” He is inviting them to Look to the Light.

To understand that is to note something about these feasts that brought Jesus to Jerusalem.

ESV Commentary: “Along with the water-pouring ceremony, [Where Jesus declared “I am the water of life”] the Feast of Tabernacles also included a lighting of candles. The Jewish texts describing these ceremonies do not explain their purpose, but the likeliest rationale is that they commemorated the water from the rock and the pillar of fire and cloud during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings, which the feast remembered.”

So, we get actions reenacting and memorializing the water from the rock, as well as the guiding and protecting light of the pillar of cloud and fire. The one focused on today was the latter, that blazing tornado that represented God’s presence with them, protection of them, and ultimately God’s guidance of them towards God’s Promised Land. Toward living in the place of God’s richest blessings and care.

Weirsbe “In fact, John has combined three “wilderness images”: the manna (John 6), the water from the rock (John 7), and the pillar of fire (John 8).”

Jesus takes this latest symbol and declares that he is that light, not just for Israel but for the world, and making it clear that those who follow him will have life. Not just life, but abundant life when they Look to his Light.

UBS Handbook: “The light of life means “the light that gives life (GeCL “the light that leads to life”). In some languages the light of life may be rendered “the light that causes people to really live” or “the light that shows people how they may live.””

If you’ve been flying from this belief to that belief, to this idea and that idea, to those pursuits and these values, flying here and there and everywhere, Jesus is claiming to be the landing lights that scream out, come here, land here, this is what you are looking for. Let me guide you to life, to abundant life, to eternal life. Land here!

While using other words here, he is bring up the idea that “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.”

But that…didn’t exactly go over well.

Just like at your job, when the boss gets up and starts to say something about mandatory overtime, and you, along with every other worker, immediately recoil, try to turn away, and find any excuse not to do it. You instinctively flinch and glance around for any way out.

Just like that, these Pharisees recoiled against Jesus and started to spout off all sorts of reasons they shouldn’t follow him and shouldn’t believe him.

V 13-18 The Valid Testimony

We have a phrase for extraordinary claims: “It’s too good to be true.” But sometimes, that even works with bad news. You get a medical diagnosis and you ask for a second opinion, you hear your favorite artist is doing a concert nearby, but you want to double check it, you are arguing with a friend, but then turn to Google to confirm you have the right answer.

We double-check things all the time. So, here, the Pharisees are referencing an Old Testament principle and calling for another witness. They want to double check Jesus. they want to find any reason to doubt him and dismiss his testimony. In short, they are looking for a reason not to follow his light.

Now, this isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s based on a couple key aspects of Israel’s law.

Deuteronomy 17:6–7 ESV

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. The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Deuteronomy 19:15 ESV

“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

Jesus, as we’ll see more clearly in a minute, is doing some accusing. He is accusing them of not following God, not walking in the light, not believing in him, and therefore, well deserving of, as he says later “dying in their sins!” But Jesus is only one person, they argue, not two. You cannot offer that kind of accusation on your own!

Plus, that principle of important things needing two witnesses is something they somewhat adopted in other situations, leading to their next question.

“You are bearing witness about yourself, your testimony is not true.” (V 13)

So Jesus answers with quite paragraph!

John 8:14–20 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 or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 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. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 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.” 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.

Let’s break that down.

V. 14 Jesus makes it clear that, yes, he can in fact testify about himself. Why?

He knows himself, he knows his origin, who he is, what his mission is, what’s next on his agenda. They’re clueless!

It’s like when your friend returns from an Alaskan Cruise and you pile on all sorts of questions, asking about this and that, and how that was, and what happened there, and how many times they were chased by polar bears, and how many penguins they saw. (Well, until you remember there are no penguins in Alaska) Why?

We love to ask questions! We love to hear stories of other places and people. And we regard our friends as trustworthy witnesses. I’m going to trust the word of somebody who has been to Alaska a lot more than somebody who hasn’t!

But even that is a very surface level judgement, that’s something who visited on a trip for a few days. That’s not someone who lived there for years, that that kind of person would be a real witness to Alaskan life!

These are taking a stab in the dark, assuming they know who Jesus is, and in reality, completely missing him. We saw that in John 7:52

John 7:52 ESV

They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

They had judged him, condemned him, dismissed him on false information! They had no idea where he was even born, but as bashing him for their wrongly assumed information!

They made the same mistake that Cory Asbury recently made. While famous for writing Christian songs, his recent release “Good for Nothing” has the line “Like Nazareth, where the Son of Man was born” Evidently, he didn’t read his Bible enough to know where Jesus was even born!

They missed it, and in this case, the Pharisees are determined to miss looking to his light.

Moving on, V. 15 certainly seems odd. While they wrongly judged, Jesus is claiming to not judge at all!

ESV Expository “When Jesus says, “I judge no one,” he seems to mean, I judge no one according to the flesh, the way you do. This would make sense of why he goes on to assert that when he judges, his judgment is true (v. 16), because, as he explained in 5:19–30 (esp. v. 30), he renders the Father’s judgments according to the Father’s will, not according to the flesh.”

Then Jesus mentions his unique relationship with the Father. His Father, God, the Father, is the other witness. He tossed their requirement of two witnesses right back into their face. Sadly, as they duck down to avoid the pain of his clever reply, the meaning of said reply goes over their heads. They get confused, thinking he is referring to his earthly father, perhaps to Joseph. They miss it again, and again show just how little they really know about Jesus.

This, predictably, invites the very true accusation of their not knowing the Father, nor Jesus! If they realized Jesus was the Son of God, of course they would know who his father is! But they managed to miss both.

V. 19-20 Their ignorance and inaction

Speaking of missing, they also miss their chance at stopping Jesus. He was there, he was in the Temple complex, he was on their very doorstep, but they don’t arrest him. Why not? They’ve been trying to, wanting to, looking for reasons to, but they don’t.

“His hour had not yet come”

We see similar phrasing throughout the book of John, showing that Jesus knew his mission, knew when and where his death would take place, and knew his enemies were powerless until then. Their rage and hatred and anger were held in check by God’s mighty arm until just the right time.

Knowing he was safe, knowing he was protected, knowing he was secure in God, Jesus continued.

John 8:21-30

John 8:21–30 ESV

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.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 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.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 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. 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.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Last week, we saw the sinner, the adulterer, the one condemned under the law and ready to be judged, and even slated for execution, but Jesus forgave her. Jesus cared for her and his mercy forgave her sin. Even she could follow Jesus. She looked to his light.

This passage is the other side to that coin. There, an obvious and deep sin was evident before all. Here, Jesus is saying, whatever you may blindly think, if you don't follow me, you are in sin. You will face the consequences. The worst of sinners can be forgiven, but until forgiveness, we are all sinners, even if we imagine ourselves blind to it.

V 20-22 They continue to miss who he is, and will miss where he is going.

Jesus said he was going somewhere they couldn’t follow. Why? Because they will die in their sins.

Trapped, unable to escape, unable to overcome, unable to break free. Like the end of the crime show, when the police finally find the evidence they need, finally track down the criminal, and finally arrest the one that has caused chaos all episode. Problem solved, justice served, evil punished!

They will die with lives full of sin and then they will suffer the full judgment of that sin. That’s a theme, along with the light and dark, that we saw the Book of John open with long ago. Many would not receive Jesus, would not believe in him, and would not come to his light. Jesus knew that before he even came.

John 1:9–14 ESV

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So, if they were rejecting him, why did he say the Pharisees would seek him in V 21?

This “seek” here in John 8:21 seems less the eager and humble searching of somebody wanting Jesus, and more the angry hunting down of some traitor by the members of a local gang. They were thugs on a hunt to do harm, not curious followers seeking more enlightenment.

These guys, however, were slightly smarter than the average thug and did recognize Jesus was speaking of something after death…and then missed everything else he was saying.

They assumed they were righteous and going to Heaven when they died, and then assumed Jesus was going the other place, Hell, a place they in their assumed righteousness couldn’t follow. Why then would he go to Hell? The only thing they could come up with is suicide.

They got it all backwards! Jesus tries again. He is persistently pointing them to the need to look to his light.

V. 23-24 Jesus lays down who he really is.

He makes it crystal clear this time. He is from above, meaning Heaven, they are from below Heaven, that is, Earth. Jesus is trying to make clear he is heavenly, he is divine, he is God, and they, they are human, mortal, sinful, and doomed humans.

But V. 24 offers hope.

John 8:24 ESV

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

While it mostly framed as a statement of doom, this also opens the door widely to any who would believe! You believed that “I am he” and you don’t have to die in your sin!

What is that phrase? “I am he.” I am that person that provides guidance to the way of Life, the one that makes available the path of rescue, the deliverer, the savior, the Messiah. Jesus is here, as the next paragraphs make clear, to set people free from sin!

He is Gandalf lighting and leading in the murky mines of Moria, safely guiding his fellowship out, but to continue that theme, he was also an ancient heavenly power that would give his life to ensure the salvation of others, only to later return to life later to the befuddlement of his foes!

V. 25-29 Jesus explains his role and his relationship with his father.

Finally, their confusion breaks to the surface and they straight up ask “who are you?”

“Guys, I’ve been telling you this forever!” is the reply from Jesus.

He then mentions the Father who sent him and it was he that gave Jesus his message. Jesus then sets up a future sign, a prophecy, claiming that the Father is faithful, will not abandon him, and Jesus will always please him even when you see him “lifted up”. Once again using that phrase, Jesus is again pointing to his death by crucifixion.

It is there, on the cross, that his greatest work will be done. It is there that others, even the soldier in charge of killing him, will utter words recognizing who Jesus really was. It is there that divine love did battle with mortal sin and there forgiveness was bought for all mankind! There, redemption was purchased at the dearest of prices, all by the mighty and wonderful plan of God.

But that redemption, that forgiveness, must be believed to be experienced.

The other day, I missed out. I had gotten a ton of emails declaring “25%” collections of theology books, open to anyone, just visit the website and pick out your bundle. Well, I had gotten quite a few emails about it, I knew the offer, knew the offer was open to men, and knew when the offer was closing. And you know what, just because it was open to me, just because it was available to me, just because the company was very, very eager to get it in my hands, doesn’t mean I accepted it.

I didn’t.

So I missed out.

So too, Jesus is the Light of the World, he is the bringer of salvation truth, the forgiver of all sins, but you must believe in him, believe in his work on your behalf, to experience it! Look to his Light!

We must believe in the Son to know the Father

There are many people who claim to know who God is or what he is like. Some use the words kind, others cruel. Some use the term patient, and others petty. Some imagine God to be a gentle grandpa and others a jerk of a judge.

But to really know him, we must come through his son. we must Look to his Light!

To understand the Christian God is to seek understanding of God the Father and God the Son, but that relationship, to really experience him and know him and walk with him and follow him, is only possible because of the work of the Son.

He made it possible for us to approach the Father! Look to his Light!

The Son is the light that guides us to the Father.

The Bible calls us to approach the Son, to believe on him, or in him, and find our hope for forgiveness in him.

In the beginning, the very, very beginning, God created a perfect world, full of goodness and life and light. Then, Adam and Even rebelled, and plunged the world into the darkness of sin and cruelty and confusion.

Humanity has, ever since, been flailing about looking for purpose, for power, for, well, the point of it all!

Humanity is much like a cave diver, one who goes diving, swimming, but down into the depths of dark and deadly underwater caves, far from the warm and wide ocean with it’s sunlight and sandy shores. Caves that stretch for miles and miles, with little to nothing even living in their stagnate depths. Like a diver caught underwater deep in the nameless tunnels and unmapped caverns, searching, seeking only to know which way is up, only then to notice that she is running out of air, running out of time, and no closer to an answer. Soon to drawn without hope, without rescue, without any way to even cry for help. She knows she is lost, and she knows it is over in the darkness.

Jesus is the light that guides us to salvation, the way point marker that sets us on the right path, the chirp of the GPS as is beckons us to the correct turn, the landing lights that draw in the weary pilot. Look to his Light!

Simply follow him, seek him, and he will bring you safely home.

The man who has met God is not looking for something—he has found it; he is not searching for light—upon him the Light has already shined.9

A. W. Tozer

It is only through the work of the Son that sins may be forgiven and that relationship restored.

John 8:24 ESV

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

Jesus makes it clear, unless you believe in his as the redeemer, you will die in your sins.

There is no other cure, no other hope, no other lifeline.

“In Christ Alone, my hope is found” the song goes.

I’m thankful that even now, like in his day, we can cling to the hope given by V. 30.

John 8:30 ESV

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

You can believe in him today, you too can seek his light, you too can experience his hope, you too can find rest and hope and life and light in the person of Jesus Christ.

We can forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.

Plato

In our invitation to come, I implore you, come to Jesus, follow his Light.

John 8:12 ESV

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.”

Look to his Light!