Bright, Bold & Blessed

Introduction

John 8:12-

John 8:12–19 AV 1873

12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. 15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. 16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. 19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

Bright Truth

John 8:12–16 AV 1873

12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. 15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. 16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

John 8:12 AV 1873

12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Jesus was not coy in anyway here. He had a bold message and was seeking to get it across clearly. If you and I are going to say anything about Christ to anyone, it must not be hid in the shroud of secret statements that only a cryptographer can decipher. We must be plain and clear! This is the eternal truth of the gospel and it is not ours to pollute.

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to John a. The Authority of Jesus’ Testimony (8:12–20)

More important to the immediate context, the theme of light is not unrelated to the question of truthfulness and witness in the following verses, for light cannot but attest to its own presence; otherwise put, it bears witness to itself, and its source is entirely supportive of that witness.

Habakkuk 3:3–4 AV 1873

3 God came from Teman, And the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of his praise. 4 And his brightness was as the light; He had horns coming out of his hand: And there was the hiding of his power.

John 1:4–5 AV 1873

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John 8:12

John 8:13 AV 1873

13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.

John 8:12

We see here that these men knew what Christ was saying. It frightened them and caused great disdain for Christ.

This is a true thing. One cannot make bold claims about themselves without evidence.

John 8:14 AV 1873

14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

John 8:13

Jesus is making sure they understand that they do not have all the facts that they think they have.

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to John a. The Authority of Jesus’ Testimony (8:12–20)

So Jesus goes over the same ground he has been over before (5:19–30, 36–37), using slightly different terms. He can, he says, offer true (alēthēs, cf. notes on 5:31) testimony concerning himself, because he knows his unique origin and destiny (an important theme in the Fourth Gospel: cf. 3:11–13; 7:27–28, 34–35; 9:29–30; 13:1, 36–38; 14:4ff.; 16:5, 28; 19:9). His opponents have no right to speak, since they do not know where he came from (viz. the Father, 5:36–37; 16:28) nor where he is going (viz. the Father, 13:1; 16:28; 17:5). He will shortly point out once more that even in these claims he is not speaking in naked independence, but is speaking in perfect conformity with the Father’s will (vv. 16, 18).

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to John a. The Authority of Jesus’ Testimony (8:12–20)

His opponents have no right to speak, since they do not know where he came from (viz. the Father, 5:36–37; 16:28) nor where he is going (viz. the Father, 13:1; 16:28; 17:5). He will shortly point out once more that even in these claims he is not speaking in naked independence, but is speaking in perfect conformity with the Father’s will (vv. 16, 18).

John 8:15–16 AV 1873

15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. 16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

Jesus calls them out on the fact that they judge only on what they see and not on the facts. He then points to the fact that He is not there judging, but following the Father’s will. His authority and veracity do not come from what people know of Him, but what the Father knows of Him and has sent Him to do. Our self worth does not find its root in what people think of us. We have self worth because of what God has made us through Christ.

Bold Statement

John 8:17–18 AV 1873

17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

John 8:17

The Law of God was now owned in name by these religious people. So much so that Christ, the Son of God, refers to the Law as “your law.”

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to John a. The Authority of Jesus’ Testimony (8:12–20)

But as in 7:19 (cf. notes there), your law seems appropriate precisely because the Pharisees are appealing to that law to question Jesus’ practice, while Jesus is claiming to be the new locus of revelation from the Father such that the law finds fulfillment in him. Unless one is arbitrarily prepared to argue that Jesus had no consciousness of his unique role in the sweep of redemptive history, in his role as the agent of creation (1:3), in his pre-existence (8:58), it would be astonishing if he had not distanced himself from the law at certain points.

It is not that Jesus does not believe the Law. But rather, they have owned so much of the law that it is theirs and not His. Furthermore, Christ has come to deliver and redeem from the curse of the law.

The Father sent Him and the Father dictated the law. Now Christ is saying where His authority comes from: The Father, Creator, Law Giver.

Blessed Knowledge

John 8:19–20 AV 1873

19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

Knowing the one, shows you the other. Yet another incident where Christ points to the unity of the Godhead.

Matthew 3:16–17 AV 1873

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

John 1:

If you know God the Father, you know Christ His Son and the Spirit dwells within you. You cannot have one without the others. They are a package deal. After all He is One God.