John 8:12-30

Wed. Night Bible Study

As we talked about last week, some believe that the first 11 verses of John 8 is not in the oldest better manuscripts. Yet somehow it made it in all translations, except for the new revised NIV. Some have said that the story of the adulterous woman, disrupts the events that John is writing about. I disagree, because Jesus seems to begin teaching after this episode. Still in the temple.

This whole scene, according to verse 20, takes place in the treasury, which is in the court of women, right before the actual temple. Most everyone could enter the court of women, mainly because the treasury was in that courtyard.

These words He spoke in the treasury as He taught in the temple. Jesus doesn’t just speak these words out of nowhere.  There is a scenario that He captures, and we saw that already back in chapter 7, verses 37 to 39 when He talked about being the living water, and He said that at a moment when they were going through a ritual remembering the provision of water in the wilderness, which was a daily part of the celebration of the feast of tabernacles, which was designed to commemorate the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  And Jesus, when He said that He was the living water and if anybody drank of that water they would never thirst was contrasting that spiritual water with the water being poured out in the ritual.

Jesus had a way of capturing the moment, turning it to himself, and He does it again here.

There was a courtyard beyond that, and that would be the Court of the Gentiles where anybody could come and traffic.  But once you left the Court of the Gentiles and came in, it was for Jews, men and women.  But women could go no further.  They couldn’t go into the next court.  They could go into the Court of the Women.  So naturally, they put all the places to give an offering where both the men and women could come.  It was in that very place that the widow gave her last two coins.  The first court, again, is the Court of the Gentiles.  The second is the Court of the Women where the women are allowed to go.  The next would be the Court of the Priests, and that’s restricted.

Restricted even to men who went in to offer sacrifices with the priest.  And around the porch of this massive Court of the Women where there would be tens of thousands of people at this particular time in the feast of tabernacles because they came from everywhere, there were 13 allocated places to give money, and according to historians, they were trumpet shaped, which means probably they had a larger opening and funneled down, and the money went into some kind of container.

They were very specific as to their purpose. 

Number one and number two trumpet receptacle was designed for the half shackle temple tax that everyone had to pay. 

Number three and number four were where women put money to purchase the two pigeons that they needed to offer to purify themselves from childbearing.

Number five was where the money went to purchase the wood for the fire on the alter. 

Number six also for the incense in the alter. 

Five and six then for things related to the sacrifices. 

Number seven was designated as the receptacle to keep up the golden vessels of the temple.  To hire the people to clean them and have money to replace them. 

Then you have eight through 13.  Those were for the general fund.  Anything and everything else. 

This is where Jesus is.  He’s in this Court of the Women.  It would be the most packed court in the temple.  Just keep that in mind.

In order to grasp this amazing moment, it’s really important to understand another ritual at the feast of tabernacles, another very important ritual.  He could have said, “I am the light,” just out of nowhere, and of course, it would have made sense in the world of darkness. However, when the feast of tabernacles began, candelabras were set up all through the Court of the Women.  Candelabras were really all around the Court of the Women.  As far as historians say, they literally filled the Court of the Women with the capability of light.  Every night, they would go around, and they would light these large candles, and they would burn all night.

This was actually called by the Jews the illumination of the temple.  And the reason they did was because remember now, the feast of tabernacle is they’re celebrating what?  They’re celebrating the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness.  And how did they know where to go in the wilderness?  They were led by light.  They were led by a pillar of fire at night and a lighted cloud in the daytime.  This was the light that led them in the wilderness.  To commemorate that, they had this illumination of the temple, and they lit all these candles and let them burn all night.

There’s some interesting descriptions of it by historians, ancient historians who describe it as a stunning vision, like a diamond in the midst of the city of Jerusalem was the temple ground with like floodlights coming up across its perimeter walls.  Every night they were lit, the temple became a flashing diamond, a symbol of the pillar of fiery light and cloud that led them in the wilderness. 

Some have said they actually quoted Isaiah 42:6 “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, And will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, And give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles (nations);”and Isaiah 49:6 “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles (nations), That thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” “I will be a light to the nations.”

Maybe the priests are just coming around and lighting these candelabras and Jesus begins telling them Who He is! Or maybe the lights have been extinguished and the smoke is coming up from the candelabras and Jesus speaks! Either way, what a scene!

The Light of the world........A way to go......If in darkness, the eyes desire light in order to know which way to go. The same with the soul, our eyes of faith desire a way to go and Jesus is the True Light.... John 1:9 “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

So many Scriptures we can read about Jesus’ declaration, but first this is one of Jesus’ “I Am” declarations!

I am the Bread of Life

I am the Light of the World

I am the Door of the sheep

I am the Good Shepherd

I am the Resurrection and the Life

I am the Way, Truth, and the Life

I am the True Vine

This is powerful in that in Jesus exists everything of God, in God exists everything!

Jesus characterizes Himself as the Light of the world, He is the illumination of the sinful world, the revelation of what is actually right and what is only right. Anything else is darkness! No light in it at all!

Notice Jesus declares that if you follow Him, will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Following Jesus: Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

A denial of self, choosing the way of Christ over selfish (fleshly desires), and be willing to bear the rejection of the world for that faithful choice!

1 Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”

1 Peter 2:25 “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

Hebrews 2:10 “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

Light of life: this is the eternal life, the life that was to be in the Garden of Eden. This is the life that is pleasure to the Father! The way is only found in Jesus Christ!

Moving on, as Jesus said this the Pharisees tried to call Him out and say that Jesus’ testimony is not true. They are using Scripture to try and squash Jesus’ testimony of Himself.

Deut. 17:6 “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.”

If the claim cannot be corroborated by at least 2 witnesses then it is considered not true.

Jesus tells them that His testimony of Himself is true......This is a rebuke to them, because these were folks that was to know all there is to know about God, but do not know someone who teaches rightly about God. On top of that, they seem to know nothing about the abode of God!

Why? Because they base their judgement or evaluation on the flesh!

In truth according to Paul all the Godhead bodily was in Jesus, and what Jesus is saying that if they are who they claim to be they should of known!

Stop with the judging! Learn instead of judging! Jesus said He judges no man, He judges no man as they do!

However, if Jesus did judge, we could say when Jesus judges, His judgement will be true, because He does what the Father does and also there will also be 2 witnesses.

So now, Jesus brings them back to the testimony of Himself and the testimony of the Father.

If these guys were sincere in finding out if Jesus was the Messiah, they would have done more digging.

They would of found that He really was born in Bethlehem, they would also found many more prophecies that testify of Jesus.

They did not want this Messiah. It was hard to deny the signs, nobody had ever done things like Jesus! They could not deny, His knowledge of the Law and prophecy!

They just wanted an earthly deliverer, rather than a Spiritual redeemer!

They refuse to believe, not ignorantly, but purposely! Where is your Father?

If they knew anything about the Father, they would have known the Son of God, the Messiah!

No man laid hands on Him. J Vernon McGee said that he felt like this was another miracle. Jesus being able to avoid these attempted capture as He is right in front of those folks, had to be a miracle.

Verse 21, Jesus tells them, either as they attempted to take Him or maybe a little time has passed......It seems He repeats John 7:33-34 “Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.”

Here He says essentially the same thing.

I heard a preacher describe it this way: “Hell is the place where you realize what you need, then you will seek that need but that need cannot be where you are at.”

They are thinking now, that Jesus is speaking of His death, so, they go to what they considered the worst sins in that day suicide.

They believed that the worst of hell was prepared for those who commit suicide.

So, naturally they accuse Jesus of this.

Jesus responds by telling them that they are below......In a verses ahead Jesus tells them that they are of their father the devil.

He is basically saying the same thing........1 John 2:16-17 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Fallen creation will pass away, faith in this fallen creation will result in death.

Put simply: if you place your faith or desire in this world you will die in your sins.

The reason is: John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Jesus also tells them again that He is the I AM, which is who God told Moses that He was.

Everything to mankind!