John 8:12-20

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Text 8:12-20

12

Again therefore Jesus spake 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 witness of thyself; thy witness is not true.

14

Jesus answered and said unto them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go.

15

Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

16

Yea and if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

17

Yea and in your law it is written, that the witness of two men is true.

18

I am he that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

19

They said therefore unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye know neither me, nor my Father; if ye knew me, ye would know my Father also.

20

These words spake he in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man took him; because his hour was not yet come.

Queries

a.

What is the light of life?

b.

Does Jesus contradict Himself on the matter of judging? (John 8:15-16.)

c.

What is the significance of the mention of the Treasury?

Paraphrase

Again Jesus addressed the people, saying, I am the Light of the world. The man who believes, obeys and follows Me will not wander, being lost in the darkness; but he will possess The Light which is life. At this the Pharisees said to Him, You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is therefore not valid. Jesus replied, My testimony is valid even though I do testify concerning Myself; because I know by direct knowledge where I come from and where I am going. But you are wilfully ignorant of where I came from and where I am going. You are judging me according to your worldly standards for a Messiah. I am not now primarily concerned with judging anyone. Yet even if I am judging, my judgment is true, because I am not alone in my judgment as a mere man but I am One with the Father who sent me. And in your own law, which you as Israelites are sole possessors, it is written, that the testimony of two men is valid. I am bearing witness concerning Myself and my Father who sent me is also bearing witness concerning Me. Then they said to Him, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me as the Son of God, you would also know my Father. These words spake Jesus near the Treasury as He taught in the Temple. Yet no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Summary

Jesus claims to be the MessiahLight of the world. The Jews reject His testimony. Jesus aduces the Father's testimony on His behalf.

Comment

Jesus-' discourse on the Light of the world here naturally connects with the former discourse on the Living Water (John 7:37-52). The significance of His claim to be the Light of the world is related to the ceremony of lighting the great candelabra during the Feast of Tabernacles. Great candelabra with four receptacles for oil were placed in the inner court. The candelabra were so tall that the priests climbed ladders to light the oil, When they were lighted, the priests and the people danced before the Lord with joy. This was in commemoration of the blessing of the pillar of fire which led their fathers in the wilderness, What that pillar of fire was to Israel (leading them through darkness and the wilderness), Jesus is for the whole world. To the ignorant and unbelieving His light brings wisdom and faith; to the persecuted and downtrodden saint His light brings comfort and hope.

There are also the Old Testament prophecies which depict the Messiah as the Light of the World (cf. Isaiah 9:1; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 60:3; Malachi 4:2; Luke 2:32). The Pharisees were well aware of these prophecies and when Jesus claimed to be the Light of the world, they understood Him to be claiming to be the promised Messiah. For a discussion of the relationship between light and life and darkness, see our comments on John 1:4, Vol. I, pp. 23, 24.

To follow Christ means to trust and obey Him. We follow His words (John 10:4) and His example (1 Peter 2:21; John 13:15; John 13:34-35). When we place such complete trust in His Person and His precepts, we possess the Light which not only illuminates our life but is the very source of Life itself.

The Pharisees are alert to the inference that Jesus is claiming deity for Himself. They immediately reject His claims on the basis of insufficient evidence.

His answer (John 8:14) is that His testimony alone ought to be accepted, for in reality He is not alone (John 8:16). But He has come from a realm of existence where they can know nothing except they receive His testimony as true. Barnes illustrates it very well: As they had not seen and known these things, they were not qualified to judge. An ambassador from a foreign court knows the will and purposes of the sovereign who sent him, and is competent to bear witness of it. The court to which he is sent has no way of judging but by his testimony, and he is therefore competent to testify in the case. All that can be demanded is that he give his credentials that he is appointed, and this Jesus had done both by the nature of His doctrine and His miracles. (Barnes-' Notes on the N.T., Luke & John, p. 226.) Compare also this verse (John 8:14) with John 5:31 (see our notes on John 5:31, Vol. I, pp. 192-193).

In John 8:15-16 Jesus goes to the heart of the problem. The Pharisees and the people judged Him after the fleshthat is, they compared His earthly appearance with their ideas of a worldly Messiah. His meekness, poverty and apparent powerlessness did not fulfill their ideal. Theirs was a superficial judgment and one made with minds closed to truth by preconceived ideas (cf. our comments on John 7:24, Vol. II, p. 24). In the Lord's emphatic statement, I judge no man, He seems to contradict Himself in John 9:39, For judgment came I into this world. But the apparent contradiction vanishes when we understand that His primary purpose for coming into the world (salvation) necessitates self-condemnation upon all who reject Him (the only source of salvation). (See our notes on John 3:17-18, Vol. I, pp. 112-113.) Yet even if He does pronounce a judgment (as He apparently did in Matthew 11:20-24 upon the unrepentant cities; upon Jerusalem in Matthew 24:15-28), His judgment is just, valid and certain for He is One with the Father (see notes on John 5:19-23, Vol. I, pp. 184-186). What Jesus is saying is that His testimony and judgments are not made by Himself alone as would be the case with any other man, but He and the Father are perfectly unitedtheir words and wills are in complete accord.

This is what He boldly and plainly declares in John 8:17-18. The law to which He refers is in Deuteronomy 17:6. He says your law because the law of Moses was exclusively given to the Jews and these scholars should have interpreted it correctly. They should have accepted this double testimony of Father and Son (for the testimony of the Father concerning the Son, see our comments on John 5:36-38, Vol. I, pp. 196-197).

Their question, Where is your father? was undoubtedly couched in sarcasm. He had made it plain enough for them to understand that His Father was the Invisible Jehovah. His answer to them is also very plain and candid. They did not know the Father and therefore they did not know His Son. They did not know the Son and therefore they could not know the Father (cf. John 5:37-43; John 8:47). The only way to know God is to know Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:18; John 14:6-11; Matthew 11:27).

Why would John mention the fact that Jesus was near the Treasury when He uttered these tremendous claims? Because the Temple Treasury was very near the council chambers of the Sanhedrin. It is possible that this group of men, now dedicated to kill Him, could hear Him as He taught. But no one arrested Him because in the Divine scheme of redemption, His hour had not yet come (see our comments on John 7:30, Vol. II, p. 29).

Quiz

1.

How does the discourse on the Light of the World relate to the ceremonies of the Feast of Tabernacles?

2.

How does the discourse on the Light of the World relate to the Old Testament?

3.

In what two ways should we follow Jesus?

4.

Why should men be expected to accept Jesus-' witness to Himself?

5.

How were the Pharisees judging Jesus?

6.

Does Jesus contradict Himself in the matter of judging others?

7.

How may we truly know the Father?