With Dale Ratzlaff
John 8:12-20
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify 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 am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” So they were saying to Him, “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; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come (Jn. 8:12-20).
The context is found in John seven, the Feast of Booths. The imagery of both water (chapter seven) and light (chapter eight) were associated with this celebration. While the crowd is mentioned a number of times in chapter seven, it is absent in this section. Therefore, we conclude that the feast is over, and the pilgrims have gone home, but Jesus remains in Jerusalem. He is seeking to teach the Jewish leaders who He really is. John alerted his readers in the first verse of his Gospel.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1).
Chapters six, seven, and eight all have teachings with flashbacks to the wilderness wanderings recorded in Exodus. In chapter six when Jesus fed the five thousand, there was discussion regarding the manna. In chapter seven Jesus spoke of living water, or flowing water, with echoes of Moses striking the rock and streams of water coming out for the thirsty Israelites. Now, in chapter eight, Jesus speaks of light, and the listening Jews would immediately think of the pillar of fire that followed them in the desert night, and the glory of the presence of God manifested in the wilderness sanctuary and Solomon’s Temple.
Next John gives us additional teachings that Jesus laid before the Jewish leaders showing that He is, indeed, God in the flesh. He is expounding what was stated in capsule form in John one.
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (Jn. 1:4-5).
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (Jn. 8:12).
The Feast of Tabernacles had a ceremony where brilliant candelabras were lit during the evening in the very court where Jesus was then speaking. However, now the feast was over, the pageantry of light was ended. Jesus takes this opportunity to present Himself as the true light of the world to which the Old Testament events and ceremonies pointed. This term is also applied to believers in Matthew:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Mt. 5:14-16).
In the same way, Paul admonishes the Philippians to let the light of the gospel shine out through their lives.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world (Phil. 2:14-15).
Jesus is the True Light which is to be reflected in His followers. Two promises are anchored in this verse. First,
He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness.
“Follows” is a present participle. We should read, “he who continues to follow me…” If we take our eyes off the shining light of truth and spiritual life in Jesus and chose our own way, we may stumble into temporary darkness. “Will not walk in darkness” refers to both the darkness of this world and the darkness of evil forces. Believers may avoid these pitfalls of evil by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. By reading His word, fellowshipping with other Christians, and obediently working in His service, His light will light our path.
The second promise in this verse is,
but will have the Light of life.
The light of life is something we believers will continually have, but it is not something resident in ourselves. Rather, the source of the light is now and forever in Jesus, and when we are “in Christ” we have the Light. Light is self-authenticating. It is not based upon argument or even logic. The light shines. As Jesus stated in the Matthew reference quoted above, we are to “Let our light shine.” This light is more than the absence of darkness. It is the Light of life, the same word used for eternal life.
Light functions as a means of the separation of day and night. Jesus uses this metaphor in spiritual ways. Light separates truth from error. As the “Light of the world,” Jesus is like a lighthouse giving out truth to all who will see. There is no limitation on viewers other than their own unwillingness to “look and live.”
So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.”
From their perspective, what they say is true because the biblical laws for testimony require two or three witnesses. Jesus immediately tries to show them that when He gives testimony about His own person, He is not alone in it, for the Father and the Son always work in perfect agreement. This oneness with the Father is the major truth Jesus is seeking to impart to the Jewish leaders in this chapter.
Even if I testify 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.
The pre-existence of Christ is a necessary part of the Christian faith and is a required component for a correct understanding of the truths of Scripture. For this reason, the Apostle John in no uncertain terms presents this truth in the first page of this Gospel.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (Jn. 1:1-3).
Jesus states that the Jews were judging “according to the flesh.” “The flesh” draws attention to our fallen, sinful nature. Of ourselves, we are not capable of drawing the right conclusions. For the Jews, pride of their position in society and concern for their security in their office colored their objectivity. Then Jesus states,
I am not judging anyone.
First, we note that this is a strong statement. The Greek has the double negative for emphases.
I am not, no not, judging anyone.
Second, it is patently true that Jesus does judge.
And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind” (Jn. 9:39).
How are we to understand that Jesus does not judge anyone? The way Jesus judges is entirely different from the way the Jews were judging Jesus. Jesus does not come to judge, but His coming forces people to make a decision, and it is in this sense that Jesus judges.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil (Jn. 3:17-19).
If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day (Jn. 12:47-48).
Jesus then says,
But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.
Jesus separates Himself from their law. Their law speaks of the testimony of two men. Jesus and the Father are not two men. Jesus stands as a witness with God the Father, and together they stand separate from Jewish law. Nevertheless, Jesus shows that the concept of the truthfulness of the testimony of two witnesses applies and therefore His statement about being the Light of the world is true.
So they were saying to Him, “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; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.
We mentioned earlier that the pre-existence of Christ is a necessary fact in Christianity. A corollary truth is that one cannot have a personal relationship with Jesus without having one with the Father. When we are “in Christ”, we can come boldly into the presence of God.
We have another instance when divine destiny cannot be interrupted by the will of men. No one arrested Jesus because His hour had not come. He must continue being the Light of the world until the hour of the cross.
Application
- Because Jesus is the Light of the world, we must ever recognize that there is no other way for enlightenment. His is the only name given among men by which we may be saved.
- Are we following the “light of truth”? Is there some point of obedience we need to address, or some sin to overcome?
- We should recognize that our concept of judgment, not only of others, but also of ourselves may be biased because of our fallen, human nature.
- In our concept of God, we should not separate the love, fellowship, and justice of Christ and the Father. Both always work in agreement that their desire is for the salvation of sinners. Yes, Jesus is the Light of the world.
Prayer
Father, may I always walk in the light of Christ so that I may be assured of my salvation and reflect your love to others. May the Light of Christ point out anything that would hinder the intimate fellowship with you and your Son, Jesus that I desire.
In Jesus’ name.
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