12: Jesus, the Light of the World — John 8:12–30


8¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” ¹³ Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” ¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards; I judge no one. ¹⁶ Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. ¹⁷ In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. ¹⁸ I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.” ¹⁹ Then they said 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.” ²⁰ He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

²¹ Again he said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” ²² Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” ²³ He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. ²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.”  ²⁵ They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all?  ²⁶ I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” ²⁷ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. ²⁹ And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” ³⁰ As he was saying these things, many believed in him.  NRSV

Get into the Word

1. Why do you suppose Jesus uses the metaphor of light to describe himself? How does this compare with Jesus’ offer of “living water” earlier in this chapter?

2. What is the next argument the teachers and Pharisees bring against Jesus? Why is the number of witnesses important?

3. How does Jesus respond to the challenge about witnesses? How does he demonstrate he is fulfilling even this part of the Law of Moses?

4. Why do the Jews have such a hard time understanding Jesus’ references to where he is going? What point is Jesus making by telling them they will not be able to follow him?

Get Personal

How have you “lifted up” Jesus recently? How has this verified his identity for you – as savior, as Lord, as “living water,” as “the light of (your) world?” How can you lift Jesus up for others?

8:12. Light — the Festival of the Tabernacles also commemorated God’s guidance in the wilderness [check Numbers 9:15-19]. Jesus promises to provide this gift of God just as he did with the water [7:37].
Jesus is also echoing the Old Testament’s use of light as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, as well as of God’s presence. Just as with “the Word,” Jesus is light in all these senses. He is the knowledge of God among us even as he is God in our midst. If we believe what he says and trust the Holy Spirit we will have the “light that leads to life” that only God can provide. John uses a similar image in his first letter: This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all, [1 John 1:5].
8:13. Testimony not valid — the Mosaic law required two witnesses to verify testimony: One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses, [Deut 19:15].
8:15. Human standards — Jesus is clearly distinguishing his work from the work of the Pharisees and teachers: not only did he not come to judge humans, if he would judge it would be according to vastly different standards than the Jews were used to. In fact it’s their human standards that prevent them from seeing Jesus’ true identity.
8:18. One witness . . . the other — Jesus invokes God the Father as his second witness required by the Jewish law.

8:19. Where is your father? — the Pharisees are still thinking about their world: if Jesus’ father is a witness, they want to hear his testimony in court.
Since you don’t know — Jesus makes it clear the Jewish leaders are denying God when they deny his true identity.
8:20. Treasury — the area where peoples’ gifts and offerings were received. John stresses that it is not yet time for Jesus’ death and resurrection.
8:21. Die in your sin — in the singular it usually means separation from God: the Pharisees will physically die because their unbelief keeps them separated from the source of life.
8:24. I am — Jesus uses the same name that God gave Moses for himself: I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you [Exodus 3:14]. Jesus repeats the claim in v. 28.
8:28. Lifted up — there are probably three layers of meaning in Jesus’ use of this phrase. First, the Jews lifted Jesus up onto the cross, where he accomplished his purpose as savior. Second, Jesus was “lifted up” at the resurrection, as the first born and the promise of the new life. Finally, when we lift up Jesus in our faith and testimony we are declaring our knowledge and belief in who he is — and whose we are.
8:30. Believed in him — the irony is that the teachers of the law – the “experts” – could not accept the evidence of Jesus’ identity from their own law; but other people could see and believe.