70. the Gospel of John—8:12-24

70. The Gospel of John—8:12-24

“The Light of the World” Pt.3

(5/5/19)

In our study in John’s gospel we are currently in chapter 8 where we came across one of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus that John built his gospel around.

Every time Jesus called Himself “I AM”, He was declaring that He was the voice from the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-14) where God identified Himself to Moses as the great ‘I AM’.

And so, as we study John 8, understand that the whole chapter is built around Jesus’ declaration of divinity—which led to a heated confrontation between Himself and His enemies.

II. The Heated Confrontation—v.12-59

A. Round One—Light and Darkness (v.12–20)

John 8:12 (NKJV) 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

And so, this very heated confrontation started with Jesus declaring Himself to be Yahweh (the great I AM) and Messiah—and ended with His enemies picking up stones to kill Him (v.59).

The ‘them’ in verse 12 refers to the scribes and Pharisees (v.3)—the ‘scholars’ of Judaism.

When Jesus called Himself “the light of the world”—it would have immediately reminded them that Yahweh was likened to ‘light’ in their Scriptures many times (Psalm 27:1; 84:11).

And so, when Jesus proclaimed, “I AM—the light of the world”—He was claiming to be the God of Israel—the radiant Shekinah Glory!

It was the Shekinah Glory (presence of God in the form of a pillar of fire by night) that was the light that lit their ancestor’s way thru the darkness of the wilderness for those forty years before entering the Promised Land.

When Jesus declared Himself to be the Shekinah Glory in human form—it immediately caused His enemies to ‘bristle’ with condemnation towards Him, causing the Pharisees to fire back— "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true." (v.13)

Now this statement was their way of putting Jesus on ‘trial’ for blasphemy (a capital offense punishable by stoning) for claiming to be God in human form.

According to the Old Testament Law, every fact in a legal matter had to be established by the testimony of more than one witness.

The Pharisees had in mind the law God established in Deuteronomy 19:15, which says “by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter [in a Jewish court of law] shall be established”.

Since Jesus was the only one testifying on His behalf—they claimed His testimony was not enough to prove His case and establish His claim of deity.

In verse 13 they’re essentially telling Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; [therefore] Your witness is not true."

John 8:14 (NKJV) 14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.

Jesus is telling these wicked men—“I don’t need to prove to you who I am—I know who I am and I know where I came from. I am God incarnate, Second Person of the Trinity. I came from the Father and will be returning back to My Father in heaven when My work on earth (redemption) is finished.”

John 8:15-18 (NKJV) 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true [trustworthy]. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."

So, Jesus is saying, “Even if I was the only one testifying to My divinity—that wouldn’t mean My testimony is untrue. But my testimony is corroborated by another—the Father who sent Me, He also testifies (“bears witness”) of who I am.”

John 5:37 (NKJV) 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me…

How did the Father testify on Jesus’ behalf to corroborate Jesus’ testimony of Himself that He was (is) the Son of God and divine?

First of all, thru the miracles Jesus did—these, Jesus said, were actually done by the Father (thru the Holy Spirit) to prove the Son’s divinity and establish Jesus’ testimony of Himself.

John 14:10-11 (NKJV) 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Acts 2:22 (NKJV) 22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God [the Father] did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--

Also, the Father testified verbally on His Son’s behalf.

Twice from heaven the Father said, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased!”— once when Jesus was baptized by John (the Baptist) and then again while Peter, James and John (the apostle) were up on the Mount of Transfiguration with the Lord. (Matt.3:17; 17:5)

And so, as the testimony of two witnesses was required to validate a judgment—Jesus had those two testimonies: He gave witness and so did His Father.

When Jesus told these men in verse 15—"You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one”— what did He mean since, earlier in John 5:22 He said, “the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son?”

The Pharisees were the very definition of those who “judged a book by its cover”—in other words they judged according to outward appearance and ‘worldly standards.’

But even more to the point, they often placed their man-made rules and traditions on a higher level than the law of God.

This blinded them to God’s truth and caused them to judge Jesus (and others) based on what ‘appeared’ to them to be right.

Jesus had earlier rebuked them for this very thing—"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)

However, I think more than anything else, when Jesus said, “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one…”—He was in effect saying that at His first coming, He came to save not to condemn (to judge as guilty in a court of law).

John 3:16-17 (NKJV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world [at His first coming], but that the world through Him might be saved.

However, when Jesus comes the second time—He will judge unbelievers for their wickedness before establishing His Kingdom:

2 Timothy 4:1 (NKJV) 1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:

1 Peter 4:5 (NKJV) 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead and to establish a kingdom that will never end.

He will be one of two things to every person who has ever lived—loving Savior or righteous Judge—and what you do with Jesus now will determine what He becomes to you then.

John 8:18-19 (NKJV) 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." 19 Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"…

Now folks, at a quick glance, you might be prone to think they were asking Jesus an honest question—but you’d be wrong.

This wasn’t a sincere question—it was intended to be a stinging accusation!

You see, ever since Jesus’ birth, accusations had been flying around that Mary had secretly had an affair on Joseph and that Jesus was a ‘bastard child’.

And when He began His public ministry, His enemies (who thoroughly rejected any claim to Him being virgin born)—“resurrected” this accusation and now seek to use it to impugn Jesus’ claims that God is His Father.

Now, right here, this confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees becomes very heated.

And before it was all over—they would accuse Him of being a child of fornication (illegitimate—v.41), and He would call them children of the devil (v.44).

John 8:19 (NKJV) 19 Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."

One pastor had this to say— “In referring to Jesus’ parentage, the Pharisees thought they had some special “intelligence” or scandal on Him. They must have thought, ‘Watch how He reacts when we reveal what we know about Him.’ But Jesus made it clear that they did not know anything about Him, or His Father.”

The ‘knowledge’ Jesus is referring to is an intimate knowledge that comes from a person knowing the Lord (and the Father) thru the new birth. (Comment)

John 8:20 (NKJV) 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

As we said a couple of weeks ago—verse 20 is one of the most important details in the entire chapter. (Check out the study we did from a couple of weeks ago)

It was in the Court of the Women where the Temple treasury was located—the place where people gave offerings of money to God.

A. Round One—Light and Darkness (v.12–20)

John 8:12 (NKJV) 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

“Light” is often used in the Scriptures to represent spiritual truth; “Darkness” is often used in the Scriptures to represent spiritual error and deception.

The interesting thing about it is that—pretty much all the unsaved people of the world believe that they have ‘light’—truth.

If science is their god, then scientific ‘truth’ like naturalism which evolution is based in is their ‘light.’

If their god is pantheism (the belief that an energy or force flows thru everything and everyone that binds us all together as god)—then metaphysical doctrine is their ‘light’.

Matthew 6:23 (NKJV) 23 [Jesus said]…If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

One commentator weighed in on verse 12: “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” In these words, then, Christ defined the state of the natural man. The unregenerate have “light”: they are capable of weighing moral issues; they have a conscience which either “accuses or excuses them” (Rom. 2:15); and they have the capacity to recognize the innumerable evidences which testify to the existence and natural attributes of the great Creator (Rom. 1:19); so that “they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). But spiritual light they do not have. Consequently, though they are endowed with intelligence and moral discernment, spiritually, they are “in the darkness.” And it was because of this that the Savior said, “He that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

A. Round One—Light and Darkness (v.12–20)

B. Round Two—Life and Death (v.21–30)

John 8:21-22 (NKJV) 21 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come." 22 So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"

Of course, by saying this, Jesus was telling these religious but unredeemed men that—He was going back to His Father at one point.

They would seek where His crucified body had been placed (to disprove His resurrection)—but, Jesus is telling them, His body would be raised from the dead and He would ascend back to His Father in heaven—the place they couldn’t come to.

These men rightly understood that Jesus was talking about His death—however, they wrongly assumed He was talking about committing suicide.

One author said— “Ironically, those who were plotting to take His life asked if He intended to commit suicide. They understood that when He said, “Where I am going, you cannot come,” Jesus was speaking of His death. The Jews abhorred suicide, and believed that those who killed themselves went to the blackest part of hell... Since they assumed that they were going to heaven, the Jews mockingly suggested that Jesus must be speaking of killing Himself, in which case He would go to hell...But He would not die by His own hand, but rather at the hands of those very men who now mocked Him (Acts 2:23). And the place to which He was referring—where He would go but they could not follow—was not hell, but heaven.”

John 8:22-23 (NKJV) 22 So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?" 23 And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

There are two states of existence that all human beings belong to—two entirely different ‘worlds’ or ‘kingdoms’—what the New Testament refers to as the state of “spiritual life” and the state of “spiritual death.”

Spiritual life is a state of existence that is entered into when a person receives Jesus Christ as their Savior and is ‘born again’ (John 3).

At that instant they enter into Christ and pass from the state of death to the state of life—

John 5:24 (NKJV) 24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Spiritual death is a state of existence that a person belongs to when they have been born only once (physically), but not born-again (spiritually).

Every one of us born into this world is born ‘in Adam’ (physical birth—but also a ‘state of being’) and as such—we are born spiritually dead in trespasses and sins.

In that state a person belongs to Satan’s kingdom and is under his control—he is their master:

1 John 5:19 (NLT2) 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world [of unbelievers] around us is under the control of the evil one.

Salvation is when a person receives Christ as their Savior and moves from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life—

Ephesians 2:1-5 (NKJV) 1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…

Colossians 1:13 (NLT2) 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

1 Corinthians 15:22 (NKJV) 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

The family of Adam bears a blood curse upon it (Gen.3).

Every human being born upon the earth is a member of Adam’s family and subject to that curse—and as such they are born separated from God, children of wrath, and destined to spend eternity in hell (lake of fire).

The only way for a person to escape the curse and ultimate judgment upon the family of Adam— is to be born into another family that doesn’t bear the blood curse.

And there’s only one family in the world that fits that description—the family of God!

The good news is that God is inviting anyone who is willing to be a part of His family—but you can’t ‘join’ it, you have to be born into it!

All they have to do is believe in and receive Jesus as their Savior at which time—they are born into the family of God and have passed from death (judgment) into glorious everlasting life!

But part of what it means to believe in Jesus is to believe that He is Almighty God in human form.

Jesus went on to stress that to these very Pharisees—that there is no salvation for those who reject Him as the great I AM—

John 8:21 (NKJV) 21 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come."

John 8:24 (NKJV) 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

You’ll notice that the word “He” in verse 24 is in italics—which means it’s not there in the Greek but was added by the translators in an effort to help us to understand what Jesus was talking about.

Only here it doesn’t help to clarify Jesus’ meaning here—it clouds it!

What Jesus really said was, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins [go to hell]…if you do not believe that I am—you will die in your sins."

One of the essential doctrines that a person must believe if they are going to be forgiven of their sins and go to heaven is that Jesus is Jehovah God (or ‘Yahweh’)—the great I AM!

In closing, in this section of John’s gospel, Jesus has been talking about spiritual light (embodied in Him) as opposed to spiritual darkness (as embodied in the scribes and Pharisees).

John 1:4-5 (NLT2) 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 8:12 (NLT2) 12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

So, God’s word teaches that mankind is in darkness and that the greatest ‘enlightenment’ that man needs isn’t scientific it’s spiritual—he needs spiritual light that comes from God.

Spiritual light is truth—the truth of God revealed to man (special revelation—the Bible).

God’s word is truth and therefore it is light.

So spiritual light is the revelation of God’s truth found in His word and declared by His Son.

Jesus promises us that if we will follow Him (keep His Word)—we will have the ‘light’ that leads to life. (Comment)