John 8:12-30
I Am the Light of the World
We continue today with Jesus preaching in the Temple Courtyards following the Feast of Tabernacles.
Verse 20 tells us that He was speaking from the area known as “The treasury.”
This area was contained within the outer court or “Court of the Women”, which was open to Jewish men and women.
It was a public meeting place and around the edges were 13 horn-shaped bronze receptacles that were narrow at the top and wide at the base called shofrot - which were for the people to deposit their monetary offerings.
We learned earlier that at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles the High Priest would gather a pitcher of water from the Pool of Siloam that was then paraded into the temple and offered on the alter in remembrance of the water God provided to sustain His people Israel in the Wilderness.
It was in this setting on the last day of the festival that Jesus had declared – “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38
In addition, to honor the Pillar of Fire that led the people by night, four massive golden candelabras were placed on the outer court and lit each night of the week-long feast.
Each candelabra was 75 feet tall and required 10 gallons of olive oil to fill it.
The light from their flames cast from the elevated temple mount was radiated outward from the gold overlay of the temple and was so bright it was said to illumine every courtyard in Jerusalem.
Now standing in the midst of these massive lamps – their fire extinguished – Jesus again addresses the crowds -
The Sovereign Declaration: The Light of Life (v. 12)
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.”
In this setting Jesus now proclaims the 1st of His great “I AM” statements.
People will often agree that Jesus was a historical person – even a prophet – or a great man.
But they will deny that there is one God eternally existing as three distinct, co-equal, and co-eternal Persons—the Father – the Son and the Holy Spirit who, while distinct in role, share the exact same divine nature and essence.
And yet Jesus clearly and repeatedly declared this was so.
Having already proclaimed, He was the source of Living Water, Jesus now proclaims I AM “EE-goh AY-mee” - the “Light of the World.”
Jesus intrinsically linked Himself with the words of the Old Testament spoken of the One Almighty God and directly identified the connection between the Son of God and God the Father.
Exodus 3:14, God reveals His divine name to Moses at the burning bush declaring "I AM WHO I AM"
Isaiah 45:5–6 God declared- "I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no God".
Into this truth Jesus repeated declared His identity and oneness with the Father –
John 10:30 “I and the Father are One.”
Mark 14:62 The High Priest asked Jesus, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" and Jesus replies, "I AM." (Ego eimi)
“EE-goh AY-mee”
And to remove all reasonable argument –
In Isaiah 44:6 God declares “I am the First and I am the Last, besides Me there is no God.
In Revelation 1:8 God declares “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
In then in Revelation 22:12-13, where Jesus is named as the speaker, He declares, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
And consider the statement that Jesus making by His declaration in THAT place at THAT time.
Standing beneath the towering candelabras representing God’s light that showed His people “the way” through the wilderness to the Promised Land -
Jesus declares that HE is the Light of the World – to show people “the way” through their wilderness of sin to the promise of salvation – eternal life – and one day to that eternal land of promise.
David declared in Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
There is one TRUE light. Jesus does not say He is a light among many, but the Light.
And though spoken in the temple TO Jews - His Light is not restricted to the Jews of Israel alone—He is the Light of the world (kosmos).
In Greek philosophy and the New Testament (where it appears 186 times), it frequently shifts from meaning of the physical cosmos/universe to representing humanity, the earth, or the organized body of human existence.
It is the same word for “world” found in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus continued-
“… he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life.”
The promise is conditional upon true faith. If you would be saved from walking in darkness, if you would instead walk in the Light of life, then you MUST Follow Jesus.
True regeneration inevitably results in a changed walk; those who belong to Christ do not abide in darkness
This is the battle between Light and Darkness-
Scripture uses light to represent divine truth, moral purity, and the presence of God.
While darkness signifies sin, ignorance, and separation from the Creator.
1 John 1:5-10
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
Scripture frequently treats "darkness" and "light" as two completely different lifestyles or spiritual states.
Darkness and Light are opposed one to the other-
2 Corinthians 6:14 "For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?"
Believers are described as having transitioned from one realm to the other.
Ephesians 5:8 "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."
I wonder as the Pharisees listening to Jesus speak that day beneath those towering candelabras were reminded of the words of the Prophet Isaiah?
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone."
Isaiah 9:2
Life Application: Walking in the light is not merely holding intellectual knowledge about Jesus; it means submitting your life to His direction.
To give up walking YOUR way, stumbling in the darkness on the way of sin that leads to judgement – and to see – and to choose - to follow HIS WAY – on the path of forgiveness – that leads to eternal life.
John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So where can you find His Light today? It is right here, in the Word of God. Given so that you and I can know. So that you and I can see. So that you and I can follow Jesus.
Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
The Divine Authority (vv. 13–20)
13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true!”
The Attack on Self-Testimony (v. 13)
The Mosaic Context: The Pharisees quote a well-known principle of Rabbinic jurisprudence: "You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true" (v. 13).
If they were being sly enough, and had been paying attention, they might even have been attempting to trap Jesus in His own words-
But then they would not have been paying attention, because In that instance Jesus had then gone on to explain how there were many witnesses to His claim as the Christ-
The Pharisees' Strategy: By reducing Jesus’ proclamation ("I am the Light of the World") to mere "uncorroborated self-praise,"
- They hope to dismiss His divine identity without having to deal with the witnesses, the supernatural evidence of His miracles or His authoritative teaching.
(John 8:14–15)
14 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. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.
Jesus refutes their challenge on two distinct levels: His inherent Divine Nature & Dual Witnesses of His Declaration
As God incarnate, (The Word who was with God, and was God, and who became flesh and dwelt among men - John 1) Jesus possesses absolute self-authenticating authority and truth in all that He speaks.
As God incarnate, He knows His eternal nature – "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End"– Revelation 22:13
Jesus alone knew and understood from where He had come – and to where He would go.
The Pharisees – bound in the flesh – blinded by the flesh – understood none of this. – And yet they sought to judge by the flesh things of the Divine.
And although Jesus in His authority certainly could have judged them and any other He chose – That was not His purpose – at this time…
John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
(John 8:16-18)
16 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. 17 Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”
Jesus turns their own legal framework back onto them. He meets the requirement of Deuteronomy 19:15 by presenting two distinct Divine Persons:
(John 8:19-20)
19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?”
The Pharisees question is dripping with sarcasm.
Jesus had repeatedly referenced His Father in Heaven.
It was if the Pharisees were challenging Jesus to produce “GOD” in their midst.
Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”
Jesus’ reply again goes back to the unity of the Father and Son.
Therefore, to know One – is to know them both.
And to deny One, is to deny them both.
20 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.
See that the Holy Spirit is always working to ensure that God’s purposes and perfect will are accomplished.
They purposed to seize Him – but could not.
They purposed to silence Him – but could not.
In this we see the sovereign will of God always at work.
Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”
These “religious leaders” were blind to the spiritual truth in front of them, because their hearts were hardened against that truth.
My encouragement to us all is to seek all truth through the lens of the Word of God.
Everything else is subject to our flesh-locked, worldly, fallen hearts.
Our truth and our authority must rest firmly on Scripture Alone- Sola Scriptura—God’s objective and authoritative revelation to man.
The Urgent Warning (John 8:21–24)
Having exposed the Pharisees’ legalistic attacks on His authority - Jesus shifts from defending His identity - To issuing one of the most solemn and urgent warnings in all of Scripture.
Here, the incarnate God confronts religious hypocrites with the dreadful reality of judicial hardening, spiritual separation, and the inescapable penalty of dying in unatoned sin.
Let’s look at these in detail-
Vs 21 -21 Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.”
Jesus says, "I go away..." He is referring to His imminent ascension to the Father by way of the Cross and Resurrection.
"...and you will seek Me..." This is not a seeking born of saving repentance, and faith - but a desperate, post-judgment seeking.
When calamity strikes (such as the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 or the Jewish Holocaust of WW II) – they will call out for God – Not understanding that they had already rejected Him in Jesus’ day.
Or when they step into eternity, they will desperately call on His name, but it will be too late.
“and will die in your sin" Jesus pinpoints the root cause of their judgment before God: The sin of unbelief.
God in His Mercy and Grace is able to forgive any sin of man in this age if He will cry out to God in Faith and Repentance.
The Absolute Penalty of Unbelief: To "die in your sin" is the ultimate human tragedy.
It means standing before a holy God at judgment carrying the full, unatoned weight of your guilt.
"...where I am going, you cannot come." Heaven is a place of absolute purity, inhabited by the holy God.
Vs 22 22 So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”
Hear the voice of their Cynical Sarcasm: As men who had studies the Word of God for most their lives - Rather than being moved by Christ’s warning, the religious leaders respond with bitter, mocking irony.
In Jewish tradition (as recorded by Josephus in The Jewish War), the lowest, darkest compartment of Sheol (Gehenna/Hades) was reserved for those who committed suicide.
The Pharisees are essentially saying: "Is He going to commit suicide? If so, He's right!!—we certainly won't be joining Him in the deepest pit of hell!"
It is for good reason that Jesus referred to these men as “Blind guides”
Vs 23-24 23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
There are realms at play here – that of the flesh (the things below)–
And that of spirit. (the things above)
Because fallen humanity is fundamentally "from below," no amount of human religion, self-improvement, or moral striving can bridge the gap to "above."
Unless a person is born again – that is, reborn ion the spirit- they remain trapped in the realm of the below that leads to spiritual death.
Thus, Jesus declares again – Because they are “from below” - of the flesh – lacking faith, denying the truth – without atonement – they will die IN their sins
Salvation from God’s righteous judgment for sin requires explicit faith in the divine identity of Christ.
We are reading John 8:24 in the English – “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
But in the Greek in which it is written –the passage reads – “If for not you believe that I AM, you will die in the sins of you”
Good works, best intentions and positive thinking cannot spare a person from eternal judgement apart from a personal faith wherein you believe and proclaim Jesus to be the incarnate God, Christ and Lord of your life.
John 3:18 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."
Understand - Eternity hangs in the balance of how a person responds to Jesus. TRUE salvation requires TRUE faith in the TRUE Jesus
We must each urgently examine our own hearts and be committed to proclaiming this warning faithfully to those who are perishing in their flesh.
The Cross and the Sovereign Vindication (vv. 25–30)
25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?”
Oh, how I wish more among the lost would ask this question with a pure heart – seeking to know is Jesus!!
Sadly, for the Pharisees, this is not where their hearts are coming from.
Jesus had stated, “You must believe I AM”
The Pharisees respond, “We must believe you am WHO??” Who are you?
Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?
Jesus does not attempt to provide them with new teaching regarding His identity – He points them back to what had already been revealed.
From the beginning of His ministry to then, His testimony regarding His divine identity and mission from the Father has been clear and consistent.
Others had heard and believed – why had these men not? – Because they did not WANT to believe.
26 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.”
Jesus was well within His righteous authority to say many things about these men – and He soon would – but His purpose and His mission was not yet complete in proclaiming all the Father had sent Him to proclaim.
27 They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.
Remember that earlier in this discourse Jesus had stated the Father testified regarding Him – Jesus now speaks of the One who had sent Him.
But even in this the Pharisees did not understand that Son of God was referring to God the Father who had sent Jesus into the world– who was Himself the Word of God and God incarnate – come as a man into the world
And His purpose –
Was to provide “Living water” and to be the “Light of the world” Preparing, Presenting, and Guiding sinful man onto the path of salvation.
28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”
Thus far the Pharisees had not even figured out how to arrest Jesus – And He is already prophesying about His execution at their hands. “When YOU lift up the Son of Man,”
Jesus knew full well His death would come upon the cross that these men would conspire to hang him on.
And yet – in the act they thought would silence Him – His greatest testimony would be achieved.
Because it is in the Death – Burial – and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth the wages of sin were paid – death was overcome – and the final, inescapable proof, and validation, that He IS the Son of God, Christ, Savior and Lord was presented to all mankind.
Standing there in the outer courtyard of the temple – beneath the towering candelabras of the Feast of Tabernacles-
Jesus declares again that all He proclaims comes from God the Father – the Designer and Architect of all things.
Jesus declares that God the Father is with Him – His testimony is not His alone – but He and the Father speak as ONE.
And Jesus declares that all He has done, is doing, and will do – is pleasing to God the Father.
The passages closes with some of the sweetest words we can ever hope to hear from our testimony of who Jesus is-
30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.
In Closing
How wonderful and tragic are Jesus’ words – “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
God’s JUSTICE demands that sinful man get the judgement he deserves.
Psalm 9:7-8 “The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.”
Unpardoned sinners will die in their sin – and the wages of sin is death – eternal judgement in the wrath of the living God.
God’s MERCY provides a means by which sinful man can be forgiven, pardoned.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God’s GRACE assures that all those who put their faith in Jesus for salvation – SHALL be saved – and have eternal life.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Christ Jesus remains the source of Divine Light cast on a world blinded by spiritual darkness and self-righteous religion.
His Light-
How tragic that people reject that offer and blind themselves to His Light-
John 3:19
“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.
If you have not believed-
Turn from Darkness: If you are walking in spiritual confusion or hidden sin, step into the forgiving, cleansing light of Christ Jesus today.
Anchor Your Faith in Him: Trusting in the Triumph of the Cross: where the Son of God was "lifted up" to bring you out of spiritual death and into eternal life.
And for those who have received, believed, and been saved by His grace through faith –
Be sure to find yourself “Doers of the Word” as scripture declares-
Jesus declares first –
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
But to you and me He then declares –
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” Matthew 5:14
So, as we leave this place – may the Light of Christ shine out from us and draw people to His Saving Grace.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.