Below is the manuscript to this Sunday’s sermon. Chances are, you will encounter grammatical errors. Please be gracious. I pray this will be beneficial to you as you study the Word of God that is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).”
In our passage today, Jesus makes a claim to be the light of the world. Now, before we begin to look at this claim, I would like for us to circle back to John 1. In order for us to truly understand what Jesus is saying here, we need to understand three things:
We need to understand what John has said about life, light, and darkness up until this point in the gospel.
We need to understand what the Scriptures say about life, light, and darkness.
(3) We need to understand what’s going on culturally during this time in relation to life, light, and darkness.
When we rightly understand these three things, we will undoubtedly understand that Jesus is claiming to be the one who has descended from heaven into darkness, in order to give eternal life to those who believe in him.
John 1
Back in John’s prologue, John 1:1-18, we saw John introduce to us the Word made flesh (which we know to be Jesus).
First, in verses 1 & 2 we saw that the Word (Jesus) was preexistent and eternal in nature.
In the beginning (before anything existed) was the Word…
Jesus was there. He was not bound by time. There was never a time that he was not.
Second, at the beginning of creation, Jesus was there, coexisting with God…
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God…”
He is a distinct person from God. The Son and the Father are two distinct persons. Yet, despite this truth, we also see Jesus’ divine nature in that he is God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(Jesus) was the preexistent, personal God who was in an intimate, triune relationship with God, the Father & the Holy Spirit.
“He was in the beginning with God.”
And if he was in the beginning with God, then that means that (v3),
"All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”
If Jesus is the fully divine creator of all things, then that means that Jesus is distinct from creation. If all things were made through him, then that means he cannot be created. You cannot create something while simultaneously coming into existence yourself. Jesus was not a created being. He is distinct from creation.
Not only was Jesus distinct from creation, Jesus is also superior to creation. If Jesus was the creator, then that means that Jesus is superior to creation. Jesus and creation are not on the same level. Without Jesus nothing was made that was made.
Then, we saw that,
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Jesus is the one that literal, physical, life is found in, and he’s the one that spiritual life is found in. Where there was nothing in Genesis 1, the Father, through the Son, brought forth life. And where mankind is lifelessly dead in our sins, the Father, through the Son, brings to life those who believe in him. Jesus is literally the source of life for all things, everywhere; and he is the source of eternal life for all who believe in him.
Light and darkness are not equal. When light shines, darkness flees. Darkness cannot overcome the light.
Then, in verses 6-8, we see that JTB came to bear witness about the light. That’s important for our passage today. We have JTB pointing to Jesus, bearing witness about the light. Then, we see in verse 9-10 that the true light, the creator of all things, has come into the world. Yet, the world did not know him.
From the start of this gospel, John has been wanting us to know that the creator of all things has come into the world, as the true light, in order to give life through his death on the cross.
Yet, all throughout this gospel, we have seen many (because of their love for darkness) have rejected him. In our passage today we will see the true light of the world, Jesus, proclaim to be the light of the world, and we will see his own people reject him. But, we will also see some who have received him, who believe in his name. And it is those who believe in him that will become children of God. They will be “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
So, from the start of this gospel, John has been telling us that Jesus, the light of the world, has come into a world of darkness in order to give life to the lifeless, through his death on the cross.
John 8:12-30
Last week we learned that John 7:53-8:11 was not originally a part of the gospel of John. It wasn’t found in the earliest manuscripts. In fact it wasn’t found here in the gospel of John until around the 5th century. So, we (I) believe the author was likely Luke. It was either a part of oral tradition or was a fragment of a text that didn’t really have a home. Therefore, scholars sought to insert it in a place that least interrupts the flow of a passage. Because the story was located at the temple and it dealt with judgment, it was placed here in the middle of a passage that was located in the temple and dealt with judgment.
That tells us that today’s passage is a continuation of John 7:52. So, lets refresh our memory of what’s been taking place leading up to this exchange.
What’s going on culturally during this time?
First and foremost, we saw that all of this is taking place during the Feast of Booths. That’s very important for us as we work our way through this weeks passage. The Feast of Booths was one of three pilgrimage least, which meant that all the Jews were required to journey to Jerusalem to observe this week long feast.
This was a feast dedicated to celebrate all the different ways that God has provided for his people. It celebrated God’s complete provision of the harvest, present tense; it was a time to pray for a good rainy season, future tense; and it was a time to celebrate how God faithfully provided for his people, past tense, by dwelling with his people in the wilderness.
John, all throughout John 7, has been showing us how Jesus is the fulfillment of this feast. In the middle of a feast that celebrated God dwelling with his people in the wilderness, Jesus came and tabernacled (dwelt) among his people; and, now, the Holy Spirit tabernacles (dwells) within the hearts of his people.
In the middle of a feast that celebrated God’s provision, Jesus invited those who were thirsty to come to him and drink. Out of the heart of those who believe in him will flow rivers of living water because the Holy Spirit will come and dwell in them. So, now we know with confidence that the LORD will never leave his people because he dwells in his people.
This message stirs up the crowd. Some believe; some reject. And now in the midst of all this chaos Jesus is about to proclaim to be the light of the world.
Now, during this feast, they would light four large golden lamp stands (likely 75 feet tall) in the court of women near “the treasury.” They would do this as a remembrance of how God dwelt with, and led his people, in the wilderness. We will read about this in a minute, but the LORD led his people in the wilderness through a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. So, these ginormous lamp stands would serve as a reminder of how the LORD provided for his people in the wilderness. Some would say that the city would be so lit up that every courtyard in Jerusalem would be illuminated.
This would have been a celebratory time, as well. Some would say that, while the lamps were lit, they partied and celebrated all night during this feast. So, it’s lit of several different occasions: it’s lit because of the lamps and it’s lit because of the celebration.
We also see in our passage today (v. 20) that all of this is taking place in the treasury. The treasury would have been in the court of women. Which means that this would have been a well populated area in the middle of a location in the temple where both men and women were permitted to enter.
I think this location is important for us because it brings to life the invitation that Jesus is about to make. The invitation to come and follow the light of the world is not reserved for the religious elite. It’s available to all who come to him in belief. The gospel is not reserved for one type of people. As Paul tells us in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
So, it’s while these lights were lit in the treasury, and while Israel celebrated God’s dwelling with them through the pillar of fire, that Jesus proclaims to be the light of the world.
This is a lengthy passage. So, rather than read this whole passage in one sitting, let’s take it in chunks. Our first chunk will be verse 12, and then we will progress through this passage piece by piece.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Now, again, this is not the first time that we’ve come in contact with the theme of light in the gospel of John. In fact, this is something that John’s constantly putting in front of his readers.
But, why? Why is Jesus’s proclamation to be “the light of the world” important
Well, in one aspect, it’s important because light is a common metaphor used throughout the OT. We’re looking at a large chunk of scripture today. So, we don’t have time to go through all of the different references to light used in the OT. But, it’s often used in reference to God, the Messiah, and the Word.
Now, just because we don’t have time to dig into these OT references to “light” this morning, that doesn’t mean that they’re not important. They’re extremely important. In fact, this may be a really good discussion point for your community group this week. Y'all go home, swim around in the OT, jot down different references in the OT about “light,” then discuss these references in your group. I think this will help really help bring to light (pun intended) the claim Jesus is making here.
But, that being said, I think John wants us to see this claim in light of what was being celebrated during the Feast of Booths. So, all of the OT references to light are good and needed. But, the one that I want us to look at today is found in Exodus 13:21-22.
When Israel was led out of slavery, and before they made it to the promised land, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, and the LORD never left them alone in the wilderness.
Exodus 13:21-22 says,
“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”
So, while Israel wandered in the wilderness, in the midst of darkness and uncertainty and hopelessness, the LORD was with them. He did not depart from his people. He was a light, the light, for his people in the midst of darkness, so that they might follow him.
Darkness is terrifying because you’re unable to see what’s lurking in the darkness. Just as my kids. Darkness is crippling because you’re unable to see where to step. Just ask any parent who’s stepped on a lego at night. But, light illuminates and comforts the fearful, and it illuminates and directs those who cannot see.
The LORD, the creator of all things, the one true God, led his people in the wilderness by a pillar of fire at night. And, now, Jesus is saying, “I am the light of the world.” He is not claiming to be a light among many other lights, he is the light.
Jesus here is claiming to be the creator and sustainer of all things, the LORD over all, the one who has descended from heaven into a world of darkness. With these large lamp stands surrounding them, everyone knew exactly what Jesus was saying here.
Israel would have been helplessly lost in the wilderness without the LORD going before them in a pillar of fire. So, too, is mankind helplessly lost in darkness without Jesus.
Now, think about this: what was the purpose of the pillar of fire in Exodus? Was it there for decoration? Was it there to be marveled over? No. It was meant to be followed. It led them. It would have been silly for Israel to look at the pillar of fire, agree that it was the LORD, then sit idle in the dark. The pillar of fire was meant to be followed.
Listen, in the same way that the pillar of fire was meant to be followed, so too is Jesus. Jesus says that “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
What a wonderful invitation!
Belief in Christ is not merely intellect. It is a lifestyle, an active following after Jesus.
But, as we see in Israel’s example, following the light of the world isn’t always easy. The LORD led them through the wilderness for 40 years. Many never made it to the promised land.
Following Jesus does not guarantee you prosperity. Your life on this earth may be hell. Your life may be plagued with famine, sickness, death, and calamity. You may never get what you long for on this earth.
But, you know what? In Christ, you have an eternal hope that cannot perish. The trials of this life cannot separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. So, while you walk in the wilderness of this life, you still have Jesus. “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In the midst of trials, you have the light of life. You have Jesus and that’s all that you need.
Now, Jesus’s claim here assumes an important detail that we must not miss. The statement, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” tells us that whoever doesn’t follow him remains in darkness and remains lifeless.
Darkness is (1) a place of ignorance and folly, (2) of evil and fear, and (3) a place of judgment and wrath. Therefore, Jesus is saying, “Whoever follows me will no longer follow the evil ruler of this world, walking in ignorance and folly. Whoever follows me will be spared from the wrath and judgment that he or she rightfully deserves. Whoever follows me will have life.”
Because all of humanity is “dead in their sins,” this proclamation of Jesus is a message of hope! Jesus is inviting sinners to come to him in belief, and in doing so they will find light and they will find life. Come! Believe in Jesus, and follow him for all your days!
Without Jesus, you don’t just fumble around in the darkness, but you lay lifeless in the dark. The gospel breathes life into dry bones, bringing the dead to life, and once you’ve been brought to life, you then follow after Jesus.
Jesus here is revealing himself as the long awaited Messiah, and the crowd should be ecstatic at this point. However, rather than continuing on in celebration, you hear the record scratch. The Pharisees respond in verse 13,
“You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.”
We’ve learned throughout this gospel that a witness is essential in establishing any claim to be factual.
“On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.” — Deuteronomy 17:6
“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” — Deuteronomy 19:15
“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.” — Numbers 35:30
So, on three different occasions in the OT we see the importance of having two or more witnesses in order for a charge against someone to be established as true. Someone cannot be prosecuted on the basis of one witness. During this time “my word against your word” won’t cut it.
I think their response here tells us that they’ve already made up their mind about Jesus. He is a criminal that deserves capital punishment, and they are bound and determined to convict him as such.
So, the Pharisees are dismissing Jesus’s claims to be the Messiah because he’s making the claim about himself. They’re looking around saying that there are no witnesses to confirm his claims. Therefore, because there are no witnesses, these claims must not be true.
Now, is that true? Is Jesus the only one proclaiming this message? No.
Going back to the prologue, JTB was a witness. Jesus’s works bear witness to himself. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, told Jesus that they acknowledged these works (Jn 3:2). The Scriptures bear witness to Jesus (Jn 5). The Father bears witness (Jn 5).
Yes, Jesus is bearing witness about himself. But, he is not making this claim alone. So, again, we see that the Pharisees are not concerned with justice. They’re only concerned with silencing Jesus. They’ve put their hands over their ears and shut their eyes to the countless witnesses that have validated the words of Jesus here, and they don’t accept Jesus’s claims because he’s bearing witness about himself.
Richard Philips says, “This reminds us that unbelief never runs out of objections and never has sufficient proof.” When you boil it down, unbelief is never an intellectual matter. It’s always an issue of the heart. The evidence that they’re stepping over here in order to dismiss Jesus’s claim is astounding.
Jesus however, answered them,
“Even if I do bear witness 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.”
So, we know (because of John 1 and John 5) that Jesus has an abundance of witnesses bearing witness to the fact that his words are true. However, Jesus says, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true…”
So, Jesus is readdressing a point that he’s already made. But, he’s attacking it from a different angle. Jesus can offer a true testimony about himself because he knows where he came from and where he’s going. In a world full of lies and deception, an abundance of witnesses are necessary. But, that doesn’t apply to the one who is the source of truth: the Son of God.
If Nick Saban went to a high school football team, they wouldn’t make him show his credentials to discuss football. They would sit down and listen. So, in the same way, the Son of God, the creator of all things, God in flesh, the source of truth, does not have to show his credentials. He doesn’t have to have witnesses to validate his claims. What he says is true, regardless of whether or not he has any witnesses. Light never has to defend itself.
Even if he does bear witness about himself, his testimony is true. Why? Because he knows where he came from and where he is going. But, they do not know where he came from or where he is going.
The Pharisees, as we see in verse 15,
“…judge according to the flesh… but Jesus judges no one.”
The Pharisees judge only by what they see, only by appearances. In assessing who Jesus is, they’re judging by human standards. As D.A. Carson puts it, “They see his ‘flesh’, as it were, but never contemplate the possibility that he could be the Word made flesh (Jn 1:14).”
They’re looking at where he was born, at the fact that they think he’s from Galilee and not Bethlehem; they’re looking at the fact that he’s healed on the Sabbath; they’re looking at the fact that he’s bearing witness about himself; and they conclude that he cannot be the Son of God.
They’re not judging with right judgment. Jesus, however, does not judge according to the flesh. He does not judge in the same way that his accusers do. But, again, “…even if he does judge, his judgment is true, because he doesn’t judge alone.”
“Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.”
We saw in John 5 and we will see in a few verses that Jesus will judge. One day he will raise all the dead to a judgment of life or a judgment of condemnation, and his judgment will be in accord with the Father.
Jesus then says,
“In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”
It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, “Alright, you want two witnesses? Well, here you go: I bear witness about myself and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”
The Father who set the Son bears witness about the Son. Once again we see the perfect harmony between Jesus and the Father.
They respond with their eye brows pointed and a sneering grin on their face,
“Where is your Father?”
Jesus then says,
“You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
This is a point that Jesus has been making all throughout this gospel. They are unable to recognize Jesus as the light of the world because they do not know the Father. They’re celebrating the faithfulness of a God that they don’t even know. What a tragedy. If they knew the Father, they would know Jesus. If they knew Jesus, they would know the Father. But, they knew neither Jesus nor the Father.
Where they prided themselves in being close to God because they observed and kept God’s law, they were in fact far from God. This tells us that it’s possible to know the Bible and not know Jesus.
This was a stern rebuke. Yet, despite this stern rebuke, we see in verse 20,
“These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.”
In response to such a rebuke, no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come. This is the third time since the start of chapter 7 that we see their attempt to arrest Jesus fell short, which tells us that no persecution falls outside the sovereign hand of God. Jesus will be arrested when it’s time for him to be arrested.
So, to summarize what’s happened thus far:
Jesus has proclaimed to be the light of the world, and he has invited the world to follow him. He has extended to a dark, dead, and hopeless world an invitation to miraculously transition out of darkness into the light of life, out of death into life.
Yet, the Pharisees respond with hostility and rejection, claiming that he’s guilty of breaking the law.
Jesus then shows them that they’re not judging with right judgment, and that his message is in fact true. He’s seeking to show a group of people who thinks that they’re in the light that they are in fact in the darkness. The accusers are in fact the ones condemned. Jesus is seeking to show a group of “morally upright individuals” that they are blinded by their sin. They do not know God.
Convincing/showing religious men and women their need for Jesus is a major challenge for us in the Christian faith.
Let’s look at verse 21,
So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
He’s, again, seeking to show them that he is their only hope for eternal life. If they do not come to him in belief and follow after him, then they will not be able to go where he is going.
Where is he going? He is going to return to where he came from. He is going to return to the Father in heaven, and they will not be able to find him because they will die in their sin. Their devotion to obeying the law will profit them none, because they have sinned against a holy, just, and righteous God. They have rejected their only hope for salvation: Jesus.
Making it to heaven is not dependent upon your ability to read the Bible, go to church, and serve others. Although those are important to the Christian faith, they’re not the foundation to it. Faith in Jesus is the foundation. Making it to heaven is dependent upon the faithfulness of Jesus to be lifted up on the cross, not your faithfulness to do x, y, and z. Do you believe in Jesus? Does your faith reside in Jesus Christ? This group of people will die in their sins because they have rejected Jesus’s invitation to come to him in belief.
The Jews therefore say in verse 22,
“Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’”
Jesus has already said something similar, and they missed the point then, too. Back in chapter 7 Jesus said the same thing and they mockingly asked, “What is he going to go to the Greeks?” Well, this is yet another example of them missing the point.
Their question about Jesus wanting to commit suicide is yet another example of great irony. No, Jesus will not kill himself. They will kill him. They will nail him to the cross in unbelief.
Jesus responds to their question,
“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
Listen, Jesus is not just a morally good person. He is the Son of God who descended from above. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. He is the great I AM. If they (we) do not believe this, then they (we) will die in their (our) sins. Eternal life is unattainable if you only believe that Jesus was a good man. It’s one thing to believe there’s a God. It’s another thing to believe that Jesus is God. “For unless you believe that I am he (that I am the one who is from above, the one who is not from this world) you will die in your sins.”
They respond,
“Who are you?”
And Jesus says,
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”
Jesus’s message has not changed. He is the Son of God who has come down from heaven and walked in perfect submission to the Father’s will, proclaiming the Father’s message.
Now, John then gives a clarifying statement in verse 27, if we couldn’t figure this out already on our own:
“They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.”
And in verse 28 Jesus says,
“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 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.”
To be lifted up is always a reference in John to the lifting up of Jesus on the cross. Back in John 3:14 Jesus tells Nicodemus, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."
Jesus here was referencing Numbers 21. If you remember back to Numbers 21, it was here that we see Israel become impatient and begin to complain and grumble against the LORD. Therefore, the LORD sent fiery serpents, and those serpents bit people, and many people died.
As a result, the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned. We’ve blown it. Please pray to the LORD for him to remove these serpents.”
And the LORD hears their prayers and tells Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on the pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”
Now, what’s incredible is that Jesus was telling Nicodemus that Numbers 21 was a foreshadow to the cross. All of mankind is sin-bitten. We are all plagued by spiritual death, dead in our trespasses and sins. But, the good news of the gospel is that whoever looks upon the Son of Man in belief will live, will have eternal life.
It was God’s plan before the foundations of this world to save sinners like us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What grace, and what love this is! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
So, Jesus is saying, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man (after you nail Jesus to the cross), then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. You will realize that the Father is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
This tells us that the death of Jesus on the cross was pleasing to the Father. It pleased the Father to crush the Son so that we could be forgiven and free.
Following Jesus’s death, comes his resurrection, and they will then know that Jesus is in fact that Son of God, who is one with the Father.
“As he was saying these thing, many believed in him.”
Next week Brady is going to spend some time explaining this belief that we see here, because in next week’s passage we see this belief being tested by Jesus.
So, I would like to close by going back to John 1:9-13,
“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
You’ve heard Jesus’s proclamation to be the light of the world. So, which is true of you?
Have you received this message or have you rejected it?
If you’ve rejected it, then you will one day die in your sins and you will not be able to go where Jesus is, heaven. But, if you have received his message and believed in his name, then you (by the will of God) have been given the right to become children of God. Where you were once dead, you have been brought to life, and the Holy Spirit now dwells in you. No matter your circumstances, may you therefore have joy as you follow after Jesus, the light of the world.