OUR NEED FOR DIRECTION
We all need direction and purpose in our life. Without direction we can stumble in darkness. We like to think we live in an enlightened society, but we live in a world of darkness. Society in general is selective about what it considers wrong. In society’s “enlightened” thinking, what was once considered sin is no longer considered sin. Just as light revealed darkness, Jesus reveals our sin and darkness. Jesus does not merely reveal our darkness. He invites us to come to Him and walk in His light. Jesus is the light who reveals the way- the direction- we should go. Do you remember feeling afraid of the dark? Is there something that reminds you of that feeling? Not asking for vocal answers, just think what got you past that feeling. Jesus is there to help us through these feelings. The Holy Spirit will give us the way for the direction we need to go.
Read John 8:12
At this time, many were not as excited over Jesus and His miraculous works. This was because Jesus teaching had begun to challenge people’s beliefs. Many ceased to be enamored of Him as He clarified who He was and what He had come to do. Included in His description of His character and nature was the fact that He is the Light of the world. Even as Christians today, there are times will are not as excited over Jesus. We need to always recall the “JOY” of our salvation!
To better understand what Jesus meant by “I am the light of the world”, we need to go back to John 1:4-5. Here Jesus said about the light: “The darkness can never extinguish it”. This means the darkness of evil never has and never will overcome God’s light. Jesus Christ is the Creator of life, and His life brings light to humankind. In His light, we see ourselves as we really are (sinners in need of a Savior). When we follow Jesus, the true light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to live. He removes the darkness of sin from our lives. In what ways have we allowed the light of Christ to shine into our lives? Think about that and the direction that gives us! Let Christ guide our life, and we will never need to stumble in the darkness.
At another unspecified time during the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus made His second great claim when He said, “I am the light of the world” (v.12). He went on to explain that the person who followed Him would not walk in moral and spiritual darkness but would walk in the light of life. One of the features of the Feast of Tabernacles was the lighting of the large golden lampstands in the Court of the Women on the first night of the feast and possible on other nights. These lights that illuminated the entire courtyard were a reminder of the pillar of fire that accompanied the children of Israel by night during wilderness wanderings. If these were not lighted each night, and Jesus made a claim (that He was the light) at a time when they were not lighted in the courtyard where they would have stood, His claim is even more emphatic. In both the Old and New Testaments light was used as a symbol of God. The true light of God’s grace and glory was expressed in Jesus Christ.
So what does it mean to follow Christ, as v. 12 is telling us? As a soldier follows his captain, so we should follow Christ, our commander. As a slave follows his master, so we should follow Christ, our Lord. As we follow that advice of a trusted counselor, so we should follow Jesus’ commands to us in Scripture. As we follow the laws of our nation, so we should follow the laws of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Read John 8:13-15
The Pharisees refused to recognize and acknowledge Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, the Messiah. They likewise failed to understand that He had come from God and would be returning to God. The Pharisees thought that Jesus was either a lunatic or a liar. Jesus provided them with a third alternative: He was telling the truth (Pilate asked the question that the Pharisees ignored- What is the truth?). Because most of the Pharisees refused to consider the third alternative, they never recognized Him as the Messiah and Lord. When we seek to know who Jesus is, we must not close any door before looking through it honestly. Only with an open mind will we know the truth that He is the Messiah and Lord.
Ignoring the claim, the Pharisees jumped to the validity of His witness. It seemed the claim of an egoist since it was uncorroborated by other witnesses (v.13). Jesus’ response to them indicated that they could not ascertain the validity of His witness because they did not understand its context. They knew neither His origin nor His destination. Since they did not know the Father who had sent Him they could not understand His witness to Himself. His judgment was not according to their standards. Their standards were external appearances. His standard of judgment rested on the truth of God. While He did not judge anyone by their external standards (v.15) His very presence was a judgment of persons.
The Pharisees were judging by “human standards” and Jesus refused to play that game. Jesus was telling them that He was not judging anyone. Instead He was using the righteous standards of God. Jesus’ role was to be the light, not a judge. Jesus had already pointed out that God had not sent Him to condemn the world but to save it. But He had also stressed that the one who would not believe in Him was condemned already (3:17-18). We know there are many reasons people give for God’s Word as truth and sharing some them may prepare us on how to respond when we encounter them. So what are some of those reasons we can tell others that God’s Word is truth? (Read 2 Peter 1:16-21; 1 John 1:1-4; Revelation 1:1-3; Luke 1:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:1-49; All talk of Eyewitnesses and Psalm 22:1-31- Praise). Also all the beauty of the earth, the details of the human body and of course what Jesus has done for you.)
Read John 8:16-19
Persons were judged in the light of God’s truth (v.16). Even the Pharisees own law to which they gave such credence called for two witnesses so that testimony could be verified. Jesus had two witnesses: Himself and the Father (v.18). But they immediately wanted to know where His father was so the testimony could be verified. They may have been Galileans who brought up the question of legitimacy of His birth by that question. Or they may have been Judeans who did not know that but did want to see His father produced so the story could be checked. The Pharisees argued that Jesus’ claim was legally invalid because He had no other witnesses. Jesus responded that His confirming witness was God Himself. Jesus and the Father made two witnesses, the number required by law (Deuteronomy 19:15).
The Pharisees could only ask- “Where is your Father?” One way to understand this is that it was a serious social challenge of their authority. The other way to understand this question would be that they were thinking in natural terms of an earthly father and were ready to search for him to see if he would support Jesus’ position. For me, the Pharisees were only trying to mock or trap Jesus. Clearly, Jesus was saying that they already have seen and know that. Since they know Jesus, they would know who His Father was and know where He is!!!!!!
In a statement that indicates an eyewitness, John noted that Jesus had been doing that teaching in the Court of the Women near the treasury boxes. That would have been close to the meeting place of the Sanhedrin. They could have heard what He said. They could have apprehended Him. But they did not because His “hour”, His time for presentation and glorification, had not yet come in God‘s time (v. 20). This should have been clear to all- that God was the witness.