Light and Darkness (8:12-20)
This second great “I am” statement certainly fits into the context of the first eleven verses of John 8. Perhaps the sun was then appearing (John 8:2) so that Jesus was comparing Himself to the rising sun. But this would mean He was once again claiming to be God, for to the Jew, the sun was a symbol of Jehovah God (Ps. 84:11; Mal. 4:2). There is, for our galaxy, only one sun, and it is the center and the source of life. So there is but one God who is the center of all and the source of all life (John 1:4). “God is light” (1 John 1:5), and wherever the light shines, it reveals humanity’s wickedness (Eph. 5:8-14).
Our Lord’s “I am” statement was also related to the Feast of Tabernacles, during which the huge candelabra were lit in the temple at night to remind the people of the pillar of fire that had guided Israel in its wilderness journey. In fact, John has combined three “wilderness images”: the manna (John 6), the water from the rock (John 7), and the pillar of fire (John 8).
To “follow” the Lord Jesus means to believe in Him, to trust Him, and the results are life and light for the believer. The unsaved are walking in darkness because they love darkness (John 3:17ff.). One of the major messages in this gospel is that the spiritual light is now shining, but people cannot comprehend it–and they try to put it out (John 1:4-5).
Not all of the Jewish leaders had left the group, and others had no doubt come along after the woman left. As usual, they debated with Jesus. This time, they accused Him of bearing witness to Himself by claiming to be the Light of the World, and Jewish courts would not permit a person to bear witness to himself.
But light has to bear witness to itself! The only people who cannot see the light are blind people!
I recall the first time I flew at night. I was fascinated by the changing textures of colored lights in the cities below me. When our plane left the New York area and headed out into the night, I was amazed that I could see pinpoints of light miles away. Then I understood why it was necessary to have blackouts during the war, for the enemy pilots could see the smallest evidence of light and thus find the target. Light bears witness to itself; it tells you it is there.
Perhaps the Pharisees were quoting our Lord’s own words (see John 5:31ff.), but He quickly refuted their argument. One of the key words in this section is witness; it is used seven times. Jesus made it clear that their witness was not dependable because their judgment was faulty. They judged on the basis of externals, mere human judgment, but He judged on the basis of spiritual knowledge. The way they judged the woman taken in adultery proved that they understood neither the law nor their own sinful hearts.
Since they wanted to use the law to condemn the woman and trap the Savior, Jesus also used the law to answer them. He quoted a principle found in Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15, as well as Numbers 35:30, that the testimony of two men was required to validate a judgment. Jesus had those two testimonies: He gave witness and so did His Father. We have seen from John 5:37-47 that the witness of the Father is found in the Word of God.
How tragic that these experts in the law did not even know their own Messiah as He stood before them! They claimed to know the law of God, but they did not know the God of the law. They did not have His Word abiding in their hearts (John 5:38), nor did they experience His love (John 5:42). They did not know the Father and therefore did not know the Son.
Jesus never really answered their question, “Where is thy Father?” The word father is used twenty-one times in this chapter, so Jesus did not avoid the issue but faced it honestly. He knew that their “father” was not God–but the Devil! These men were religious, and yet they were the children of the Devil!
Their further attempts to arrest Jesus were again thwarted by the Father, for it was not yet our Lord’s hour when He should give His life. When the servants of God are in the will of God, they can have courage and peace as they does their duty.