Context
This chapter is significant and powerful, with a deeper theological meaning than many understand. In John there are seven great "I am" statements of Jesus.
John 6: 35, 48 I am the bread of life
John 8: 12, 9:5 I am the light of the world
John 10:9 I am the door
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd
John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life
John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life
John 15:1 I am the true vine
In these statements, one of which is found in our reading today (I am the light of the world), Jesus defines himself. But there is something much deeper at work here, something the Jews understood that we often do not. As the tensions rose between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, he dropped this verbal bomb that burst things wide open. Our Savior was direct, confrontational and in the end, made the most clear assertion of his own divinity that is found in the Gospels.
He began, in verses 31-38, to challenge the core belief of the Jewish leaders. They trusted in their special favor with God based on their descent from Abraham, but Jesus intimated that they were serving the wrong father (insinuating that they were children of Satan). They challenged him in verse 39, reasserting that they were Abraham's children, but Jesus renewed his objection to this. He told them, in verses 40-47, that if they were truly the children of God and the descendants of Abraham, then they would recognize that he comes from the Father and would honor him.
That's when the religious leaders just got angry, accusing Jesus both of racial impurity (calling him a Samaritan) and of having a demon. Jesus denied it and the conversation escalated as Jesus asserted his own place in the work of God in the world. Look at verses 54-56.
They challenged him on it. He was less than 50 years old, and he'd seen Abraham? Absurd, they thought. This man was crazed, a megalomaniac!
That is when Jesus dropped the bomb!
And here was this Galilean carpenter asserting that in fact HE IS the I AM! Is it any wonder that verse 59 says that they picked up stones to stone him. They knew exactly who he was claiming to be. He was not just claiming that he was eternal or pre-existent. He did not say, "I was." No. "I AM!
Jesus is Yahweh, the Great I Am, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, the Lord of Heaven and Earth.
It is a matter of discussion, debate, and some consternation among many that modern translations generally note that John 7:53-8:11 is not part of the oldest manuscripts. This is taken as proof by some that new translations are "cutting out parts of God's word" and should not be trusted. A few things need to be said here.
John 8: 12, 9:5 I am the light of the world
John 10:9 I am the door
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd
John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life
John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life
John 15:1 I am the true vine
In these statements, one of which is found in our reading today (I am the light of the world), Jesus defines himself. But there is something much deeper at work here, something the Jews understood that we often do not. As the tensions rose between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, he dropped this verbal bomb that burst things wide open. Our Savior was direct, confrontational and in the end, made the most clear assertion of his own divinity that is found in the Gospels.
He began, in verses 31-38, to challenge the core belief of the Jewish leaders. They trusted in their special favor with God based on their descent from Abraham, but Jesus intimated that they were serving the wrong father (insinuating that they were children of Satan). They challenged him in verse 39, reasserting that they were Abraham's children, but Jesus renewed his objection to this. He told them, in verses 40-47, that if they were truly the children of God and the descendants of Abraham, then they would recognize that he comes from the Father and would honor him.
That's when the religious leaders just got angry, accusing Jesus both of racial impurity (calling him a Samaritan) and of having a demon. Jesus denied it and the conversation escalated as Jesus asserted his own place in the work of God in the world. Look at verses 54-56.
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”Jesus shocked the Jewish leaders by claiming that instead of drawing his greatness from Abraham that Abraham recognized the greatness of Jesus. Was he actually saying that he was superior to Abraham? No Jew would say that!
They challenged him on it. He was less than 50 years old, and he'd seen Abraham? Absurd, they thought. This man was crazed, a megalomaniac!
That is when Jesus dropped the bomb!
Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58).This was the most startling claim Jesus ever made. The name of God in Hebrew is Yahweh, and it is built on the Hebrew verb "to be." It was revealed to Moses when he asked God what his name was. "I am who I am," God replied. Yahweh (sometimes misspelled Jehovah) - that is God's name. He is the great "I Am."
And here was this Galilean carpenter asserting that in fact HE IS the I AM! Is it any wonder that verse 59 says that they picked up stones to stone him. They knew exactly who he was claiming to be. He was not just claiming that he was eternal or pre-existent. He did not say, "I was." No. "I AM!
Jesus is Yahweh, the Great I Am, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, the Lord of Heaven and Earth.
SPECIAL NOTE: On the "Woman Taken in Adultery"
It is a matter of discussion, debate, and some consternation among many that modern translations generally note that John 7:53-8:11 is not part of the oldest manuscripts. This is taken as proof by some that new translations are "cutting out parts of God's word" and should not be trusted. A few things need to be said here.
- The "books" of the Bible were all hand written scrolls or manuscripts for centuries and were copied and distributed thousands of times. We have no originals of any of the books. We can recreate those "autographa" to a high degree of certainty but there are certain places where texts diverged over the years.
- There are two major ways of doing "textual criticism" - the science of recreating the original texts. One is called majority text theory which looks at largest number of texts and trusts them as reliable. The problem is that the largest number of texts are from later centuries. The other theory is sometimes called the "critical text" theory and relies more on the oldest manuscripts.
- The evidence here is pretty clear that the story of the woman taken in adultery was not part of John's original gospel and only appears regularly in the text after the 12th Century.
- It is likely that it is an old story, very possibly a true story, from the life of Jesus, that circulated from ancient times and was eventually added into John's gospel by someone copying the text.
- If you read from John 7:52 to John 8:12 it appears that this story is an interruption. Also, there is vocabulary that is strange. At least 13 words are used here that John doesn't use anywhere else in his writings.
- This story was almost certainly not originally part of John's gospel. Is it a true story? Did Jesus really say these words? They are completely in line with his character and it is not hard to see him doing and saying this. But the story was not part of John's original gospel.
Devotional - Light of the World
Today's devotional thought will be shorter, since we've had a longer contextual thought and a special note. In John 8:12 Jesus made a bold claim.
We human beings will look to everything and everyone for the light we need, but too often we fail to look to the source of real life. Jesus is that light. When you are confused, look to him. When you are discouraged and depressed, look to him. When you are overwhelmed and stressed, look to him. His light is the true light.
But the fact that Jesus is the light of the world requires one more thing of us. Jesus told his disciples that they were the light of the world. Jesus is the Sun, but we are the moon. We reflect the light of Jesus Christ into this world. The light of Jesus, our Savior, shines not only on us and in us, but through us to the world of darkness.
I am the Light of the World.This world is darkened by sin and only Jesus can do anything about it. Education is a wonderful and positive thing, but education can never enlighten the human soul. Only Jesus can. Philosophers argue the riddles of life and psychologists try to understand the workings of the human mind. But they cannot do anything but help people live a little better in the darkness. The neon lights of entertainment try to shine but they are fleeting and can never provide true light. The world tells us to look inside ourselves for the light but our inborn sin guarantees that this will never succeed.
We human beings will look to everything and everyone for the light we need, but too often we fail to look to the source of real life. Jesus is that light. When you are confused, look to him. When you are discouraged and depressed, look to him. When you are overwhelmed and stressed, look to him. His light is the true light.
But the fact that Jesus is the light of the world requires one more thing of us. Jesus told his disciples that they were the light of the world. Jesus is the Sun, but we are the moon. We reflect the light of Jesus Christ into this world. The light of Jesus, our Savior, shines not only on us and in us, but through us to the world of darkness.
Father, may the light of Christ shine in me to guide and strengthen me, and may it shine through me to this world of darkness.
Think and Pray
Where do you go for wisdom and direction? Do you look to experts? To your own wisdom and common sense? Or do you trust the Light of the World?
Are you living as the light of the world, reflect the light that the Light of the World shines on you?
Are you living as the light of the world, reflect the light that the Light of the World shines on you?
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