Just in time for winter, Hydro One said it is working to reconnect power for hundreds of customers who are in the dark, because they had their electricity cut off due to unpaid bills. The power provider says it is reaching out to roughly 1,400 residential customers who failed to pay their bills in order to arrange reconnection for the rest of the winter season. (http://blackburnnews.com/chatham/chatham-news/2016/12/07/hydro-one-reconnect-customers/)
The Bible describes sinners as “those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness” (Prov. 2:13). But those who through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ “turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God … receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in [God]” (Acts 26:18). They are “rescued … from the domain of darkness, and transferred … to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13), becoming “sons of light and sons of day,” no longer “of night nor of darkness” (1 Thess. 5:5). Because God “has called [them] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9), those who “were formerly darkness … now … are Light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8).
Presenting His divinity in John 8:12-21, Jesus makes an astounding claim about Himself—that He is the Light of the World. Yet, those who are in darkness, especially from the Jewish religious leaders, oppose this presentation. In showing how He brings light and what this means, John presents: 1) The Area in which the conflict took place (John 8:20), 2) The Lord’s Assertion (John 8:12), 3) The Leaders’ Accusation (John 8:13), 4) The Lord’s Answer to that accusation (John 8:14–19), and 5) His Announcement of their impending judgment (John 8:21).
In showing how He brings light and what this means, John presents:
1) The Area (John 8:20)
John 8:20 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. (ESV)
In John’s original writing, when he says “These words he spoke” the discussion starting in John 8:12 immediately follows John 7:52. The intervening passage, 7:53–8:11, about Jesus forgiving the woman taken in adultery interrupts the narrative’s continuity and is not included in the earliest manuscripts(Barton, B. B. (1993). John (p. 171). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House)
The setting for the Lord’s confrontation with the religious leaders was the temple treasury, located in the section in the temple complex called the Court of the Women (the second outermost court). The court covered a space upwards of two hundred feet square, and was surrounded by a colonnade, within which, and against the wall, were the thirteen trumpet, shaped chests, called “trumpets” from their shape, for charitable contributions. Each treasure box was marked to designate how the money put in it would ostensibly be used (for the temple tax and various offerings).This court was the most public part of the temple It was at this site that Jesus would later observe a poor widow making her cent offering (Mark 12:41–44; Luke 21:1–4).(Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 168). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.).
Since the Court of the Women was a busy public location, it was ideal for Jesus to teach there. The Sanhedrin met in a nearby hall, almost within earshot of the Lord’s voice, yet no one arrested/seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. John uses this term “hour” in several ways: (1) for time (cf. 1:39; 4:6, 52, 53; 11:9; 16:21; 19:14; 19:27); (2) for the end time (cf. 4:21, 23; 5:25, 28); (3) but here for His last days (arrest, trials, death, cf. 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 16:32; 17:1). As John had previously explained in John 2:4 this shows Jesus’ self-understanding about His appointed purpose (cf. Mark 10:45). Jesus was always under the sovereign control of His Father and the divine schedule, so that His enemies were powerless to harm Him before the appointed time. (Utley, R. J. (1999). The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John (Vol. Volume 4, p. 26). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International )
Illustration: Andrew Murray’s Four Truths
The reality that Christ was in complete control of events here, should give us great comfort and guidance. It did for South African pastor Andrew Murray who once faced a terrible crisis. Gathering himself into his study, he sat a long while quietly, prayerfully, thoughtfully. His mind flew at last to his Lord Jesus, and picking up his pen, he wrote these words in his journal: “First, He brought me here, it is by His will that I am in this strait place: in that fact I will rest. Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child. Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow. Last, in His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.(Finall) Let me say I am here, (1) By God’s appointment (2) In His keeping, (3) Under His training, and (4) For His time.” (V. Raymond Edman, They Found the Secret (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1960), 97.)
In showing how He brings light and what this means, John presents:
2) The Assertion (John 8:12)
John 8:12 12 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.”(ESV)
The word again appears to link this passage with John 7:37–52, rather than 7:53–8:11, likely not in the original. More important, this is the second of seven “I am” statements in John’s gospel that reveal different facets of Christ’s nature as God and His work as Savior. John had already used the metaphor of light to describe Jesus (1:4, 8–9; cf. Rev. 21:23), and it was one rich in Old Testament allusions (cf. Ex. 13:21–22; 14:19–20; Neh. 9:12, 19; Pss. 27:1; 36:9; 43:3; 44:3; 104:2; 119:105, 130; Prov. 6:23; Isa. 60:19–20; Ezek. 1:4, 13, 26–28; Mic. 7:8; Hab. 3:3–4; Zech. 14:5b–7). Jesus is the source of this world’s spiritual and moral light. In faith the one who follows Jesus is given the light which comes from the manifestation of divine life (Gingrich, R. E. (1990). The Gospel of John (p. 31). Memphis, TN: Riverside Printing.).
Jesus was clearly claiming to be God (cf. Ps. 27:1; Isa. 60:19; 1 John 1:5) and to be Israel’s Messiah, sent by God as the “light to the nations” (Isa. 42:6; cf. 49:6; Mal. 4:2). Jesus’ claims are reminiscent of the praise songs to God in the Psalter, where the Lord is epitomized as the Light of life (Ps 56:13), where light is symbolized as God’s victory over the traumas of life (Pss 37:6; 44:3), and where darkness is described as no problem for God (Ps 139:12; cf. Isa 4:6). In addition, light is patently related to concepts of salvation in the Bible (e.g., Ps 27:1; Isa 58:8; cf. John 1:5; Acts 26:18; 2 Cor 4:4–6; Eph 5:14; 1 John 1:7) (Borchert, G. L. (1996). John 1–11 (Vol. 25A, p. 296). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
The analogy of light, as with Jesus’ earlier use of the metaphor of living water (7:37–39), was particularly relevant to the Feast of Tabernacles. The daily water-pouring ceremony had its nightly counterpart in a lamp-lighting ceremony. In the very Court of the Women where Jesus was speaking, four huge candelabra were lit, pushing light up into the night sky like a searchlight. So brilliant was their light that one ancient Jewish source declared, “There was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect [their] light” (cited in F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983], 206 n. 1). The celebration in the light of the lamps will have been associated with recollection of the nation’s experience at the Exodus and the hope for a second Exodus. In the wilderness wanderings, the presence of the Lord with his people was manifested in the Shekinah cloud—the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night—which saved them from would-be-destroyers (Exod 14:19–25) and guided them through the wilderness to the promised land (Exod 13:21–22). It is linked with the OT faith in the Lord as the Light of his people (Ps 27:1), which for the Jew connoted not so much the being of God as his saving activity. “Light is Yahweh in action,”( Beasley-Murray, G. R. (2002). John (Vol. 36, pp. 127–128). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.)
By claiming to be the Light of the world. Since all those in the world are all blind by nature, a remedy is offered, by which we may be freed and rescued from darkness and made partakers of the true light.’(John Calvin, Commentary on John, vol. I, p.324.) Christ is, in his person and work, the revelation of the light that alone can dispel the darkness. He is the revealed resource of the true Light without which the darkness—whether of ignorance, wickedness, misery, alienation from God and humanity, or condemnation and a lost eternity in hell—will prevail in the experience and destiny of \an unregenerate humanity.( Keddie, G. J. (2001). A Study Commentary on John: John 1–12 (Vol. 1, p. 322). Darlington, England; Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press.)
• Jesus Christ alone brings the light of salvation to a sin-cursed world. To the darkness of falsehood He is the light of truth; to the darkness of ignorance He is the light of wisdom; to the darkness of sin He is the light of holiness; to the darkness of sorrow He is the light of joy; and to the darkness of death He is the light of life.
But unlike the temporary and stationary candelabra, Jesus is a light that never goes out and a light to be followed. Just as Israel followed the pillar of fire in the wilderness (Ex. 40:36–38), so Jesus called people to follow Him (John 1:43; 10:4, 27; 12:26; 21:19, 22; Matt. 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21). The one who follows Him, Jesus promised, will not walk in darkness of sin, the world, and Satan, but will have the Light that produces spiritual life (cf. 1:4; Pss. 27:1; 36:9; Isa. 49:6; Acts 13:47; 2 Cor. 4:4–6; Eph. 5:14; 1 John 1:7). To “follow” the Lord Jesus means to believe on 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) (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 320). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.).
• Having been illumined by Jesus, believers reflect His light in the dark world (Matt. 5:14; Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15; 1 Thess. 5:5); “They, having kindled their torches at His bright flame, show to the world something of His light” (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 438).
Please turn to Matthew 8 (p.813)
Although the idea of one who follows (Akoloutheo) is sometimes used in a general sense to speak of the crowds who followed Jesus (e.g., 6:2; Matt. 4:25; 8:1; 12:15; Mark 2:15; 3:7; Luke 7:9; 9:11). But it can also refer, more specifically, to following Him as a true disciple (e.g., 1:43; 10:4, 27; 12:26; Matt. 4:20, 22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:27; Mark 9:38). In that context, it has the connotation of complete submission to Jesus as Lord. God does not accept a half-hearted following of Christ—of receiving Him as Savior, but not following Him as Lord. “Follows” is stated as a This is a PRESENT ACTIVE PARTICIPLE. It is present, active obedience that shows true faith. (Utley, R. J. (1999). The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John (Vol. Volume 4, p. 82). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.)
The person who comes to Jesus comes to Him on Jesus’ terms, or one does not truly come at all—a truth Jesus illustrated in Matthew 8:18–22:
Matthew 8:18–22 18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (ESV)
• The call to follow him rises above all other allegiances. Anything that hinders unqualified commitment to him and to the new covenant family of faith must be set aside (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1836). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
• In a shocking contradiction of contemporary evangelistic principles, Jesus actually turned away an eager prospect. But the Lord was not interested in making salvation artificially easy for people, but genuine. He requires their absolute allegiance, obedience, and submission (cf. Luke 9:23–24) Yet Following Christ is not burdensome, as walking in the light illustrates. It is far easier than stumbling around in the dark (cf. Jer. 13:16).
Poem: In the eighteenth century, John Newton described the Light in these poetic terms: ’Round each habitation hovering, see the cloud and fire appear. For the glory and a covering, showing that the Lord is near; Thus deriving from their banner, light by night, and shade by day. Safe they feed upon the manna which He gives them when they pray.(John Newton as quoted in Gangel, K. O. (2000). John (Vol. 4, p. 162). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
In showing how He brings light and what this means, John presents:
3) The Accusation (John 8:13)
John 8:13 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” (ESV)
Not unexpectedly, the Pharisees reacted negatively to Jesus’ claim. In what was likely a mocking reference to the Lord’s own words in 5:31 (“If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.”), they said to Him, “You are bearing witness/testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” According to the Old Testament Law, every fact in a legal matter had to be established by the testimony of more than one witness (Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15; cf. Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28). In typical fashion, the Pharisees refused to consider the possibility that Jesus’ claim might be true. Instead, they arbitrarily dismissed it on a legal technicality. There is an irony here. The Greek word translated as “witness” in this verse is marturia, from which we get the English word martyr. This word, which indicates one who loses his life for a cause, comes from the Greek word for “witness” because there was such a close relationship between the martyrs of the early church and their witness to the truth claims of Jesus. They are bearing witness to Christ by giving their lives; their testimony was emphatic because it involved their own blood. The irony is this: the first martyr of the Christian church was Christ Himself, and in His martyrdom He bore supreme witness to the truth of the things that He was speaking even here. (Sproul, R. C. (2009). John (pp. 167–168). Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing.).
• It terrifies me to think of anyone standing before Christ and saying, “Your testimony is false.” … that’s what every unbeliever in this world says to Jesus, because the spirit of unbelief accuses Christ of being a false witness
In reality, of course, there were others who could testify to the truthfulness of Jesus’ claims (e.g., John the Baptist [1:7–8, 19–27, 34, 36; 3:26; 5:33], the Twelve [1:49; 6:69; Matt. 14:33; 16:16], the Samaritan woman [John 4:39], Martha [11:27], those who witnessed His raising of Lazarus [12:17], Jesus’ works [5:36; 10:25], the Scriptures [5:39], and, above all, the Father [cf. vv. 17–18). Thus, there is no contradiction between Jesus’ statements here and in 5:31; He was not, as the Pharisees alleged, the only witness who could verify His claims.
The Pharisees’ skeptical response illustrates just how obtuse unbelief is; it is never convinced no matter how compelling the evidence. Jesus performed miracles unparalleled in human history (15:24). Yet “though He had performed so many signs before them, … they were not believing in Him” (12:37; cf. Matt. 11:20–24). Nonetheless, to those who honestly seek the truth Jesus promised, “If anyone is willing to do [the Father’s] will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself” (John 7:17).
Illustration: 761”JUICED ON JESUS”
It’s not uncommon for people to hurl false accusations for that which they don’t understand. At age forty-seven, Julio Franco became the oldest player in major league baseball history to hit a home run. A week later, on April 27, 2006, he became the oldest player in ninety-seven years to steal a base. With a cloud of skepticism surrounding the sport, Franco’s longevity has met suspicion from players and outsiders who doubt that he has stayed in top shape through natural training alone. In 2004, retired outfielder Andy Van Slyke accused Franco of using steroids. Franco’s response demonstrated the true source of his remarkable life: “Tell Andy Van Slyke he’s right—I’m on the best juice there is. I’m juiced up every day, and the name of my juice is Jesus. I’m on his power, his wisdom, his understanding. Andy Van Slyke is right, but the thing he didn’t mention was what kind of steroids I’m on. Next time you talk to him, tell him the steroid I’m on is Jesus of Nazareth.” (“It Wasn’t All Bad,” The Week (May 5, 2006)
In showing how He brings light and what this means, John presents:
4) The Answer (John 8:14–19)
John 8:14–19 14 Jesus answered, “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. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 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. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” (ESV)
In response to the Pharisees’ issue of single testimony, Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness/testify about Myself, My testimony is true.” Obviously, the testimony of one person may be true, even if not corroborated by anyone else. The demand for two or three witnesses was a means for establishing the truth in a court of law. What Jesus said was the truth in utter perfection, since God is true (Rom. 3:4; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18). Still, He gave His enemies three evidences to support His self-testimony as the truth, each related to His deity—the very thing that scandalized them the most.
First, Jesus supported His claim by referring to His divine origin and destiny, while the Pharisees were ignorant of both. Therefore Jesus was qualified to testify about Himself, but they were not. “For I know where I came from and where I am going,” He told them, “but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.” The Lord was always conscious of His heavenly origin and destiny; in John 16:28 He said: “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father” (cf. 3:11–13; 5:36–37; 6:38; 7:28–29, 33; 8:42; 10:36; 13:3; 14:28; 16:5; 17:5, 8, 13, 18). His self-knowledge and divine omniscience (cf. 2:25; 16:30; 21:17) thoroughly confirmed His testimony. Therefore, if Jesus is who he claims to be, then he is able also to bear testimony about God and to certain things about humanity that we could learn about in no other way? If he is not God, then we have no sure knowledge of God. If he is God, his statements and claims can be trusted (Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (p. 622). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
His opponents did not know either where He came from or where He was going. Like the crowd (7:27), they thought that they knew, but were terribly mistaken. In fact, they were unaware of His earthly birthplace (7:41–42, 52), let alone His heavenly origin.
• Many people assume they know the details of the Christmas story, yet the interworking of God to orchestrate events and achieve what would be humanly impossible show His divine hand. Don’t brush away the reality of who Christ is and what this means out of hand. Your assumption may have eternal consequences.
Please turn back to John 7 (p.813)
Jesus further exposed the Pharisees ignorance when He declared to them in verse 15, “You judge according to the flesh;” according to earthly standards; as sinful men in a fallen world. They not only understood nothing of His heavenly origin, but even what they thought they knew about Him was incorrect. Thus, their judgment of Him was limited, superficial, and wrong. Proud, arrogant, and self-righteous, they had failed to heed Jesus’ earlier admonition, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (7:24). It is as though they are trying to evaluate the straightness of a line and their only tool is a crooked yardstick, or as if they are in an art gallery trying to evaluate the paintings when they have been blind from birth, never having seen shape nor color. Their judgment is limited to the human sphere and “breaks down when applied to anything which puts this sphere in question” (Whitacre, R. A. (1999). John (Vol. 4, p. 212). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).
Notice the context of this starting in verse 14
John 7:14–24 14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”(ESV)
• Whether people follow Jesus depends on whether they are willing to obey him. Those who are morally willing to follow Jesus will be intellectually convinced that he is the way, the truth, and the life (cf. 14:6). He does not demand blind faith but explains and links His teaching. Jesus’ argument here is “from the lesser to the greater”: the Jews were to circumcise their males on the eighth day even if that day fell on the Sabbath (the “lesser” issue); if “perfecting” one part of the human body on the Sabbath was legitimate, how much more the healing of an entire person (the “greater” issue).
(Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2037). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
• The Lord’s concluding exhortation, in verse 24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment,” was both an indictment of their utter lack of moral and theological discernment and a plea for it. The harsh, censorious judgment of self-righteous legalism is always unacceptable to God (Matt. 7:1), but so is superficial judgment according to appearance (cf. 1 Sam. 16:7). In the context, Jesus was urging His hearers to abandon their misconceptions regarding Him and judge His claims with righteous judgment. Those who do so will find Him to be exactly who He claimed to be, just as He promised they would (John 7:17). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 296–297). Chicago: Moody Press.)
All of this is important for understanding Jesus’ present statement at the end of John 8:15: “I judge no one.” There is a temporal and moral context to this comment. Morally, He did not judge according to the flesh (superficially, externally) like the Pharisees did (cf. D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991], 339). Temporally, regarding His first incarnation, He did not judge anyone at His first coming, since “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17; cf. 12:47; Luke 9:56). In the future, however, Jesus will judge, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22; cf. v. 27; 9:39; Matt. 16:27; 25:31–46; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom. 2:16; 2 Tim. 4:1). Therefore, Jesus does not deny his right to judge, nor does he describe the manner in which he judges. Rather, he claims that his words and actions are legitimate because they are in conformity with the mission given to him by the Father (Köstenberger, A. J. (2004). John (p. 255). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
The second support for the credibility of Jesus’ testimony is based on His divine nature shared with the Father. In verse 16, perhaps looking to the future, He states: “Yet/But even if I do judge,” “my judgment is true; for it is not I alone who judge/in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.” By insisting that He was one with the Father in judgment, Jesus was claiming essential equality with Him. In John 5:17 He made a similar claim: “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” Enraged, “the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (v. 18). Jesus’ testimony was true because He was of the same nature as the one true, living God (10:30). He judges simply by revealing the truth and pointing out one’s distance from that truth. That is why he says he will not judge but his words will judge (12:47–48). Such revelation carries implicit condemnation of that which is untrue, and Jesus makes that condemnation explicit (Whitacre, R. A. (1999). John (Vol. 4, p. 213). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
As a final vindication that His self-witness was true, in verse 17 Jesus rebutted the Pharisees’ false allegation that He was His only witness (v. 13). In the law to which they had appealed and which was binding on them it is/has been written that the testimony of two people is true (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). Reinforcing the very claim that most outraged His enemies, the Lord then provided those two witnesses, declaring in verse 18, “I am the one/He who bears witness/testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness/testifies about Me.” In perfect agreement, the Father and the Son bears witness/testifies to the truth of Jesus’ claims (cf. v. 29 ; 5:31–32, 37–38). He called on the Father as witness to the validity of His claim, since “if Jesus really stands in the relationship to God in which He says He does, then no mere man is in a position to bear witness. No human witness can authenticate a divine relationship” (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, 443).
Predictably, even that did not satisfy the Pharisees. Thinking in purely human terms (cf. 3:4; 6:42, 52),in verse 19 they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Were they asking to see Joseph, who likely had died by this time, to prove Jesus had an earthly father? In light of verse 41, were they intending to insult Him as illegitimate? In any case, they rejected Him. Jesus’ reply was simple and devastating: “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” The very fact that they thought like they did proves that they did not know the Father. In Matthew 11:27 Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Those who reject the Son give incontrovertible proof that they do not know the eternal Father (cf. 1:18; 14:6–9). Although they prided themselves on knowing Him, the Pharisees—blinded by their own hard-heartedness—were actually ignorant of spiritual reality (Matt. 15:14; 23:16, 24). The implication is that it should be easy to know Jesus, who also has come to show us the Father and in and through whom the Father reveals himself (Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The interpretation of St. John’s gospel (p. 609). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.).
Illustration: 3115 Nature Of Light
As we begin to understanding one aspect of light, we begin to appreciate that which we cannot see. Science tells us that light consists of three rays, or groups of wavelengths, distinct from each other, no one of which without the others would be light. Each ray has its own separate function. The first originates, the second formulates, illuminates or manifests, and the third consummates. The first ray, often called invisible light, is neither seen nor felt. The second is both seen and felt. The third is not seen but is felt as heat (Christian Victory as quoted in Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 740). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.)
As Christ came into the world, He was seen and felt. He came from the Father who is neither seen nor felt. Now we have resident the Holy Spirit who is not seen but felt.
Finally, in showing how He brings light and what this means, John presents:
5) The Announcement (John 8:21)
John 8:21 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.” (ESV)
In John 7:33–34 Jesus had warned the crowd, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” Here He said again that He was going away (a reference to His impending death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father). But this time the Lord added the warning that those who reject Him will die in their sin and not be with Him in the Father’s presence in the glory of heaven. Note the singular, sin, not sins. It is used collectively to express the whole condition of estrangement from God. (Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 169). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.)
Please turn to Matthew 8 (p.813)
The reality of this sobering truth, which is repeated throughout Scripture, is that those who reject Christ will suffer the consequences of their sin—eternal separation from God. By refusing the Light of the world, they doom themselves to the eternal darkness of hell (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). Point-blank refusal to walk in his light, will impede and block the way to the heart of the Father, whose perfect revelation and sufficient pleading they steadily resist (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). St. John (Vol. 1, p. 355). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
In Matthew 8, the Faith of the Centurion is a beautiful picture of faith where we see the difference between Children of Light and Children of Darkness:
Matthew 8:5-13 5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. (ESV)
• The faith exhibited here by the Centurion is a call to the light. He recognized Jesus as Lord (v.6) and that he was not worthy of Christ (v.8).
• But the sons of the kingdom (a Semitic term for national Israel) those who think they deserve something of God, are in darkness.
• Christ is before us as the Light of the World. Only He can brighten your dark situation of sin, despair and suffering. A word of repentance and Faith will bring His light of healing to a troubled soul. Don’t suffer in the darkness any longer and don’t let others suffer this way this Christmas.
(Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 332–341). Chicago: Moody Press.)
