I AM, the Light of the World
The “disciple whom Jesus loved,” known as John, either John the brother of Zebedee, the Apostle, or John the Elder, was writing his recollections of his experiences with Jesus so that those who hear or read would believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and would find eternal life in His name (cf. John 20:31). He began by speaking of the Word of God, the Creator, the life and light of men, who took on flesh and dwelt among us as Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:1-18). He then described the calling of the first disciples, Jesus’ first sign at the wedding in Cana, the events which took place while Jesus was present at the Passover in Jerusalem, and Jesus’ return to Galilee via Samaria (John 1:19-4:54). John the Evangelist then set forth Jesus’ healing of a lame man at Bethesda and the storm of controversy it engendered, Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand, and His challenging description of Himself as the Bread of Life (John 5:1-6:71).
John the Evangelist then related narratives regarding Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Booths; Sukkot) in Jerusalem, featuring Jesus’ instruction and the thoughts and feelings of the crowds and Jewish authorities (John 7:1-52). For many textual critical and literary reasons, we have concluded the pericope adulterae, the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, of John 7:53-8:11 was not originally written by John, let alone at this point in the Gospel narrative. We therefore conclude John the Evangelist wrote a continuous narrative of events at the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7:1-52 and John 8:12-10:21.
In this view, immediately after the Pharisees chastise Nicodemus (John 7:50-52), Jesus declared before them how He was the light of the world; those who follow Him would never walk in darkness but would always enjoy the light of life (John 8:12). The Pharisees objected to His claim on technical grounds: He bore witness of Himself, and so His witness was invalid (John 8:13). While Jesus had previously confessed self-witness would not be valid (cf. John 5:30-37), at this point He owned up to it: Jesus knew His testimony was valid because He knew where He came from and where He was going, and His judgment, when He judges, was not of Himself but of His Father (John 8:14-16). Jesus appealed to the Law declaring the importance of two or more witnesses and declared Himself and His Father as witnesses (John 8:17-18; cf. Deuteronomy 17:6). In so doing Jesus devastated any appeal or argument to a modalistic view of the Godhead, for Jesus manifestly understood Himself and His Father as distinct persons.
The Pharisees asked regarding His Father; Jesus declared they knew neither Him nor His Father, for if they knew Him, they would know His Father (John 8:19). John the Evangelist then informed us how Jesus taught these things near the offering box in the Temple courts, and no one seized Him yet because His time had not yet arrived (John 8:20).
Jesus again affirmed how He would soon leave them; they would look for Him but not find Him, and would die in their sins (John 8:21). Jewish religious leaders speculated regarding His meaning, wondering if He were going to kill Himself (John 8:22). Jesus indicted them as being from below, while He came from above; unless they properly confessed Jesus, they would die in their sins (John 8:23-24). They asked Him who He was; He said He had indicated as much from the beginning (John 8:25). There was much more to be said, and when they would lift up the Son of Man, they should know who Jesus was and how He did the will of His Father, who has not abandoned Him and would not do so (John 8:26-29).
John the Evangelist’s audience has the benefit of understanding how all these things would play out, an advantage not given to those present when Jesus thus spoke. The confusion of the Jewish people, to some degree, remains quite understandable.
Nevertheless, some did believe in Jesus based on what He had been teaching (John 8:30). Jesus then focused His message on these “believers,” and presented to them a message which remains quite familiar to us today, and in its decontextualized form remains quite the encouragement: if you follow Jesus’ teachings, you are His disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32).
We might take great assurance and comfort in the hope of finding liberation in the truth. But such is not the way the “believing” Jewish people felt! They were deeply offended: they were children of Abraham, and had never been enslaved to anyone; so how could Jesus offer them freedom (John 8:33)? We will overlook the awkward “detail” of the slavery while in Egypt; “slavery” here was most assuredly understood by all involved in a spiritual sense, for Jesus would go on to explain how those who practice sin are slaves of sin (John 8:34). Slaves do not have standing in the household, but the Son does; thus, if the Son liberates them, they would be truly free (John 8:35-36). Jesus was quite aware of their genetic descent from Abraham; yet they want to kill Jesus because His teaching was not progressing among them (John 8:37). Jesus taught what He saw from the Father; these Israelites needed to accomplish it (John 8:38).
These “believing” Jewish people again protested: Abraham was their father (John 8:39). Jesus soberly pointed out how if Abraham were truly their father, they would act like he did, but they want to kill Jesus because He told them the truth of God, which Abraham would not do; but they were doing the deeds of the one who was their father (John 8:39-41). The “believers” protested further: they were not born of sexually deviant behavior; God was their Father (John 8:41). Jesus pressed on: if God were their Father, they would love Jesus, since He had come from God by God’s initiative (John 8:42). They could not understand because they did not accept His teaching (John 8:43). In truth their father was the Devil, he who was a murderer from the beginning, in whom there is no truth; a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). They do not believe Him even though He told them the truth (John 8:45). He invited anyone to indict Him of sin and wondered why they did not believe He was telling them the truth (John 8:46). Those who really belong to God listen to His words and do them; they were not listening because they did not really belong to God (John 8:47).
We do well to again emphasize Jesus’ audience: these are not heckling, unbelieving Jewish religious authorities. Jesus was speaking to those who “believed” in Him based on what He had been saying (John 8:30-31). We have kept “believers” in quotations because Jesus was demonstrating to them how they really did not believe. They thought they believed; they could see something in Jesus, but Jesus knew the ultimate end. Yes, indeed, Jesus’ words were provocations; it would be intolerable for the elect, the chosen people of God, to see themselves as children of the Evil One. Nevertheless, Jesus’ logic remains airtight: if He truly is who He said He was, and whom these Jewish people theoretically believe He was, their imminent rejection of Him for saying such things demonstrated how they really did not accept Him or His authority.
The people asked if they were right to say Jesus was a demon-possessed Samaritan; Jesus denied it, instead affirming His desire to honor the Father whom they were dishonoring (John 8:48-50). Jesus confessed how those who obeyed His teaching would never see death (John 8:51). The people seemed affirmed in their belief about Jesus as possessed by a demon: Abraham and the prophets died, but those who obey Jesus would never taste death? Who did Jesus think He was (John 8:52-53)? Jesus again confessed how self-glorification was worthless; He was glorified by the very Father whom they professed as their God (John 8:54). They did not know Him, but Jesus did know Him; if Jesus denied as much, He would be a liar as they were (John 8:55). Jesus told them Abraham rejoiced to see His day and was glad (John 8:56).
Was Jesus suggesting Abraham knew the Gospel during his life, or was Jesus intimating how Abraham was in God’s presence and able to rejoice in the blessings which would reach their fulfillment in Jesus? While we cannot be certain of this, we can perceive how the Jewish people understood Him: they wondered how Jesus, not yet fifty years old, could have seen Abraham (John 8:57). And then Jesus confessed it: before Abraham was, ego eimi, “I am” (John 8:58).
What Jesus meant by such a statement can be understood by the response of the people: they picked up stones with which to stone Him (John 8:59). In so doing they affirmed what Jesus had proleptically declared: they sought to kill Him (cf. John 8:37, 40). They felt justified in trying to kill Him because, in their estimation, He spoke in blasphemous ways. I AM was the name YHWH gave to Moses to tell Israel in Exodus 3:14; when Jesus said I AM before Abraham was, He was confessing His pre-incarnate existence as the Logos, as God the Son, and thus identified Himself as and with God.
And so those Jewish people who “believed” in Jesus, in a very short time, had picked up stones with which to stone Him. Jesus certainly was not using any kind of accommodative method with these “believers.” He challenged them directly and sharply regarding some of their most cherished beliefs about themselves and their relationship with God. We do well to remember how almost anyone and everyone prove fine with Jesus when what they think and feel aligns with what Jesus said and did. The true test of belief comes in those matters wherein Jesus taught and did things which challenge and question fundamental aspects and ideas about ourselves. In those circumstances, can we find the humility and wisdom to subject ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus, or will we protest and cling to what we vainly imagine to be true about ourselves?
Jesus seemed to be in quite the predicament: in the Temple courts with a bunch of angry people looking to execute Him. Yet John the Evangelist informed us how Jesus “was hidden from them” and was able to leave the Temple area (John 8:59). Perhaps Jesus was rendered invisible in some way; perhaps His visage was changed; maybe it featured something else; but most assuredly Jesus’ escape was miraculous. This was not the first time Jesus was thus able to escape a mortal predicament, and doubtless it was because His time had not yet come.
Jesus very famously makes many “I am” statements in the Gospel of John, and they are all worth deep consideration. Jesus is the light of the world indeed. Yet Jesus is also the I AM, Immanuel, YHWH in the flesh. May we truly believe in Jesus, faithfully serve Him, and overcome death in the resurrection of life through Him!
Ethan R. Longhenry
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