The Gospel of John: John 8.12-30

Read and meditate on John 8.12-30.
Jesus used the Feast of Tabernacles to make more explicit claims about Himself and His ministry. But He was not sufficiently direct to allow the Pharisees to arrest Him, so they continued to press Him, hoping to wrest from Him some incriminating word. That would come soon enough, but not yet.

¹²Then Jesus spoke to them again, and said,
“I am the Light of the world. He who, instead
of doubting, follows Me, shall never in
the darkness walk again, but will within
himself possess the very light of life.”
¹³The Pharisees, set on a course of strife
with Jesus, therefore said, “You witness to
Yourself; therefore, Your witness is not true.”
¹⁴But Jesus answered, “Even if I do
bear witness to Myself, My words are true,
for I know where I came from, and I know
where I am going; but you do not know
where I am from, or where I go. ¹⁵You judge
according to the flesh. But I? I judge
no man. ¹⁶Yet if I judge, be sure of this:
Whatever word I speak of judgment is
the truth, for I am not alone, but I
am with the Father, He Who dwells on high,
and Who has sent Me. ¹⁷It is written in
your Law, the testimony of two men
is true. ¹⁸One I am Who bears witness to
Myself; the Father, Who has sent Me to
you, witnesses of Me as well.” ¹⁹So then
they said, “Where is Your Father?” He again
replied, “You do not know Me, and You do
not know My Father. You would know Him, too,
if only you had known Me.” ²⁰He was in
the treasury when He spoke these words to them,
as He was teaching in the temple. No
one dared to lay a hand on Him (although
they might have), for His hour had not yet come.
²¹Then Jesus said to them, “I’m going from
you; you will seek Me, but will perish in
your sin.” Where I go, you cannot begin
to enter.” ²²They were puzzled, thinking He
might kill Himself, because He said that He
would go away. ²³He said to them, “You from
beneath are; I am from above. I come
not from this world, as you do, for I am
not of this world. ²⁴Therefore, now understand
why I have said that you will perish in
your sins, for you will surely die in sin
if you do believe that I am He.”
²⁵They said to Him, “Who do You claim to be?”
He answered, “Just what I have said to you
from the beginning. ²⁶I have much more to
proclaim to you, and judge concerning you,
for He Who sent Me thus to you is true,
and I speak to the world what I have heard
from Him.” ²⁷They did not understand this word
was all about the Father. ²⁸Jesus then 
explained, “When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am He; I do
of Myself nothing; what the Father to
Me shows, I speak these things. ²⁹And He Who sent
Me is with Me; the Father has not left
Me on my own, for that which pleases Him,
I do.” ³⁰So many then believed in Him.

- John 8.12-20

Reflect
1. In some respects, this encounter with the religious leaders is all about their saying to Him, “Who says?” Jesus replied, “I say, and My Father.” To what authorities do unbelievers look in rejecting the Gospel? To what do we look in embracing it? Complete this prayer: Your Word, O Lord, is enough for me. Give me grace to stand firm on Your Word as I…

2.  The Pharisees tried to argue that the Law of Moses was on their side against Jesus. Jesus said the Law bears witness to Him. How does the Law – the five books of Moses – bear witness to Jesus? Lord, You have said that all Scripture is about You, so help me to see…

3.  Jesus came from the Father, speaking the words of the Father, and doing the works the Father had given Him to do. He told the most religious people of His day that they didn’t even know the Father. How can we know that we know Him? Knowing You, Father, and knowing Jesus – this is eternal life. And I know that I have eternal life because…

4.  Jesus raised the question of two worlds – one above and one beneath, one where life and light prevail, and one where sin and darkness lead to death. How would you explain the two worlds Jesus mentions in this passage? In which world does the believer live? Explain. Lord, You are the Center of my world. Help me in this world to…

5.  Jesus points us forward to the ultimate outworking of God’s will in His life – His being lifted up so that people can know Him and the Father. Why was this necessary? Could not God make Himself known to us apart from Jesus being lifted up? Explain. Bring together into one prayer the prayers you composed for questions 1-4.

Summary
“Here Jesus is saying, ‘Since you are looking only to the flesh, you believe that I am merely a man, and you suppose that I am just like you. But the dignity and the glory of the Godhead does not even enter your mind. However, you shall know that I am God of true God and Light of light through your dreadful and lawless act—my death on the cross. For when you see your mad foolishness come to nothing and the snare of death crushed in pieces—for I shall surely rise from the dead—ultimately you will be forced, even against your will, to agree with what I said, and you shall confess that I am God by nature.’” Cyril of Alexandria (375-444 AD)

Believing in Jesus means entering the world of light and life and living water and forgiven sins and the household of God. This is Good News! Spend today thinking of all the reasons this Good News is so good for you. Then share one of these reasons with someone else.

Closing Prayer
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
The LORD has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap theirhands;
Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

Psalm 98.1-9

Psalm 98 (Duke Street: Come, Let Us Sing unto the Lord)
Come, let us sing unto the Lord new songs of praise with one accord!
Wonderful things our God has done: Jesus has our salvation won!

Now is God’s saving mercy known; His glory to the world is shown.
Faithful and kind is God our Lord; earth has the Name of Jesus heard.

Raise to the Lord your loudest voice! Break forth and sing! Rejoice! Rejoice       
Praise, praise to You our God and King, with all our hearts and strength we bring!

Now let the whole creation ‘round burst into song with joyous sound!
Jesus will come to judge the earth; let all proclaim His matchless worth!

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.