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Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself, Your witness is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I just no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
- John 8:12:20
In yesterday's reading, we read the continuation of Jesus' dialogue with the leadership, who seek to accuse Him of making Himself equal with God. Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles. He has been teaching in the temple. In Saturday's reading, we read that even His brothers did not believe in Him, and they taunted Him to go to the festival openly. But He went in secret, and began to teach about the middle of the feast. Many wonder about Him, although all are in fear of the leadership. He taught, "Do not judge by according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." In yesterday's reading, we were told that on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" So there was a division among the people because of Him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."
Today's reading skips over a passage in John's Gospel, the story of the adulterous woman. See John 7:53-8:11.
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Of this passage, my study bible says, "I am the light of the world: During the Feast of Tabernacles, torches were lit in the temple court, and singing and dancing continued each night. In this context Jesus is the One who gives the light of life. In the New Testament God is light (1 John 1:5); the followers of Jesus are the light (Matt. 5:14); and believers shine as lights in the world (Phil. 2:15). In these and other references in John, God is the source of this uncreated, life-giving light."
The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself, Your witness is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going." Again, we hear talk of witnessing. In an earlier reading, Jesus gave four witnesses to His identity. This took place at the previous festival, again in dialogue with the leadership as they sought to accuse Him. Here, He declares Himself a true witness to Himself. He knows where He comes from and where He is going: In Monday's reading, the dispute about where He is from took center stage. As Jesus taught in the temple He said, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom You do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me." He also taught, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." The people debated where the Christ to come from, while the leadership failed to fathom His words as to where He was going. My study bible says, "In the face of resistance and disbelief Jesus continues to proclaim His relationship with the Father. The Pharisees either were unable to understand Jesus' words or were simply astonished that Jesus was claiming God as His own Father."
"You judge according to the flesh; I just no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me." Again, Jesus' words reflect on previous teaching. Regarding their accusations that He broke the Sabbath rule by healing a paralytic, Jesus told them: "If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." My study bible says, "Because the Son and the Father share the same nature, one cannot be known apart from the other. St. John Chrysostom writes, 'Indeed, if He were not of the same nature as the Father, He would not have spoken as He did.'" Once again, Jesus is repeating a theme begun earlier in John's Gospel. He taught in the temple, at the middle of the feast, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority."
These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. Jesus' "hour" is the hour of His Passion, Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection.
I can't help but focus on what seems to be an extraneous detail: John tells us that He spoke these works in the treasury, as He taught in the temple. And really, we have to think about what our treasure is. Why are His words so hard to hear? Yes, they are "unbelievable," out of the normal order of things, completely unexpected. But then again, He's told us as His followers that His Second Coming, though awaited as was the Christ in Jesus' time, will come at an hour we don't expect. So what is our treasure here? Surely Jesus' words and teachings must constitute what we call our treasure. His truth is our treasure. And the gift of Himself is our treasure. The gift of the Holy Spirit becomes our treasure. His Incarnation in the flesh is our treasure. All these things we hold as treasure, and we are to produce more treasure from them. This is the real profit God wants from us. Why is it that they, His audience of the leadership (in today's reading, He speaks specifically to the Pharisees), cannot truly hear Him? Why can't they accept His words? We can just go back to the text of today's reading, in the first place: "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." As He said earlier, "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority." So basically there is a problem in the first place with right-relatedness to God. Secondary reasons for this abound: Jesus has taught elsewhere in the Gospels that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So the Gospels lead us to the understanding that pride of place, the need for position and recognition and authority, is what is first in their hearts, and keeps them from truly understanding and seeing Jesus for who He is. So, if even these experts can trip themselves up because of the desire for position, let us keep in mind how easily we can deceive ourselves when we want something very badly. A greater gift may be in our midst and appearing where we least expect it, even where we don't want it! It all depends on what we treasure most, and where our heart really is. We just might be hiding from the light, and blind to its rays of life!
