I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life

 

 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 judge 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery.  And then they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

 

  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."  These words Christ says against the backdrop of events of this final day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  At the conclusion of this Feast, great lamps were lit in one of the temple courtyards (the Court of Women).  These great lamps are said to have been about 75 feet tall.  They were comprised of four giant golden menorahs, oil lamps which each lifted four bowls of continuously burning oil.  These lamps effectively illumined the entire city of Jerusalem by night.  They were meant to resemble the pillar of fire which led the Israelites by night as they followed Moses.  My study Bible comments that with these words, Christ is declaring Himself to be the fulfillment and the divine object of all celebrations of light.  In the Scriptures, it notes, God the Father Himself is light (John 1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), an attribute He bestows on His followers (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15).  Christ will confirm this claim in the following chapter by performing the great sign of opening the eyes of a man born blind (see John 9:1-7; esp. verse 5).  

 

 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 judge 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.  Once again, as in a previous encounter with these religious authorities, Jesus is questioned regarding the issue of witnesses to His identity.  In chapter 5 (John 5:31-47), He offered four witnesses to His identity as Lord:  John the Baptist, the works (or signs) He does which have been given to Him by God the Father, God the Father Himself, and the witness of the Old Testament Scriptures which testify to Him.  Here in today's reading, He emphasizes His relation to the Father as loyal and true Son.  Here He bears witness of Himself, and adds the Father who sent Him as witness of Him.  The great emphasis here is on their lack of true love for God (see Deuteronomy 6:5); because they lack this basic depth of love for God in the heart, they fail to know Christ also. 

 

 So once again with Christ (and in particular in St. John's Gospel) we come to the question of light.  What is light, in Christ's terms?  Let us take His words and examine them in order to understand.  Jesus says, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  To be the light of the world must truly teach us that His "way" (or "road") is the only path we should endeavor to walk in this world, the true way to live our lives.  It is He who will illumine us, give us the good and true and beautiful way.  His is also the way to true life.  Jesus contrasts His light with darkness, and so we must ask also, What is darkness?  Here He contrasts this darkness with the light of life, so darkness, we can presume, is that which cancels life, cuts it off, diminishes it.  As death in any form, this darkness is also comparable to evil; that is, it is that which cuts us of from God somehow.  As we remember that Jesus is speaking against the backdrop of the great lamps being lit at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, we must go back to the image of the light that shines in the darkness (see John 1:1-5) and the pillar of fire that led the way for the Israelites at night on their journey to the promised land (Exodus 13:21).  Just like those who followed Moses, we need faith to learn to dwell within this light and to allow it to lead us where it will.  We need to understand this interaction of faith and illumination, how faith in Christ and His light can broaden our understanding of the path we need to take in life, and illumine the way.  Christ's light also magnifies the talents and capabilities we have in ourselves, and helps us to understand how we might develop those in good ways and for God's purposes.  Darkness is also symbolic of oppression and depression, the things that make setbacks feel like overwhelming judgments.  But we need Christ's light also to take us out of that darkness, even to find a way to see in the dark, when there are things we don't know, and forces that would seem to try to make us blind, and ignorant of what is possible with God.  But just as Christ's witness is true, and because the One who sent Him is true, we take Him at His word:  that in all situations, His is the light that we need, regardless of the darkness that might seem to surround us.  Just as it says in the beginning of St. John's Gospel, sometimes we will find that the darkness simply doesn't "comprehend" the light that is there always shining for us, but neither can it swallow it up (for both these meanings of comprehend, to understand and to take in, apply here).  Yet we are those who, despite the darkness we might find and its forces in our world, may always seek His light and find it for ourselves through faith.  For He remains the light of the world nonetheless.  Let us find the life He desires for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life

 

 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 judge 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 our current readings, Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, which commemorates the time that Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, dwelling in tents or "tabernacles."  This is an eight day autumn harvest festival, and it is now the final year of Christ's earthly life. Yesterday we read that 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 of 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."  

 

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."   My study Bible observes that Jesus spoke these words in the context of the great lamps being lit at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles.  These lamps (oil-fueled menorahs) towered over the city of Jerusalem, and when they were lit, they created such a blaze that it seemed the whole of Jerusalem was illumined in bright light.  Here, my study Bible says, Jesus declares Himself to be the fulfillment and the divine object of all celebrations of light.  In the Scriptures, it notes, God the Father is light (John 1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), an attributes bestowed by God on followers (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15).  Jesus will confirm His claim by performing the great sign of opening the eyes of a man born blind, at the beginning of chapter 9 (John 9:1-7; see especially verse 5). 

 

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 judge 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.  The Pharisees demand again witnesses, testimony as to who Jesus is, and where His authority comes from.  But Jesus has already offered four witnesses:  John the Baptist, the works that Jesus does, God the Father, and the Scriptures (see this reading).  Here He responds again, affirming that His witness is true, because He knows where He came from and where He is going, and they do not.  Once again, Jesus affirms an emphatic choice in judging with true judgment, as He relies on the Father who sent Him; and judges not according to the flesh, or to appearances (see yesterday's reading, above).  The two witnesses He names here in this passage, therefore, are Himself and the Father.  My study Bible comments that, as the Son and the Father share the same divine nature, one cannot be known apart from the other (see John 14:7-11).  

Between the readings from yesterday and today, beginning John's eighth chapter, there is a reading that is often skipped over as it has been by the lectionary today.  That is from John 7:53-8:11, and it is the story of the woman caught in adultery.  The reason this passage is frequently skipped over is that it's not found in several ancient manuscripts, and it's not covered in the commentaries of St. John Chrysostom and certain other patristic figures.  But it's still accepted in the Church as authentic, inspired, and canonical, and bearing the authority of all other Scripture.  I mention it today because Christ teaches in today's passage about judgment; that is, about judging good judgment, and that is relevant to the passage on the woman presented to Him in the temple as taken in adultery.  He refuses to condemn her, suggesting to the men who make the accusations that those without sin cast the first stone against her.  In today's lectionary reading, Jesus asserts His own relationship to the Father in repeated ways.  He says that He may bear witness to Himself because He is sent by the Father.  He has come from the Father in heaven, and those who demand witnesses and proof of His authority have not, and do not know where He comes from.  Moreover, it is because the Father is with Him, says Jesus, that He is able to make judgment that is true and good.  In earlier readings, Jesus has taught about judging with righteous judgment (John 5:30; 7:24).  Jesus says, "You judge according to the flesh; I judge 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."  So, in the context of the two passages, one might suggest that the case of the woman taken in adultery is an example of Christ's true judgment, and it is an example for us all to follow.  We might take this as if we should all use the same principles of judgment, but I for one would suggest that Christ offers us to follow Him in seeking a closer communion with the Father, in seeking the Father's will in all we do.  After all, Jesus is in the world, in effect, to "show us" the Father, whom we know through Christ (John 14:8-18).  Not only is He in the world so that we come to know God more truly, but He brings us closer to God through every sacrament initiated through His life (especially the Eucharist), and also because His Incarnation will facilitate the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Let us follow Christ's example of seeking that judgment that sees beyond appearances, that judges with righteous judgment, because we may draw closer to the Father in prayer and worship, seeking that which will help us to see beyond our own limitations, and to grow into the people God asks us to become.  If we but make the effort, the power to accept a maturity we don't yet know is a capacity God will help us to realize, and a path which is illumined by Christ's light.  Some might suggest this is the whole meaning of salvation, the true measure of Christ's Incarnation in the world for us.  Let us endeavor to let Him lead the way, especially in the practice of judgment.  For in this sense He is truly the light of the world, who illumines our way through the darkness.

 

 

How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not see the honor that comes from the only God?

 

 "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  

 

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.   There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not see the honor that comes from the only God?    Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

 

- John 5:30-47 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus answered and said to the religious leaders who condemned Him for healing on the Sabbath, and were outraged that He made Himself equal with God:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." 

 

  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study Bible explains that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for they all fully share the same divine nature.  When the Son is said to obey the Father, then, this refers to Christ's human will, which was assumed at His Incarnation.  My study Bible explains that Jesus freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father -- and so are we called to do likewise.  

 

 "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.   There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not see the honor that comes from the only God?    Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"  Commenting on this passage, my study Bible asks, how could Christ's witness ever be untrue?  It cannot (see John 8:14).  Jesus here is, in fact, anticipating the argument and speaking the thoughts of the religious leaders (he does the same thing in Luke 4:23).  My study Bible notes that in Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  Here, Jesus offers four witnesses in support of His identity as Son of God.  First, there is God the Father (verses 32, 37, 38); Second, John the Baptist (verses 33-35); Third, He cites His own works which reveal or witness to Him (verse 36); and Fourth, the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony prophesying Him (verses 39-47). 

When Jesus names His four witnesses named by my study Bible above, He tells the religious leaders:  "I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not see the honor that comes from the only God?"  What are we to make of these statements?  Jesus draws a clear line here between what are acceptable witnesses and what are not, as He establishes His own choice of witnesses as to His identity as Son.  He says, "I do not receive honor from men."  In a sense, Jesus is challenging all of us to consider where we draw the line in terms of our own "witnesses" to our lives and identities.  By what (or rather, by whom) do we measure ourselves?  How do we take stock of who we are?  What gives a good testimony for us?  Is our honor from men; that is, from other people?  Or by what other measure may we measure ourselves?  Instead of depending upon reputation or the opinion of His contemporaries, Jesus establishes His credentials, so to speak, on the testimony of more highly esteemed witnesses with divine and eternal qualities of the holy:  God the Father, John the Baptist, His words through which His divinity is expressed, and the Old Testament Scriptures which testify to Him.  This invites us to think about what standards we use to measures ourselves.  Are the standards of how we evaluate ourselves those we learn from the Scriptures?  Are they from Christ's words and teachings in the Gospels?  Do we emulate or seek to live up to the conduct of the saints?  Do we follow what we know of God's will for us?  Do we seek to follow Christ's commandment to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34)?  Will these be our witnesses to the quality and meaning of our own lives, to our very identity?  Or will our popularity or reputation speak for us?  Will it be the "honor that comes from men" such as a position in the society, or our income and status or possessions?  If we give charitably, is it to be flattered by a public image in the eyes of others, or is it to help the less fortunate?  These are dividing lines that Jesus draws here, between the "honor that comes from men" and the honor that comes from God.  So much depends, really, upon our love for God, as Jesus claims here.  For what we truly love is what (or Whom) we seek to please.  Does our esteem come from pleasing God?  Or is it our own great name in the world that gives us esteem?  We must consider these measurements of our lives at every turn, because each answer will determine what we seek first, whom we seek to please the most.  Jesus gives His answer; let us carefully think about our own.