“I AM the Light of the World” (John 8:12-20) - The God We Can Know III -

“I AM the Light of the World” (John 8:12-20)

- The God We Can Know III -

A Life-Changing Verse
Jesus says in verse 12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This is a life-changing verse if we really see it for what it is. Jesus said this statement during the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths. The people of Israel observed this Feast to commemorate their journey through the wilderness after leaving Egypt. I prepared a short video clip to show you how Jewish people observe the Feast of Tabernacles today. [Video clip] The Israelites celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days. Particularly, on the seventh night the festive atmosphere reaches its peak. The people call that special night the Grand Illumination. That night giant torches lining the Court of the Women burn so brightly that all of Jerusalem is illuminated. Under their light the Jewish elders lead an exuberant celebration. Rabbinic literature, Mishnah says that whoever has not seen these things has never seen joy in his or her life! People would sing and dance until morning light. When a cock crows to tell the coming of dawn, the people wind up their festival. At the end the elders and teachers lead the songs of God’s forgiveness. And all the people from old to young follow and sing praises to God who forgives all their sins. Then morning breaks.

The Accusers

In this context we need to read John 7:53-8:11, the story of the woman caught in adultery. John 8:2 says, “Early in the morning he [Jesus] came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.” (John 8:2, NRSV) That morning is not an ordinary morning. Last night and until this morning, the people of Israel did dance and sing before the Lord. They sang praises to God who forgave their sins. But now, perhaps in less than an hour they are bringing in a woman caught in adultery. And they say to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” Jesus says to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” And then what happens next? Verse 9 says, “When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman” (NLT). Why were they not able to stone the woman? It is because Jesus did illuminate their dead consciences with his light of truth. And the people, especially the elders, must have remembered the songs that they just led early in the morning. They were convicted and had to walk away first. In this context Jesus declares to the people, “I AM the light of the world.”

The Accused

How about the woman caught in adultery? She does not have a minor problem. Her life is in jeopardy. She has broken the law. According to that law, it is fully appropriate for her to die. If she was Jewish, probably she had learned the law of God and observed all the religious duties. But they didn’t affect or shape her life. Rather, she might be disappointed and wounded by the religious leaders known for upholding the law. And as a result, she draft apart from God and lived without God. She knew she was in the dark but didn’t have power to turn back. She was helpless. Eventually, she is caught in adultery and brought to Jesus. Jesus says to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She says, “No one, sir.” Jesus declares, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” This statement has a profound meaning. The law is God’s word, so Jesus cannot break the law. Leviticus 20:10 says, “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.” Jesus cannot break that law. Then how can he say, “Neither do I condemn you”? Here Jesus is saying, “Woman, I will carry your adulterous sin and be put to death instead of you. So now you are forgiven. I don’t condemn you. Don't commit adultery any more. Not because you fear stoning. But because you have met God, and have been rescued by his grace—saved by grace!”

God’s grace is like a safety net. When the Golden Gate Bridge was under construction, the project moved at a snail’s pace because of 750 feet high altitude, contrary winds, icy fog, unpredictable weather, and occasional seismic tremors from below. All those factors made the workers fearful. Chief engineer Joseph Strauss finally decided to add a safety net. Since then, the workers had confidence and sense of security. They progressed far more quickly and effectively than before. In less than a year they completed the bridge. The safety net saved the lives of 19 men who fell from the structure. These workers proclaimed themselves, “The Halfway-To-Hell Club.” God’s grace is a lot like the safety net used underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. When we try not to sin out of fear, we fall into sin. When we try to live a good life out of religious obligation, we become either hypocrites or heartless accusers. But when we experience God’s forgiveness and love first, we are then able to grieve over sin, hate sin, stop sinning and leave our life of sin with confidence.   

Walking in the Light

Jesus said, “I AM the light of the world.” Jesus is the true light that gives light to everyone. The accusers need the light of truth. The accused need the light of truth. We all need the light of truth. The Bible says, “If we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Christ, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). During the Nazi occupation of Holland Corrie Ten Boom was arrested for concealing Jews in her home and sent to a concentration camp. After the World War II, God sent her to Germany to proclaim the message of God’s forgiveness. One day after the service, one man approached her. Intuitively, she recognized him. He was a guard at the concentration camp. That man extended his hand and said, “A fine message! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!” Corrie Ten Boom describes her feelings in this way, “My blood seemed to freeze… It could not have been many seconds that he stood there—hand held out—but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.” She knew what she had to do. But she could not. So she prayed silently, “Lord, help! I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.” And then mechanically, Corrie held out her hand. Then an incredible thing happened. Surpassing forgiving love of God just flooded her whole being, bringing tears to her eyes. And she cried out, “I forgive you, brother, with all my heart!” Corrie concludes her story as follows: “For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely, as I did then.”

There is a crucial difference between God’s forgiveness and ours. We forgive when people ask forgiveness. But God forgives even before we deserve to be forgiven. God sent his son Jesus Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Joseph was able to forgive his brothers even before they deserved to be forgiven. How was it possible? It was possible because Joseph had already experience God’s forgiveness. Corrie was able to forgive the former guard because she had experience God’ forgiveness and love. Whether we be the accusers or the accused, men or women, young or old, we are all in the dark. We don’t have power not to be judgmental. We don’t have power to forgive others. We don’t have power not to sin. We don’t have power to overcome the enemy’s accusations. We don’t have light within us. We are darkness (Eph 5:8). We all need the light of truth. But true light has already come. All that we have to do is to expose ourselves to the light. All that we can do is to expose our whole life to Jesus Christ and his love. Let us come and walk in the light. Let us believe this gospel, and we will have the light of life! “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). Amen.