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John 8:12 JESUS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Introduction:

In this text Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard

at Jerusalem following The Feast of The Tabernacles. This

was apparently on the same day on which the scribes and

Pharisees had brought to Him a woman who had been caught in

the act of adultery. The scribes and Pharisees tried to use

the woman to entrap Jesus and get Him to say something that

they could use to accuse Him to either the Sanhedrin Council

or to the Roman authorities. Jesus avoided their trap. He

told the accusers that if they wanted her stoned they would

have to make the decision. He said, however, that they

should make sure that the one who threw the first stone was

without sin. Nobody threw a stone. They all walked away.

Jesus told the woman to go her way and to sin no more.

It now appears to me that all of this must have taken

place on the very next day after the Feast of Tabernacles

closed out. If so, this would explain why Jesus has not yet

left Jerusalem. The Feast of The Tabernacles lasted seven

days and the day which followed was always a special sabbath

day. Jesus would most certainly want to stay for this

special sabbath day.

At any rate a new incident now takes place in this text.

He had been teaching a great crowd of people when the

scribes and Pharisees brought the woman. Now that the

Pharisees have left, He continues to teach the crowd of

people. He makes a statement proclaiming Himself to be the

Light of the world.

I. The declaration made by Jesus to the people

V. 12, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am

the light of the world..." This was something that John,

the writer of this book, has already informed his readers

about. Back in John chapter one John first proclaimed Jesus

to be the Word. He said that the Word was with God in the

beginning. That is, He was with God the Father and God the

Holy Spirit. He was with them in the beginning.

Furthermore, John said that the Word was God. The Word,

who was with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit was just

as much God as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. This

made three who were God. These three made up the Trinity in

the God-head. They were the three distinct persons or

characters in the God-head who made up the one God. They

did not make three Gods. They made up one God-head. There

are three in the Godhead. Yet there is but one God.

John also said that the Word is the Creator. He said

that all things were made by Him and without Him was not

anything made that was made. All of the God-head were

somehow involved in the creation, but technically, it was

the Word who spoke the worlds into existence. Then John

said that the Word is the Light of men. He called Him the

True Light.

Finally, down in verse 14 of chapter one, John said that

the Word was made flesh and dwelt among men. He was talking

about Jesus. So John has already informed the readers of

this Book that Jesus is the Light of men; He is the Light of

the world. But in our text Jesus declares to the Jewish

people who were present in that temple at that time that He

is the Light of the world. This was a glorious revelation

to them.

II. Preparation for this revelation

Preparation for this revelation to those people had

actually begun about two months prior to the Feast of

Tabernacles. In the Jewish synagogues throughout the land

and in foreign countries, the Jewish people were reminded of

Old Testament prophecies about the coming Christ. They read

and re-read prophecies which declared Him to be the Light of

men. Some of the prophecies said that He would be a Light

to the nation of Israel. Some of the prophecies said that

He would be a Light to the Gentiles. When you combine those

prophecies they declare Him to be the Light of the whole

world. He is the Light to all people of the world.

Another part of the preparation for this revelation to

the people there in the temple took place in the week of the

celebration of The Feast of The Tabernacles. At the close

of the first day of the feast the whole congregation of

people were led to the Court of Women which was within the

temple grounds. Not everybody could get in that one

courtyard, but the others gathered nearby on the outside.

Four huge candelabra had been erected in the courtyard of

women. They were so huge that they were more like vats.

Each candelabra was filled with oil and contained a huge

wick. These candelabra stood so high in the air that it was

necessary to climb ladders to light them. About dusk dark

at the close of the first day these candelabra were

ceremoniously lit.

Remember that the temple, itself, was built on top of

Mt. Zion and these four lighted candelabra stood even higher

up into the air. It was said by historians that they gave

light to the whole city of Jerusalem throughout the night.

Each day they were re-filled with oil and the wicks trimmed

or replaced. Each night throughout the week of celebration

these lights did shine.

In a very vivid way these giant candles symbolized the

meaning of the Old Testament Scriptures which proclaimed the

Christ to be the Light of men. Since the light of the

candles did light up the whole city of Jerusalem, it was

easy to see that they symbolized the Light of the Christ

shining to the whole city of Jerusalem. But note that

since all of the able bodied men of the whole nation were

required to be present in Jerusalem for this occasion, those

lights actually pictured the Light of the Christ shining to

the whole nation of Israel. Furthermore, since the nation

of Israel was God's representative to the Gentiles, the

candles, in effect symbolized the Christ shining to all of

the Gentile nations through Israel.

III. The effect of this revelation on the people

These things the people who heard Jesus should have

already understood. There was a minority number of them who

already understood one very important thing more. They

understood that Jesus is the Christ. Even during this week

of the feast, there were many who had become convinced that

Jesus is the Christ. But now Jesus spells it out to them in

a way that they should be able to see the connection with

the Old Testament prophecies. Jesus said that He is the

Light of men. He is, of course the Light to Israel. He was

born through the nation of Israel and He came to the nation

of Israel. But He is more than a Light to Israel; He is

the Light of the world. He is a Spiritual Light to the

whole world.

This revelation should be understood in keeping with

other symbolic terms used in Scripture. He is the Living

Word of God. He is the Lamb of God. He is the Water of

Life. He is the Bread of Life. He is the Light of the

World.

This statement which Jesus made declaring Himself to be

the Light of the World should not only enable all who

already accepted Him as the Christ to have a better

understanding of His Messiahship, but it should have enabled

many others in that crowd to see that He is the very Christ

of God.

IV. Some important things about this text

I want to show you some other things about the Christ as

is dealt with in this text and then I want to show you some

other things pictured about Jesus by the candelabra.

One thing I want to point out to you is the gospel

message involved in the declaration which Jesus made. I

want to look back to chapter one. John 1:5 reads, "And the

Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it

not." What this verse is saying is that Jesus, as the Light

of the world is shining into the darknesses of the world.

This is a sinful world and is full of sinners who would be

doomed and damned to everlasting suffering except for one

thing. There is a Light which shines to lost men, women,

boys and girls. There is a Savior whom God has sent to the

world. That Light is Jesus. That Savior is Jesus. If lost

sinners will look to Jesus by faith they will be saved.

John 1:10-12 says, "He was in the world and the world was

made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His

own and His own received Him not. But as many as received

Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to

them that believe on His name." This text teaches that if

any lost sinner will trust in Jesus for salvation, he will

be saved.

(V. 12), "...he that followeth me shall not walk in

darkness, but shall have the light of life." Jesus says,

"he that followeth me." Who is He talking about? He is

talking about the one who believes in Him as the Christ and

trusts in Him as his Savior. He is talking about one who

has trusted Him for salvation and is saved. That is the

kind of person who follows Him. Jesus said that this kind

of person shall not walk in darkness.

This means so many different things that I will not have

time to deal with them all in this message. But one thing I

want to stress. It means that there will be a change in his

life. He will still continue to sin because he still lives

in a sinful body, but there will be a change in his inner

spirit man and there will be a change in his lifestyle. He

will no longer walk in darkness. He will walk in the Light

of Jesus Christ. The believer will begin to live his life

as he is guided by the Light.

It also means that he will not live a life of defeat and

despair, but he his life will be filled with hope in spite

of the many hardships that he faces in life. He will be

hopeful and joyful in spite of the trials which he suffers.

There is light in his soul. There is light in his life.

There is a song in his soul. There is joy in the Lord.

V. Some other things pictured by the candelabra

The candelabra picture the very event that was taking

place at that very moment there in the temple. The light of

the giant candles pictures the Christ present in the

courtyard of the temple giving out His Light to the people.

He was there, right there before them teaching them the

truths of God.

It also pictures what would take place on Calvary's hill

about six months later. The candelabra had been lifted up

high so that their light would shine forth to all. Even so

the Christ would be lifted up. Jesus told Nicodemus back in

chapter 3, verse 14, "...as Moses lifted up the serpent in

the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up."

He was talking about Himself being lifted up on the cross.

As the brazen serpent in the wilderness was lifted up even

so the Christ would be lifted up and put on a pole. Even as

the candelabra were lifted up so that their light would

shine, even so the Christ must be lifted up so that His

Light would shine to all the world.

But there is more. In the heaven ages, after this earth

and the heavens above have been melted with fervent heat and

God has brought forth a new heaven and a new earth, the Holy

City New Jerusalem will come down to this new earth and the

throne of God will be in the Temple of God there in that

city. Revelation 21:23-25 read, "And the city had no need

of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the

glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light

thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk

in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring

their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall

not be shut at all buy the day: for there shall be no night

there." The Christ of God, who is the Living Word of God,

who is the Creator of the world, who is the Bread of Life,

who is the Water of Life, who is the Lamb of God, who is the

Light of the World, will cause His Light to shine forth from

the temple of God in the Holy City New Jerusalem and will

light up the whole New Jerusalem and the whole new earth.

There will be one great difference. There will be no

darkness there. There will be no night there.

Conclusion:

But the main thing I am interested in you understanding

this morning is what Jesus can do for you, as the Savior.

He can save your soul and take you to heaven when you die.

He can change your life and give you life on this earth that

is worthwhile. He can turn your life around and help you to

live a cleaner, more godly life.

It would be a great catastrophe if there were no light

for this world. It would be an ever greater catastrophe if

there were no spiritual Light. It would be a catastrophe

for you to try to live your life without Christ.