Challenged
Opening Prayer
Add some light to where you are sitting. Pull the curtains, or light a candle. Thank God for being your light (Psa. 27:1).
Read John 8:12-20
[12] When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [13] The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” [14] Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. [15] You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. [16] But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. [17] In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. [18] I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” [19] Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” [20] He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
On whom does Christ pass judgment (15)?It’s possible that this passage follows straight on from 7:53 during the Feast of Tabernacles or Shelters. Jesus refers to himself as the light of the world, reminding people of the Exodus when God led his people through the desert with pillars of cloud and light. John echoes this in 1:14 when he claims that Jesus, who lived among us–or “tabernacled,” according to Young’s Literal Translation–was, in fact, the creator God, pitching his tent on earth. But the Pharisees don’t accept this. They aren’t willing to recognize Jesus and the debate about testimony and witness does nothing to change their minds. I have some sympathy with their argument: after all, if you were to call on an invisible witness in court, you could have problems. But they were supposed to be God-fearers. Surely the Father’s words would have been the ultimate witness for them? Not so. They looked down on Jesus, because he was an uneducated northerner who challenged what they stood for–surely God couldn’t be like that? At the end of the day, however, Jesus had such authority and appeal that the Temple guards were prepared to disobey their orders to arrest him (7:46)–and the Light of the World lived to shine through another day.
Apply
Weather permitting, sit outside for a bit this evening, under the stars, and mull over what it means to “have the light of life.”
Closing prayer
Holy God, Light of my life, illumine my path today so that I stay firmly on Your course.
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