The Light of the world

 

John chapters 8-9    Jesus the light of the world

 

Chapter 6 the living bread for our sustenance; chapter 7 the living water for our satisfaction; chapters 8-9 the light of the world for our Illumination. This is what Christ is to the believer.  The key verse is chapter 8v12,

 

“Then spake Jesus unto them saying, I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” 

 

The trend of the chapters is as follows.

 

Chapter 8v1-20, the light of the world exposes the misconceptions of the Pharisees.

Chapter 8v22-59, the light of the world challenges the preconceptions of the Jews.

Chapter 9, the light of the world heals the blind.

 

The section before us is all about seeing, about perception, about understanding the things of God.  The condition of the nation is spiritual blindness and only Christ can heal it.

 

Chapter 8v1-20 The light of the world exposes the misconceptions of the scribes and Pharisees.

 

There is some doubt as to whether chapter 7v53 to chapter 8v11 should be included in this narrative, because the section is missing from the earliest and most trusted manuscripts of Holy Scripture, and apparently was only added around the 11th century A.D.  It is also held that the portion breaks up the natural flow of the story, and the wording is not in line with Johannine presentation.  However, on balance the verses do not contradict the principles of scripture, and indeed are complimentary to the natural flow of thought.  

Everyone returned home from the celebrations of the Feast of Tabernacles, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  This was His home, apart from a few visits to friends during His public ministry.  The Mount of Olives figures very greatly in the bible story.  It was where David ascended, weeping, because his son Absalom sought to overthrow him-2^nd Samuel 15v30; it was there that the cloud of the glory of God rested as it departed from Jerusalem because of their idolatry-Ezekiel 11v23; it was there Jesus often rested with His disciples in the garden of olive presses, the garden of Gethsemane; it was there He prayed in agony, just prior to the cross; it was on the side of the Mount of Olives He found a haven in Bethany at the home of Martha and Mary, and Lazarus; it was there He raised Lazarus from the dead.  This was where  He gave the Olivet discourse of Matthew 24-25.  He was there prior to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem- Luke 19v24-30.  It was from there He ascended bodily back to heaven-Acts 1v12.  And to this place He will return to Earth when his feet shall touch the Mount of Olives-Zechariah 14v4.  With all that perspective in mind He spent the night there.  And He arose early in the morning to continue His work of teaching.  His mind filled with all the purposes of God to be unfolded, He sat down to teach the people in the synagogue. 

 

The calm of the meeting was disturbed by an intrusion of the scribes and Pharisees who brought before Him a woman caught in the act of adultery.   Their design was to expose Him before the people.  They said, “Master this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned.  But what sayest thou?  This, they said, tempting Him, that they might have to accuse him.  But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground as though He heard them not.”

 

This was a very subtle attempt by the scribes and Pharisees to embarrass Jesus publicly.  What they said about the commandment of Moses was correct-as reference to the Leviticus 20v10 and Deuteronomy 22v22 will confirm.  However, it was a very selective application of the law, since both those verses refer to both man and woman-it takes two to commit adultery.  They only brought the woman where was the man?  Indeed, we could ask was the man one of them?  And was the whole thing contrived?  This we don't know, but Jesus was not taken in.  He simply stooped down in front of them and wrote with His finger on the ground.  Much speculation as to what He wrote has been engaged but this is futile.  It is not what he wrote on the ground that is important, it is the fact of how he wrote on the ground that is crucial.  He wrote with His finger on the stone floor of the temple-remember they were in the area known as Solomon’s porch where the teaching took place.  Exodus 31v18, and Deuteronomy 9v10 reveal that it was with the finger of God on tablets of stone God wrote the law.  By this action of writing on the stone tablets He was asserting that the law applied to every Israelite, including the rulers and so Jesus was reminding them that every one of them were sinners.  He was also asserting His Deity, but they were so blind they missed it.  When they continued asking Him, He lifted Himself up and said unto them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”  It was practice in such cases that the accuser(s) cast the first stone, followed by others in support.  He calmly stooped down and wrote again on the ground.  “They were convicted by their own conscience, and went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last, and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.”  The word convicted is the Greek elegcho which occurs 17 times in scripture and means reproved, rebuked, convinced. They knew they had no moral right to judge this woman in this way because of their own sins.

Their subtle ploy had failed. They had no answer to the genius of the Divine teacher. 

 

As always, there are some who will use this passage to teach that Jesus was going soft and adultery, He was not.  He said to her “Woman, where are thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She says no man Lord. Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more.” It was clear this woman had indeed committed adultery. Jesus could only say “neither do I condemn thee” because of what He would do at the cross to take away all our sins.  He could say that because He would take upon Himself the condemnation of us all-Isaiah 53v6v8v10v11v12.  There is no way He is condoning sin, all sin is evil in the sight of God.  Salvation is not given to enable us to continue in it- Romans 6v2.  The words “neither do I condemn thee” must have been ringing in her ears for some time afterwards, as it should be ringing in ours when we take in the wonder of the gospel-Romans 8v1  His mission was not to condemn but to save the world. In the words of the song;

“Not to condemn the world the man of sorrows came. But that the world might have salvation through his name. That whosoever will believe shall everlasting life receive, shall everlasting life receive.”