JESUS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

John 7:53-8:30
Key Verse: 8:12

   "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.'"

   This incident in 8:1-11 is not included in the early manuscripts; it
is inserted in the footnotes in some Bibles. Nevertheless, this passage
is most fitting to be inserted here as the concluding incident of the
Feast of Tabernacles; otherwise, its exclusion would be detrimental to
the flow of John's gospel. In this incident, Jesus saves a woman from
the condemnation of the religious leaders and gives her a new life
direction. Then Jesus declares, "I am the light of the world." May God
help us know the spiritual meaning of it.

I.  Jesus saves a condemned woman (7:53-8:11)

First, Jesus prays (1). Now the water-pouring ceremony on the last and
greatest day of the Feast was over. During the festivities the people
must have enjoyed themselves to their heart's content. Now they felt
tired and homesick. As the sun was setting on the western horizon, each
went to his own home to eat and sleep. Strangely, one thing was
lingering in their hearts. It was Jesus' testimony, "I am the streams
of living water." "I came from God." What did Jesus do during the night
while others were all sleeping? Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and
prayed there. Jesus prayed all night. Jesus' prayer after the Feast
manifests his holiness and divine majesty. Obviously Jesus prayed,
"Father, save them."

Second, Jesus taught the word of God to the people (2). Look at verse
2. "At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the
people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them." Why did
Jesus teach them the word of God? It is because Jesus believed that the
word of God gives the streams of living water, the Holy Spirit, and
eternal life (7:38, 5:24). The word of God gives new life even to the
dead. John 5:25 says, "I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has
now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those
who hear will live." The word of God can change incorrigible sinners
into holy children of God, like Saul to St. Paul, Simon to St. Peter,
Levi the tax collector to St. Matthew. Most importantly, the word of
God stands forever. 1 Peter 1:24,25 says, "For, 'All men are like
grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass
withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands
forever.'" This is the reason Jesus taught the word of God as his
mission from God. The best way of helping people is to teach the word
of God, believing that the word of God changes them and gives them
eternal life.

Third, vicious political religious leaders (4,5). While Jesus was
teaching the word of God to the people, the teachers of the Law and the
Pharisees interrupted Jesus' Bible teaching.  The religious leaders
were highly educated people and men of prestige. They were supposed to
be shepherds to take care of God's flock of sheep. Most importantly,
they were chosen people to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,
to proclaim the glory of God and cause the world to overflow with the
word of God.  They should know, then, that God chose them and appointed
them to shepherd his suffering people. But they abused God's blessing
and calling. What a surprise! They came into the temple dragging in a
woman caught in the act of adultery. These religious people snooped
around prostitutes' quarters to catch a woman in the act of adultery.
They brought her in and made her stand before the audience.  Then they
said 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?" (4,5)

   In their question there was a trap that would strangle him in one of
three ways.  Firstly, if Jesus had said to stone her, he would violate
the Roman law, for the Jews were not permitted to carry out the death
sentence. Secondly, if Jesus had said not to stone her, he would
violate Moses' law. Thirdly, if Jesus had said to stone her, he would
contradict his own teaching about God's love. Their plot was so clever
that Jesus could have been trapped by them. The religious leaders
became devils when they lost God's mission. These devils dragged in a
woman caught in the act of adultery to use her in trapping Jesus. We
don't know why this woman gave up her beauty as a woman and became such
a smelly woman.  Maybe she needed a boyfriend. But according to the
statistics of social workers, 98% of the girls who turned out to be
prostitutes did so because they gave in to their own sinful desires.
This woman may have been beautiful. But now she was thrown down to the
ground to be condemned after living according to her sinful nature.

Fourth, Jesus saves a condemned woman (6-11). How did Jesus save her
from her condemned situation? When Jesus saw her, his heart was broken
because of her life of sin and because of her life without a shepherd.
To calm down people's commotion, Jesus bent down and started to write
on the ground with his finger (6b). When they kept on questioning him,
he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin,
let him be the first to throw a stone at her." The words "If any one of
you is without sin" (Ro 3:10) pricked their corrupted consciences. It
was a moment when the woman was condemned and Jesus was trapped. But
when Jesus had a shepherd heart toward the woman, God gave him wisdom
from above. On hearing Jesus, their consciences were pierced. They
could not stand before Jesus, the holy Son of God. Verse 9 says, "At
this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones
first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there."
Look at verses 10 and 11. "Jesus straightened up and asked her, 'Woman,
where are they?  Has no one condemned you?' 'No one, sir,' she said.
'Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your
life of sin.'"

   Here we learn that Jesus took our place of condemnation. Jesus did
not condemn her. The woman had lived a life of sin. She had lived under
the power of Satan. She was a woman who should be condemned even by
hypocritical religious leaders. No one could save her from
condemnation. But Jesus saved her from condemnation because Jesus came
from God to take her place of condemnation. Everyone wants to be
praised. No one wants to be condemned. But she was a condemned woman.
Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is
hung on a tree.'" Because Jesus was condemned on our behalf, there is
no condemnation for us. Paul declares, in Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there
is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...." When we
come to Jesus and ask his mercy, Jesus gives us assurance of no
condemnation. When we remember that Jesus was condemned in our place,
we can know the grace of Jesus in our hearts.

   In this world, no one wants to sacrifice his or her precious only
son. There are many parents who are willing to suffer, but they don't
want to see their children suffer. But God in his great mercy condemned
his one and only Son so that we might be saved from eternal
condemnation. This beautiful gospel has been given to us; but still
there are many people who are suffering from guilty consciences. There
are many teenagers and college students who commit suicide caused by
guilty feelings and sinsickness after sinning in dark places.

   Look at verses 10,11. "Jesus straightened up and asked her, 'Woman,
where are they? Has no one condemned you?' 'No one, sir,' she said.
'Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your
life of sin.'" Sinning is not really against others, but against God.
Sinning is the way to condemnation. When Jesus said, "leave your life
of sin," he wanted her to live a life of sin no more. Jesus wanted her
to live a life of faith. He wanted her to live as a daughter of God. A
life of sin seems to be fun. But it is a condemned life. A life of
faith or a life of mission seems too hard. But it is indeed a glorious
life God created men for. John Newton was a slave dealer. When he felt
condemned, he opened the Bible and happened to read Romans 8:1,
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus." "Wow! No condemnation, even to me!" Those who believe that
there is no condemnation in Jesus experience heavenly sunshine in their
hearts. From that time on, one can leave the life of sin, and instead,
can live a life of faith.

II.  "I am the light of the world" (12-30)

First, Jesus is the light. On the evening of the first day of the Feast
of Tabernacles, there was a ceremony called "the illumination of the
temple." The temple lights pierced into the darkness of the night. Soon
they would flicker and die. Likewise, there had been many lights in
human history. For example, Dante compared Socrates to a candle light.
His candle light burned up too soon. Jesus compared John the Baptist to
a lamp light (Jn 5:35). John gave light to the people of Israel for the
time being. But Jesus is the true light. John 1:9 says, "The true light
that gives light to every man was coming into the world."

   Verse 12 says, "...Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.'" This verse clearly gives us a new
life direction. For example, one who follows a wayward woman will end
up as a street bum. One who runs after a dog goes nowhere.  But those
who follow Jesus, the light of the world, come to the light, getting
out of the life of sin. As we know well, the power of darkness is very
powerful. Nothing can defeat the power of darkness. Figuratively
speaking, the darkness is likened to a sorrowful mind, to men of anger
and hot temper, and especially, to the continuous life of sin. In
short, all the fatalistic elements are the elements of darkness. No one
can defeat this darkness. But Jesus who is the light of the world can
defeat it. John 1:5 says, "The light shines in the darkness, but the
darkness has not overcome it." In this verse the verb "overcome" has
the same meaning as defeat. The light of Jesus defeats the power of
darkness and sin. The woman was endlessly sorrowful and fatalistic
because of her life of sin. Now she heard the Son's promise, "Whoever
follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life." At this moment, we must come to Jesus, so that we may have the
light of life. Those who have the light of Jesus can be a blessing to
those who are in the darkness of sin.

Second, validity that Jesus is the light of the world (12-20). Jesus
identifies himself as the light of the world. In this dark world, only
Jesus can be the true light. Jesus can drive out the power of sin in
our souls. Jesus heals our sinsickness and makes our lives meaningful
and glorious. Peter who was saved by God said to his followers with
great confidence, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Pe
2:9) In Jesus we can have the meaning of life and the life of mission.

   What was the religious leaders' response? The Pharisees challenged
him to deny that he is the light of the world. For Jesus looked so poor
in his appearance, and he was also pain-stricken on account of his
shepherd life (13). Jesus said to them that his testimony was valid,
for he knew where he came from and where he was going. Jesus is the
truth because he knows where he came from and where he is going back
to. But their sinful sight did not see the truth. Read verse 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.'" Jesus stands God
as his witness that he is the Son of God. Who else is a better witness
than God? Who can stand God as his witness? Jesus can stand God as his
witness because he is the Son of God.  The Pharisees were upset and
asked in verse 19, "Where is your father?"

Third, Jesus is our judge (15-28). Though the Jews had no right to
judge, they judged others. But Jesus, though he was the judge (5:22),
did not judge men. Instead, Jesus shines the heavenly sunlight upon
every man who comes to him. When one sees the light of Jesus, he can
see God the Father and his glorious kingdom (16).

   Look at verse 21. "Once more Jesus said to them, 'I am going away,
and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you
cannot come.'" This verse is one of the themes of John's gospel: that
Jesus is God who came from God to save men from their sins and to bring
his precious children back to God. This verse is also a prediction of
his death and resurrection for the salvation of the world. At the same
time, it is a warning that those who dwell in darkness will receive
eternal condemnation.

   When Jesus proclaimed the gospel, they misinterpreted the gospel and
said, "Will he kill himself?" (22) They did not believe. Still, Jesus
did not give up on them. Jesus taught them that he came from God (23).
Still they did not believe. So Jesus said in verse 28, "When you have
lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim
to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father
has taught me." Jesus saw their perishing souls and repeated that he
should die on the cross to save men from their sins. Jesus gave them
the life-giving message of God.

   How was it possible for Jesus to die on the cross to save men to
God? Look at verse 29. "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left
me alone, for I always do what pleases him." It was through his faith
that he was always with God. The whole world seemed to be against him.
He felt he was left alone all by himself in the world. But it was not
the case.  Jesus believed that he was with God as God was with him.
Paul said, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Ro 8:31b) There
is a saying, "One who is with God is the absolute majority." Therefore,
we are not lonely, for God is with us. Jesus was not lonely because he
had a heart's desire to please God. If he could please God, he could
take any sufferings or rejections with joy.

   Today we learned that there is no condemnation in Jesus, and that we
must come to Jesus, the light of the world, so that we can stop the
life of sin.