LIGHT OF THE WORLD: WHO IS JESUS?

LIGHT OF THE WORLD: WHO IS JESUS? PRESENTED BY JONATHAN ESTERMAN DECEMBER 2010

Copyright 2012, Jonathan Esterman. All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other - except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by Scripted Genius. Visit us online at scriptedgenius.com. 2

Introduction! 4 I AM! 5 The Setting! 5 The Light that Leads to Sight! 6 Old Testament Reference! 7 Feast of Tabernacles! 8 Quick Rabbinical Rebuttal! 8 Summary! 8 Conclusion! 9 Bibliography! 10 3

Introduction Identification shows others who we are. We either introduce ourselves by our role, our title, our prestige, status, or name. I am the CEO. My name is Walter. I am a blood donor. These simple statements share our values and purposes to those we come in contact with. G-d does the same. In the Old Testament, G-d identifies Himself to Moses and the people, clearly and concisely. Moses asks G-d His Name, and G-d responds with his character: Then Moses asked God, "If I go to the Israelites and say to them: The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, 'What is His name?' what should I tell them?" God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." God also said to Moses, "Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation. Exodus 3:13-15 1 Throughout history, names have taken on significant importance. In the Old Testament, a name declared the event of the child, as well as the destiny. David Crowder asserts this in his discussion regarding the name of G-d. In Old Testament times, names were significant. They held identify as well as identification. In [Psalm 96] we encounter the only proper name given for [G-d]: [YWHW] [t]he Jewish community substituted LORD for this proper name for fear of speaking His name in vain. It is anything but empty of meaning. It specifies immediacy, a presence: the verb form to be, which in Mosaic context is a being present. [t]hat defining attribute, the identity of [G-d], is present rescuer. His name holds for us the very promise of presence. It is who He is. 2 G-d introduces Himself to Moses in a two-fold way, by title and character, that can be summarized as this: I AM present rescue. It is this powerful statement that we soon see reiterated in the New Testament Scriptures, by the son of a carpenter named 1 Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture citations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. 2 David Crowder, Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi (Colorado Springs: TH1NK, 2004), 118. 4

Joseph: Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus uses the powerful statement of I AM to declare that He is the Son of G-d, G-d Himself, and illustrates the point. 3 In this essay, we will examine only the phrase, I AM the Light of the World. I AM Jesus uses the I AM statement to exemplify His deity and holy qualities, as well as provide important teachings (about Himself). It is interesting to note that the Greek traditionally does not use a personal subject of the verb, yet a pronoun may be used to accomplish this. This is remarkably similar to the words spoken by G-d in the Greek Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament). By usage alone, Jesus is comparing Himself to G-d. 4 Jesus pairs this impacting statement with a quality that belongs solely to G-d, thoroughly declaring Himself G-d. The Setting The best method to examine the setting for which Jesus presented His statement is to first read the Holy Scriptures. While the verse of our examination takes place in John 8:12, let s expound Then Jesus spoke to them again: "I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life." So the Pharisees said to Him, "You are testifying about Yourself. Your testimony is not valid." "Even if I testify about Myself," Jesus replied, "My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I'm going. But you don't know where I come from or where I'm going. You judge by human standards. I judge no one. And if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me [judge together]. Even in your law it is written that the witness of two men is valid. I am the One who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me." Then they asked Him, "Where is Your Father?" 3 Leon Morris, Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1989), 109. 4 Ibid., 107. 5

"You know neither Me nor My Father," Jesus answered. "If you knew Me, you would also know My Father." He spoke these words by the treasury, while teaching in the temple complex. But no one seized Him, because His hour had not come. John 8: 12-20 John 8: 1-11, 12-20, and 20-30 are each a mini-episode between Jesus and the Pharisees. In this section, it is focused solely on Jesus teaching, and the response of the Pharisees. This time, the teaching occurred, as Scripture indicates, by the treasury, and He was teaching in the temple complex. It seems that Jesus, the teacher of grace, initiated this conversation with the teachers of the Law. The challenge was simple and clear: Jesus indicated that their light of life was not found in a temple, or on a candlestand, but rather in Him. But why was this such a big deal? It turns out that the idea of light carried more than just the impact of a word to this culture... The Light that Leads to Sight Light is found to be a repeating theme throughout Scripture. Even in apocryphal texts, light is of great importance. G-d is considered to be Light itself in Jewish philosophy, and Hanukkah shares the importance of Light s triumph over darkness. In John 8:12, Jesus declares Himself to be the Light of the World. Light, in Aramaic perspectives, is considered the most precious element in the world. Some people would give everything they have for the light of their eyes. 5 Scientifically, it is well-known that our sight is determined by the refraction of light as it hits our lens character, resulting in colors, shapes, and images. It would seem that light isn t just about the simple concept of seeing the chair in the living room, but about the 5 Rocco A. Errico, Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John, vol. 3 (Smyrna: Noohra Foundation, 2002), 114. 6

complex situation that light makes the chair exist to us - without light, there would be no image or refraction. In this sense, Jesus declaring Himself the Light carries the concept that He is the refraction, or image of, G-d. Old Testament Reference This is also symbolic to Genesis, G-d s command, let there be light, 6 was not just a command for light, but more. Metaphorically, this means let there be enlightenment, intelligence, and understanding. 7 Jesus declared Himself not only a reflection of the Father, but also the next step in understanding the Father, which further resounds His statement that He is the only way to the Father, which so happened to correlate to another I AM statement. 8 Light is found throughout the Old Testament, tied closely to G-d. Light was the first creation, the Exodus pillar of fire for light, the burning bush, associated with OT theophanies, and a symbol of wisdom, the Word of G-d, and Wisdom itself. 9 In times close to Jesus arrival, light represented G-d, was a symbol of deity across the Mediterranean world, and was also associated with revelations of G- d. 10 6 Genesis 1:3 7 Ibid. 8 John 14:6 9 Gail R. O'Day, "John," in The New Interpreter's Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes ed. Leander E. Keck(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), 632. 10 Ibid. 7

Feast of Tabernacles It is important to note that the theme of light was particularly important at this point in the John s writing. During this interaction, the Jewish people were celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths. During this festival, there was a celebration involving the lighting of four large lampstands. These lampstands were said to light so bright that there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect the light[.] 11 By Jesus declaring Himself to be the Light, He is also fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles in His ministry. By Jesus declaring Himself to be the Light of the World, He also asserted that His Light was greater than the greatest light of a Festival that featured light as the its most important element. Simply put, He called Himself better, or G-d. 12 Quick Rabbinical Rebuttal Once Jesus claimed His right to Light, the Pharisees challenged the point. The believed no one could testify to themselves, per their rabbinical rules. In response, Jesus declared Himself a witness and the Father. 13 Summary Jesus clearly and remarkably, throughout the John s Gospel, displays His deity through the I AM statements that reflect an Old Testament G-d. Further, His declaration of Light set the stage of a new era of wisdom, revelation, and enlightenment, as only light could provide. His association with Light, along with His transfiguration, resurrection, and blast 11 Ibid. 12 Ibid. 13 Elmer Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2002), 81-82. 8

of light on Saul on the road to Damascus, clearly and directly outline Jesus as not only the Son of G-d, but G-d Himself. Light - the first creation, the most important element - announced Jesus as the Christ in and of itself alone, without any other statement or proof necessary. The beginning and end of all things, the creation and destruction, Alpha and Omega. Conclusion Christianity is not a new religion. It s not a discussion of orthodox Jew, Messianic Jew, and Christian, but rather that of grafted Gentile and complete Jew, for G-d is completely shown by His own appearance, and that of His Son, in which are the two ways to fully know a man. After all, I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 14 14 John 14:6 9

Bibliography Crowder, David. Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi. Colorado Springs: TH1NK, 2004. Errico, Rocco A. Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John. Vol. 3. Smyrna: Noohra Foundation, 2002. Morris, Leon. Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. Grand Rapids: Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1989. O'Day, Gail R. "John." In The New Interpreter's Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes edited by Leander E. Keck, IX. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995. Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2002.