The Bible Meets Life

The Point Jesus is the Light who reveals the way we should go. The Passage John 8:12-19 The Bible Meets Life We like to think we live in an enlightened society, but we live in darkness. Society in general is selective about what it considers wrong. In society s enlightened thinking, what was once considered sin is no longer considered sin. Just as light reveals darkness, Jesus reveals our own sin and darkness. Jesus does not merely reveal our darkness; He invites us to come to Him and walk in His light. The Setting Early excitement over Jesus and His miraculous works had begun to wane. His teachings had begun to challenge people s beliefs, and many ceased to be enamored of Him as He clarified who He was and what He had come to do. Included in His description of His character and nature was the fact that He is the Light of the world. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 27

What does the Bible say? John 8:12-19 (HCSB) Light of the world (v. 12) Jesus illumines the path we are called to follow. Darkness (v. 12) Darkness is the antithesis to light. In religious language, this term is used as a metaphorical equivalent to evil, immorality, and spiritual forces aligned against God. Testimony (v. 14) A testimony is a legal term referring to statements which one would swear in a court of law. Additionally, to give a testimony is to speak truth about what one has witnessed about God. 12 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. 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, You are testifying about Yourself. Your testimony is not valid. 14 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. 15 You judge by human standards. I judge no one. 16 And if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me judge together. 17 Even in your law it is written that the witness of two men is valid. 18 I am the One who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me. 19 Then they asked Him, Where is Your Father? You know neither Me nor My Father, Jesus answered. If you knew Me, you would also know My Father. 28 SESSION 2

THE POINT Jesus is the Light who reveals the way we should go. GET INTO THE STUDY ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): For this session, change up the lighting in your meeting space. Avoid using overhead lighting. Instead, bring in lamps, candles, flashlights, or stringed lights to illuminate your space. This will set the stage for the topic and bring a fresh, different perspective to your Bible study time. 10 minutes Notes TIP: Use the term guest to describe first-time attenders. This term communicates that they are welcome. DISCUSS: Invite your group members to discuss Question 1 on page 21 of the Personal Study Guide (PSG): When do you remember feeling afraid of the dark? Allow time for each person to respond. RECAP THE PSG (PAGE 22): Late one Saturday night, my 5-year-old son accompanied me on a quick trip to our church. It was pitch black outside as well as inside the building. The light switches were across the foyer from the entry. As we shuffled along in the dark, moving toward the switches, someone touched my hand. I screamed like a little girl. My son squeezed my hand harder and said, Don t worry, Daddy, it s me. What a relief! When you are surrounded by darkness, it s good to know someone is with you. SAY: We all long for direction, purpose, and clear understanding about important life decisions and issues. GUIDE: Call the group s attention to The Point on page 22 of the PSG: Jesus is the Light who reveals the way we should go. PRAY: Transition into the Bible study with prayer. Pray for your group members facing significant decisions or situations to experience God s guidance and presence. Display Pack Item #3 for use with your discussion of John 8:12. Cut apart Pack Item #4 and have it ready to distribute to your group. PLAYLIST PICK: These Are the Names of God by LifeWay Worship BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 29

10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE John 8:12 Notes 12 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. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What would it look like to never walk in darkness? DISCUSS: Question 2 on page 24 of the PSG: Where do you see evidence of darkness in today s world? (Note: Help your group to identify evidence of sin and its consequences. Some examples include: addictions, human trafficking, rejecting God, rebellion against God and His ways, and so on.) ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): Invite group members to divide into subgroups of two or three people and list as many functions of light as they can. After a few minutes, invite someone from each group to share some of their responses. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud John 8:12. SUMMARIZE: Share with your group the background of John 8. The Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2,14), also called the Feast of Booths, was in full swing. During this festival, people would live in tents similar to ones used in the wilderness. This festival was a time to celebrate God s blessings during the year. It was also a time to commemorate the protection and guidance God gave the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. As a free people attempting to journey back to their homeland, God had provided a pillar of cloud by day for guidance and a pillar of fire by night to give them light (Exodus 13). Each year at the festival, a light ceremony took place in which candelabras were lit to symbolize the pillar of fire. During this ceremony, Jesus stood and proclaimed His divinity: I am the light of the world. ENHANCEMENT: To give your group a visual of the kind of tents that were constructed for this event, display Pack Item # 3, Feast of Tabernacles poster. DISCUSS: Question 3 on page 25 of the PSG: What does this I am statement teach us about Jesus nature and character? (Note: Highlight for your group that the guidance Jesus offers is eternal. Unlike the temporary pillar of cloud and fire God gave the Israelites, the light Jesus gives is permanent.) 30 SESSION 2

THE POINT Jesus is the Light who reveals the way we should go. John 8:12 Commentary People who follow Jesus will never walk in darkness. Verse 12: Earlier in John 7, Jesus had been teaching in the temple complex during the Feast of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of Booths. The Feast of Tabernacles was a fall Jewish festival commemorating the wilderness wandering of the Israelites (also called Festival of Booths or Ingathering ). 1 During this festival, temporary shelters were built for the people to live in (Leviticus 23:39 43). Celebrants reflected on divine blessings during the year and the bounty of harvest (hence, ingathering ). Another feature of the Feast of Tabernacles was a dramatic ceremony of lights. Four great lamps were perched high in the temple courts tall enough to rise above the temple walls. The lamps were filled with many gallons of oil. Priests would light the cloth wicks in the lamps. The tremendous light generated from these huge golden lamps and emanating from the temple complex out to the city was said to light up all the courtyards of Jerusalem. Celebrants would dance beneath the lamps carrying flaming torches and singing songs. Levites standing on the fifteen steps leading down from the Court of Israel to the Court of the Women played harps, lyres, cymbals, trumpets, and other musical instruments. At the end of the festival week in Jerusalem, Jesus took advantage of the climatic water ceremony in the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus stood up in the middle of the action and cried out: If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him (John 7:37-38). John explained that Jesus was speaking metaphorically about the Spirit (John 7:39). Then in John 8:12, Jesus once again showed up in the temple teaching during the Feast of Tabernacles. We have another momentous I am saying. Jesus declared, I am the light of the world (8:12). Jesus made His great declaration of being the Light of the world in the context of this Feast of Tabernacles with its dramatic light ceremony. Jesus seems to have been claiming dramatically that He could light up not only all of Jerusalem, like the great Tabernacle s candelabras in the court of the temple, but the whole world. Here, John brought to powerful consummation his light theme established in the prologue (1:4-9). Those who follow Jesus will have the light of life. The psalmist said that walking before God was walking in the light of life (Psalm 56:13). 1. Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:34; Deuteronomy 16:13; 2 Chronicles 8:13 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 31

10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE John 8:13-15 Notes 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, You are testifying about Yourself. Your testimony is not valid. 14 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. 15 You judge by human standards. I judge no one. SUMMARIZE: Jesus I am statement in verse 12 was met with disbelief and scrutiny by the Pharisees. They claimed that Jesus testimony about Himself wasn t valid. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud John 8:13-15. SUMMARIZE: Jesus knew the truth, and He knew His testimony was valid. Jesus appealed to His origin and His destination as proof of His Deity. He had come from His Father and would soon return. The Pharisees refused to acknowledge this as proof. Jesus coming from and returning to God did not fit into their religious system. These religious leaders did not believe Jesus was the long anticipated Messiah, the Son of God. ALTERNATE QUESTION: How can we know when we re making judgements based on human standards rather than God s standards? DISCUSS: Question 4 on page 26 of the PSG: What are some reasons people give today for rejecting God s Word as truth? TRANSITION: In the next verses, Jesus extended His teaching to include His unique relationship with God the Father. 32 SESSION 2

THE POINT Jesus is the Light who reveals the way we should go. John 8:13-15 Commentary Jesus testimony about Himself is true and trustworthy. Verse 13: The Pharisees, of course, accused Jesus of unsubstantiated testimony, the kind the law disallows, hence your testimony is not valid, they insisted (8:13). The law did demand multiple witnesses for serious cases (Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15), which later Jewish tradition extended to other cases as well. The requirement for a matter to be verified by more than one witness prevented a single, disgruntled individual from being able to create legal problems for another. We see this law in effect during the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus as the religious leaders produced many witnesses against Jesus, but the testimonies of the various false witnesses did not agree with one another (Mark 14:55-59). Jesus opponents may have been trying to throw His own words back at Him. Earlier Jesus had said that if He testified about Himself that His testimony was not valid (John 5:31). Even then, however, Jesus had pointed out that His words about Himself were corroborated by His mighty works, the testimony of John the Baptist, and that of the Father Himself. His words had not stood by themselves. Verse 14: Jesus responded to the present charge in a manner consistent with His earlier assertion that the Father bore witness to the validity of His words. Even if I testify about Myself My testimony is valid. Jesus answer is true but could not be understood without faith in Him. Jesus asserted, I know where I came from (v. 14). Jesus came from heaven, so He has the heavenly Father s testimony. Such testimony would both fulfill and trump the requirement of the law or tradition for multiple witnesses. However, Jesus immediately acknowledged that this answer would not satisfy His opponents, since they did not believe in Him and, thus, they don t know where I come from or where I m going. Since these religious leaders refused to recognize and acknowledge Jesus identity as the Son of God, the Messiah, they likewise failed to understand that He had come from God and would be returning to God. Their blinded eyes could not see the Father s testimony in the life and ministry of Jesus, so they perceived Him to be acting and speaking on His own behalf without any supporting evidence. Verse 15: Not believing in Jesus is clear evidence that His opponents were judging by human standards (8:15); Jesus would not play that game. If human standards were the rules by which the Pharisees wished to play, rather than the righteous standards of God, Jesus would abstain. I judge no one, He countered. His role at this time in history was not to be a judge but to be a light. Jesus had already pointed out that God had not sent Him to condemn the world but to save it. But, tellingly, He had also stressed that the one who would not believe in Him was condemned already (3:17-18). BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 33

10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE John 8:16-19 Notes 16 And if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me judge together. 17 Even in your law it is written that the witness of two men is valid. 18 I am the One who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me. 19 Then they asked Him, Where is Your Father? You know neither Me nor My Father, Jesus answered. If you knew Me, you would also know My Father. SUMMARIZE: Jesus earthly ministry was not wrapped up in the kind of judgment the Pharisees engaged in. He had come for another purpose. Jesus had come to extend salvation, not condemnation, to all people. Jesus had come as light to overcome darkness, not just as a judge to condemn darkness. He had authority to do this because He had come from the Father. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud John 8:16-19. SUMMARIZE: In this passage, the Pharisees challenged Jesus authority and truthfulness. Jesus finally responded that if they knew God, they would understand and acknowledge His identity. If they really knew God, they would see God in Jesus, and, conversely, if they really saw Jesus, they would know God. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What steps can we take to position ourselves to clearly hear and follow Jesus guidance? DISCUSS: Question 5 on page 27 of the PSG: What decisions must we make in order to follow Jesus judgments and directions? DO: Divide your members into subgroups of three or four people each. Within each subgroup, direct members to take turns sharing aloud their responses to the activity on page 26 of the PSG. In the Light: (Note: The PSG includes a scale for the last two questions.) What decision or situation are you currently facing for which you need God s guidance? How confident are you that Jesus will provide what you need? Will He come through? (Place an X on the scale below.) How confident are you in His counsel? Will it be reliable? (Place an X on the scale below.) 34 SESSION 2

THE POINT Jesus is the Light who reveals the way we should go. John 8:16-19 Commentary Jesus is the Light who reveals God the Father. Verse 16: Jesus had stated that He did not judge anyone (v. 15). The day would come, however, when that would change. And when Jesus does judge, His judgment, in contrast to that of His opponents, will be true (8:16). How so? What makes His judgment different from that of the religious leaders? The truth is here: because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me judge together. He claimed a special relationship with God (see 16:32). This special relationship changed the equation. Just as His testimony was not unsupported as the Pharisees had argued, so His judgment will not be in isolation either. All Jesus did and does, will be characterized by being done together with the Father. As the Father has willed, so Jesus has done and will do. Verses 17-18: Jesus then offered a direct challenge to the faith of the Pharisees with the words, in your law. The pronoun choice catches our attention your law, not our law. The expression your law could be read as the law of Moses itself, which would sound like a rejection of the law of Moses. That seems highly unlikely, given emphases in other Gospels and New Testament writers. 2 Another possibility could be an allusion to the oral law of the Pharisees that elevated some oral tradition to the level of authority of the law of Moses itself. Thus, your law could be either the law of Moses as mishandled by the Pharisees or their own special oral traditions considered as authoritative as the law of Moses. Whatever the precise meaning, Jesus clearly was challenging their understanding of Moses teachings. He acknowledged the law s demand for two witnesses (John 8:17), but He then claimed that that was exactly what He was presenting, two witnesses: I am the One who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me. Validity established; case closed. Verse 19: His opponents, however, responded with the retort, Where is Your Father? (8:19). To deny knowing someone s father in an honor/shame society could be heard in certain situations as a slanderous charge of illegitimacy. Another way to understand the question would be that they were thinking in natural terms of an earthly father and were ready to go look for this fellow. They never would be successful if they attempted to mount such a search for His real Father, because Jesus actual Father would not be found in any place they would look. Jesus made the bold charge that they were clueless about His true paternity and residence, You know neither Me nor My Father. He then spoke in another of John s great ironies: If you knew Me, you would also know My Father (8:19). If they really knew God, they would see God in Jesus, and, conversely, if they really saw Jesus, they would know God. 2. Jesus strong affirmation in Matthew 5:17 and Paul s assertion in Romans 3:31 are but two examples. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 35

5 minutes LIVE IT OUT SAY: As the Light of the world, Jesus provides salvation and direction. GUIDE: Lead group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 28 of the PSG. Watch a sunrise. Head outdoors and observe a new day dawning. Take notice of the changes you see in your surroundings, the sky, and your own visibility. Spend time in prayer thanking God for giving us the Light of the world so that we don t have to walk in darkness. Memorize John 8:12. Commit this verse to memory so that you ll have its truth ready when you find yourself in need of God s guidance. Read up on the Christian worldview. Start with Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Invite a friend to read this book with you then discuss what it teaches about following the light and direction of Christ. ENHANCEMENT: Distribute Pack Item #4, John 8:12 Memory Verse Cards, and encourage your group members to commit this passage to memory. Wrap It Up SAY: Career decisions. Life choices. Spur-of-the-moment opportunities. We don t have to be in a pitch black, unfamiliar room to know what it feels like to want clear guidance. Jesus offers us this and much more He offers His unwavering presence. Grow with other group leaders at the Groups Ministry blog (lifeway.com/groupministry). 36 SESSION 2