John 8:12

I am. [The Light of the World, John 8:12-30.] See on chs. 1:4-9; 6:20.

Light of the world. As Jesus’ statement concerning the living water (eh. 7:37, 38) had reference to the water-libation ceremony of the Feast of Tabernacles, so His statement declaring Himself to be the light of the world was doubtless connected with the ceremony of lights. This ceremony is described in the Mishnah as follows: “At the conclusion of the first Festival day of Tabernacles they descended to the Court of the Women where they had made a great enactment [a special women’s gallery]. There were there golden candlesticks with four golden bowls on the top of each of them and four ladders [according to the Talmud the candlesticks were fifty cubits high] to each, and four youths drawn from the priestly stock in whose hands were held jars of oil containing one hundred and twenty log which they poured into the bowls.

“From the wom-out drawers and girdles of the priests they made wicks and with them they kindled the lamps; and there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illumined by the light of the place of the water-drawing.

“Men of piety and good deeds used to dance before them with lighted torches in their hands, and sing songs and praises. And Levites without number with harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets and other musical instalments were there upon the fifteen steps leading down from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of the Women, corresponding to the Fifteen Songs of Ascents in the Psalms [Ps. 120-134], It was upon these that the Levites stood with their instruments of music and sang their songs” (Sukkah 5. 2-4, Soncino ed. of the Talmud, pp. 242, 243; cf. DA 463).

For the significance of Jesus as “the true Light” see on ch. 1:4; cf. DA 464, 465.

In darkness. In one of their commentaries on the book of Exodus the Jews represent the words of the Torah (Law) as illuminating the one who engaged in their study. Concerning the one not engaged in their study or ignorant of them the comment says:

“He stumbles against a stone; he then strikes a gutter, falls into it, and knocks his face on the ground — and all because he has no lamp in his hand. It is the same with the ordinary individual who has no Torah in him; he strikes against sin, stumbles, and dies” (Midrash Rabbah, on Ex. 27:20, Soncino ed., p. 439).

The Jews had One standing in their midst who was greater than the Torah, for He Himself had given them the Torah. He was the source of the light in the Torah (see PP 366). But the rabbis had so obscured that light with their traditions that he who attempted to walk in the light of the Torah as interpreted by the rabbis was in reality walking in darkness.

Light of life. This phrase may be interpreted as the light that is life, or that gives life, or that has its source in life. Not only is Jesus the light; He is also the life (chs. 1 1 :25; 14:6; see on ch. 1 :4). He that receives Him receives life: “He that hath the Son hath life” (1 John 5:12). In Jesus is “life, original, unborrowed, underived” (DA 530). He came to this earth that men “might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). “God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).