Sermon Tone Analysis

”Again Jesus spoke to [the Jewish leaders], saying, ‘I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’

So the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.’

Jesus answered, ‘Even if I do bear witness about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.

In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true.

I am the one who bears witness about Myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about Me.’

They said to him therefore, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither Me nor My Father.

If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.’

These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come.

“So He said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin.

Where I am going, you cannot come.’

So the Jews said, ‘Will he kill himself, since he says, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’

He said to them, ‘You are from below; I am from above.

You are of this world; I am not of this world.

I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.’

So they said to Him, ‘Who are you?’

Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.

I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent Me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him.’

They did not understand that He had been speaking to them about the Father.

So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own authority, but speak just as the Father taught Me.

And He who sent Me is with Me.

He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.’”[1]

"I am the Light of the world.”

This is the second of seven great “I Am” sayings that are recorded in John’s Gospel.

With these sayings, Jesus described His Person and His Mission.

The other sayings are: “I am the Bread of Life” [*John 6:35*]; “I am the Door” [*John 10:9*]; “I am the Good Shepherd” [*John 10:11, 14*]; “I am the Resurrection and the Life” [*John 11:25*]; “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” [*John 14:6*]; and “I am the True Vine” [*John 15:1, 5*].

With these well-known words that are recorded in our text, Jesus our Lord identified a glorious aspect of His presence with His people.

This statement discriminates, distinguishes between those who are saved and those who are lost—the former walking in light, and the latter living in darkness.

The saying in our text challenges each Christian to ask whether the Master’s light illuminates his or her life.

That question is the focus of the message for this day.

Each of us who name the Name of Christ Jesus the Lord should ask what those who were present when Jesus made this announcement heard.

If we understand what they heard, we will have a very good idea of the importance of His words for our own lives.

Join me in exploring the incident that occurred one year when Jesus injected fresh new meaning into the Feast of Booths.

*The Background to Jesus’ Announcement* — Reading the Bible in the original language as compared to reading contemporary English translations, is a bit like watching High Definition television compared to watching black and white television.

The same pictures are displayed, but one is vivid and bright, and details that might otherwise escape the viewer are brought into sharp focus.

This is true of little details that are evident in the Greek text of the Bible.

For instance, our text begins with an adverb and a conjunction that is not evident in most English translations.

The English text begins the verse with “so,” or “then,” or “again,” to indicate continuity—but continuity to what?

The Master’s words are a continuation of the 7th chapter of the Book.

It is generally conceded by scholars who have carefully studied the original manuscripts that the passage telling of the woman taken in adultery has been misplaced in our text.

*John 7:53* to *8:11* is a pericope that in all probability was not included in the original account that John drafted.

The account does relate an actual event that occurred during Jesus’ ministry, but John likely did not include the account in the original draft of this Gospel.

If he did include it, we may be assured from a variety of indications that it was not at this precise place.

In the oldest manuscripts it is absent; in other manuscripts it is located in one of three different places in the Gospel; in many manuscripts is it included with an asterisk to indicate that the scribe understood that it was not meant to occur there; and in at least one ancient manuscript, it is included in Luke’s Gospel.[2]

This information leads to the conclusion that the incident before us—our text today—occurs immediately following the account of Jesus’ interaction with religious leaders that is recorded in chapter seven.

The chapters record events that occurred during the Feast of Booths [*John 7:2*] about five months before His Crucifixion.

Jesus’ brothers had attempted to coerce Him into revealing Himself at the Feast.

John reveals that His brothers did not believe in Him [*John 7:5*].

However, Jesus remained at home until after His brothers had left [*John 7:3-10*].

There was a plot afoot to kill Him [*John 7:1*], and His Name was bruited about by all the people gathered in Jerusalem [*John 7:11-13*].

Then, as now, there was a healthy fear of consequences if one spoke favourably about the Master.

So, people spoke privately, with friends, avoiding open discussion of Him lest those opposed to Him and His teaching should take umbrage at what was said, or lest those who hated Him misinterpreted what was said.

Even those who were perhaps opposed to His ministry were somewhat at risk of being cast as His supporters, so the impact was that everyone present avoided speaking of Him openly.

Things really haven’t changed all that much in the centuries that have intervened since that day.

It was the last day of the Feast that Jesus entered the Temple and began to teach.

He was seated in the Treasury [*John 8:20*] which was located in the Women’s Court.

The Women’s Court was so named because a woman could not go beyond this court unless she were actually about to offer sacrifice on the altar, which was in the Court of the Priests.

Around the Women’s Court was a colonnade, or a porch.

In that colonnade were thirteen treasure chests into which people dropped their offerings.

They were called “The Trumpets” because they were shaped like trumpets, or a shophar—narrow at the top and growing wider as they moved toward the foot.[3]

Each chest was designated to hold specific offerings.

The first two were reserved for the half shekels which were required of every Jew to pay for the upkeep of the Temple.

The third and fourth chests received funds designated for the purchase of the two pigeons required of a woman for her purification after the birth of a child [see *Leviticus 12:8*].

Giving for this reason was considered a good deed, especially since it provided necessary means for the poor to meet the obligations of worship.

The fifth chest was designated to receive gifts to pay for the wood needed to keep the altar fires burning, another pious deed.

The sixth chest was for offerings designated to pay for incense which was used for Temple services, which was yet again an act of generosity and counted as a good deed.

The seventh chest was for contributions for the upkeep of the golden vessels used at the Temple services.

The remaining six chests received any extra gifts that people might offer after paying for a trespass offering or a thank offering.[4]

Save for the first two chests, each Trumpet represented encouragement to generosity and joyful worship.

From the information provided, it should be obvious that the Treasury was a busy place.

Almost every worshipper would be present in the Treasury at some point during their visit to the Temple.

The Treasury was, consequently, an ideal place for the Master to gather an audience so He could provide instruction.

What makes the incident in our text doubly impressive is that it occurred during the Feast of Booths [see *Leviticus 23:34-44*; *Deuteronomy 16:13-17*], one of three holy days when every Jewish male was required to present himself before the Lord in Jerusalem.[5]

During the eight days of this festival, two daily ceremonies were performed—one ceremony consisting of drawing water from the Pool of Siloam and the other surrounding the lighting of massive lights in the Treasury area.

During the water ceremony each morning, the priests formed a procession to the pool of Siloam where they drew water in golden pitchers.

Carrying the water to the Temple area, they would pour the water upon the Altar of Sacrifice.

As they did this, many of those accompanying the priests would sing and chant.

One verse sung was *Isaiah 12:3*: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

Another portion of the Word that was sung was *Psalm 114:7, 8*.

“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

who turns the rock into a pool of water,

the flint into a spring of water.”

From the verses sung, it is obvious that the ceremony was designed primarily as a reminder of God’s provision for His people, and in particular it recalled the way in which God provided water for His people during the wilderness wanderings.

Earlier that day, probably during a high point in the water ceremony, Jesus had interrupted the festivities when He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” [*John 7:37, 38*].

The Master’s act and His words were abrupt and undoubtedly disruptive for those attached to ritual rather than the teaching of the Word.

Underscore in your mind that the water ceremony, acted out in memory of God’s provision of water from the rock when Israel had marched through the wilderness, was at the same time a vivid act of praise to God for the gift of water and a living prayer for rain.

A second ceremony during the Feast of Booths is the background of the immediate text.

Situated in the Women’s Court were four large stands that each held four golden bowls.

The bowls could only be accessed by ladders.

These sixteen golden bowls were filled with oil and used undergarments from the priests served as wicks, making for large lamps that were lit at night.

The rabbis said that when the lamps were lit at night, all Jerusalem was illuminated.

During the lighting ceremony, choirs of Levites sang and “men of piety and good works” danced in the streets, carrying torches and singing hymns.[6]

Remember, the ancient city did not have streetlights such as almost every modern city enjoys; thus, the lamps reflecting from Jerusalem’s yellow limestone walls must have been spectacular to the people present during the festival.

It is probable that the lamps were already lit and the people were celebrating in the light given by the massive lamps, when taking His stand beneath these immense accoutrements, Jesus again disrupted the celebrations and declared that He is the only true light—not only in Jerusalem, but for the entire world!

“I am the Light of the world.

Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”