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John 8:12
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10 When Jesus had raised Himself up1 and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers2 of yours? Has no one condemned you?”  
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, a“Neither do I condemn you; go and bsin no more.”  
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, a“I am the light of the world. He who bfollows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”  

Jesus Defends His Self-Witness

13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, a“You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not1 true.”  
14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but ayou do not know where I come from and where I am going.  
15 aYou judge according to the flesh; bI judge no one.  
16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for aI am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  
17 aIt is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  
18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and athe Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”  
19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, a“You know neither Me nor My Father. bIf you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”  
20 These words Jesus spoke in athe treasury, as He taught in the temple; and bno one laid hands on Him, for cHis hour had not yet come.  

Jesus Predicts His Departure

21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and ayou will seek Me, and bwill die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”  
22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
23 And He said to them, a“You are from beneath; I am from above. bYou are of this world; I am not of this world.  
24 aTherefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; bfor if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”  
25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I ahave been saying to you from the beginning.  
26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but aHe who sent Me is true; and bI speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”  
27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you alift up the Son of Man, bthen you will know that I am He, and cthat I do nothing of Myself; but das My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  
29 And aHe who sent Me is with Me. bThe Father has not left Me alone, cfor I always do those things that please Him.”  
30 As He spoke these words, amany believed in Him.  

The Truth Shall Make You Free

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you aabide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  
32 And you shall know the atruth, and bthe truth shall make you free.”  
33 They answered Him, a“We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”  
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, awhoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  
35 And aa slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  
36 aTherefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  

Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s

37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but ayou seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  
38 aI speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have1 seen with your father.”  
39 They answered and said to Him, a“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, b“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.  
40 aBut now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth bwhich I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.  
41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; awe have one Father—God.”  
42 Jesus said to them, a“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for bI proceeded forth and came from God; cnor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  
43 aWhy do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  
44 aYou are of your father the devil, and the bdesires of your father you want to cdo. He was a murderer from the beginning, and ddoes not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 aHe who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”  

Before Abraham Was, I AM

48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and ahave a demon?”  
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and ayou dishonor Me.  
50 And aI do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  
51 Most assuredly, I say to you, aif anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”  
52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ahave a demon! bAbraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’  
53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. aWho do You make Yourself out to be?”  
54 Jesus answered, a“If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. bIt is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is1 your God.  
55 Yet ayou have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and bkeep His word.  
56 Your father Abraham arejoiced to see My day, band he saw it and was glad.”  
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, abefore Abraham was, bI AM.”  
59 Then athey took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, bgoing through the midst of them, and so passed by. 
Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
<< John 8:11   John 8:13 >>


John 8:12

Then spake Jesus again unto them - Allowing the story about the woman taken in adultery to be authentic, and to stand here in its proper place, we may consider that our Lord, having begun to teach the people in the temple, was interrupted by the introduction of this woman by the scribes and Pharisees; and now, having dismissed them and the woman also, he resumes his discourse.

I am the light of the world - The fountain whence an intellectual light and spiritual understanding proceed: without me all is darkness, misery, and death. The Divine Being was, by the rabbins denominated, The light of the world. So in Bamidbar Rabba: "The Israelites said to God, O Lord of the universe, thou commandest us to light lamps to thee, yet thou art The Light of The World: and with thee the light dwelleth." Our Lord, therefore, assumes here a well known character of the Supreme Being; and with this we find the Jews were greatly offended.

Shall not walk in darkness - He shall be saved from ignorance, infidelity, and sin. If he follow me, become my disciple, and believe on my name, he shall have my Spirit to bear witness with his, that he is a child of God. He shall have the light of life - such a light as brings and supports life. The sun, the fountain of light, is also the fountain of life: by his vivifying influences, all things live - neither animal nor vegetative life could exist, were it not for his influence. Jesus, the Sun of righteousness, Malachi 4:2, is the fountain of all spiritual and eternal Life. His light brings life with it, and they who walk in his light live in his life. This sentiment is beautifully expressed and illustrated in the following inimitable verse (all monosyllables except one word) of that second Spenser, Phineas Fletcher. Speaking of the conversion of a soul to God, he says: -

"New Light new Love, new Love new Life hath bred;

A Life that lives by Love, and loves by Light:

A Love to him, to whom all Loves are wed;

A Light, to whom the sun is darkest night:

Eye' s Light, heart' s Love, soul' s only Life he is:

Life, soul, love, heart, Light, eye, and all are his:

He eye, Light, heart, Love, soul; He all my joy and bliss."

Purple Island, Can. I. v. 7.

Some suppose our Lord alludes to the custom of lighting lamps or torches, on the first day of the feast of tabernacles. But as these words seem to have been spoken the day after that last and great day of the feast, mentioned John 7:37, they may rather be considered as referring to the following custom: It has already been observed, that the Jews added a ninth day to this feast, which day they termed, The feast of joy for the law; and on that day they were accustomed to take all the sacred books out of the chest where they had been deposited, and put a lighted candle in their place, in allusion to Proverbs 6:23 : For the commandment is a Lamp (or Candle) and the law is life: or to Psalms 119:105 : Thy word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path. If this custom existed in the time of our Lord, it is most likely that it is to it he here alludes; as it must have happened about the same time in which these words were spoken. See Buxtorf. Synagog. Jud. c. xxi.

As the Messiah was frequently spoken of by the prophets under the emblem of light, see Isaiah 60:1; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 9:2, the Pharisees must at once perceive that he intended to recommend himself to the people as the Messiah, when he said, I am the light of the world.

The rabbins think that the Messiah is intended in Genesis 1:8, And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. "From this we may learn that the holy and blessed God saw the light of the Messiah and his works before the world was created; and reserved it for the Messiah, and his generation, under the throne of his glory. Satan said to the holy and blessed God, For whom dost thou reserve that light which is under the throne of thy glory? God answered: For him who shall subdue thee, and overwhelm thee with confusion. Satan rejoined, Lord of the universe, show that person to me! God said, Come and see him. When he saw him, he was greatly agitated, and fell upon his face, saying, Truly this is the Messiah, who shall cast me and idolaters into hell." Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 6. This is a very remarkable saying; and, as it might have existed in the time of our Lord, to it he might have alluded in the verse before us. The thing itself is true: the Messiah is the light of the world, and by him Satan' s empire of idolatry is destroyed in the world, and the kingdom of light and life established. See several similar testimonies in Schoettgen.




Other Adam Clarke entries containing John 8:12:

John 8:11
John 9:5
John 12:46
Romans 5:10

 

<< John 8:11   John 8:13 >>

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