John 8:12

Context

Chapters 7–8 of the Gospel of John record disputes between Jesus and the Jewish crowds, especially the Pharisees, at the Jerusalem temple around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. According to John 8:20, Jesus spoke these words while teaching "in the treasury" of the temple. The verse is one of the seven "I am" sayings (Greek egō eimi) in the Gospel of John. The Pharisees immediately object: "Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true" (8:13). Jesus answers by appealing to the law requiring two witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15), saying that the Father also bears witness of him.

The preceding account of the woman taken in adultery (7:53–8:11) is absent from the oldest manuscripts. For this reason, many scholars hold that this verse originally followed directly after 7:52.

Interpretation

• Christological reading: Christology is the branch of theology concerned with who Jesus is. In the Old Testament, light serves as an image for God ("The LORD is my light," Psalm 27:1). Many commentators understand Jesus to be applying this image to himself and thereby claiming a status equal to God's, and they connect the verse with the "true Light" of John 1.
• Feast of Tabernacles reading: The Mishnah, a body of early Jewish tradition, reports that great lamps were lit in the temple's Court of the Women during the Feast of Tabernacles. Because the treasury was located in this court, a widely known interpretation holds that Jesus proclaimed himself the true light against the backdrop of those lamps.
• Exodus reading: This reading hears in the phrase "he that followeth me" an allusion to the pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness by night (Exodus 13:21).
• Discipleship reading: This reading takes "follow" and "walk" to describe an ongoing way of life rather than a single decision. Drawing also on Matthew 5:14, "Ye are the light of the world," it is sometimes taken to mean that believers shine into the world the light they have received from Christ.

Questions of Application

There is no significant controversy among denominations over this verse. There has, however, been discussion of whether "the light of the world" shines on all people, or whether it becomes the light of life only for those who follow Christ ("he that followeth me").

• The Quakers have emphasized the "Inner Light" present in every person, on the basis of the light that "lighteth every man" in John 1:9.
• Many Protestant traditions hold that although the light shines on the whole world, it is those who follow Christ who receive the light of life.

In addition, because this verse declares Jesus to be the one light of the world, it is frequently cited in debates over religious pluralism.

In the Korean Church

The verse is often used as a sermon text during Christmas and Advent. In some churches it is also read during the candle-lighting portion of candlelight services.

Related Passages

• John 1:4–9
• John 9:5
• Isaiah 9:2
• Matthew 5:14
• Revelation 21:23