Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Dial In - John 8:12-30 (Ep. 23)

Episode Date: April 29, 2020

Dial In is a devotional series with the intention of helping followers of Christ understand God’s word and love Him more. Jonny seeks to communicate the profound depth of scripture in a digestible and condensed format each weekday. The goal of the podcast is that our “minds would be renewed” as we behold who God is in His word. In this series, Jonny is walking sequentially through the Gospel of John.In this episode, Jonny covers John 8:12-30 where Jesus proclaims that He is the light of the word. One of the seven “I am statements in John’s gospel. There is much contextual significance to this proclamation.Jesus is the only guide to the father and He is the only one that can illuminate the darkness of our souls. Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artivanis and this is Dial In. Today we're in John chapter 8 verses 12 through 30. These are the words of God. Let's view them as such in Dial In. John chapter 8 verses 12 through 30. Again, Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, saying, So the Pharisee said to him, Jesus answered, 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 he said to them again, So the Jews said, So they said to him, 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, Jesus said to them, They did not understand that he was 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 of 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. As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Now in this passage, Jesus gives one of his seven I am statements. And it's so profound and so important. And in order to understand the depth of what he says when Jesus proclaims that he is the light of the world, we need to visit the Old Testament. Now the Jews would have been very, very familiar with the messianic promises that come through the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah

42, there is a prophecy regarding the coming Messiah, where the father speaks of his coming servant. In verse one, it says, behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, and whom my soul delights, I have put my spirit upon him, and he will bring forth justice to the nations. So this is a prophecy regarding the Messiah and he's coming. And then in verse five of Isaiah 42, it says, thus says God, the Lord who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it. I am the Lord. I have called you in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and keep you. And I will give you as a covenant for the people. Listen here, a light for the nations to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison, those who sit in darkness. The Old Testament is clear. The Messiah would be the light of the world. And when Jesus says in verse 12, I am the light of the world, he is making a claim to be the prophesied Messiah. John even begins his gospel with a reference to this reality. It says in chapter 1 that in him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. This was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man. So at the beginning of John's gospel, he identifies the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the light and the life. So when Jesus says this to this group of people in verse 12, this is an obvious claim to his deity, and they

know that. Jesus doesn't say he is a light of Jerusalem or a light of Israel. He says he is the light of the world. This is exclusive so that when Jesus says he is the light, it means that there is no other light apart from him. Now there is so much more happening than the statement itself when Jesus says that he is the light of the world. Like we saw in chapter seven, when Jesus says that he is living water, he says that during a ritual, remembering that God provided water in the wilderness. And as the priest was going to pour that water out on the altar, perhaps, Jesus cries out, if anyone thirsts, all those who are thirsty,

come to me, come to me. The context is beautiful. And we see the same thing here in chapter eight. Now, what's the context of this I am statement? Well, let's look at verse 20. It says that these words Jesus spoke to them while he was in the treasury. That's in the temple court. Now what's the significance of this? The treasury is where thousands upon thousands of people are coming to give their

offerings, whether for general purposes or to purchase something to make a sacrifice. This is the most condensed, packed area of the temple. Keep this in mind. This is where everyone is at. Now remember here, we are at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, where they are remembering how God provided for them in the wilderness, but not only provided for them, how he led them for 40 years. And how did God lead them during that time? How did he guide them? He led them by a pillar of fire, a pillar of light. So to remember that time at the Feast of Tabernacles, the people would be jam-packed in the temple courtyard, in this treasury area, and candles would be burning everywhere. They would light these candles at dusk every night and they

would burn all night till morning because this would be the launching pad to communicate to younger generations how God had led his people and guided his people with his own light. Imagine this with me. Visualize this with me. We don't know whether this happened at night or during the day, but I just think about this happening at night where candles are lit all across the temple courtyard and Jesus cries out, I am the light of the world. If you follow me, the light will never be extinguished. You will never walk in darkness. I will lead you. I will guide you to my Father. I am not here merely to be appreciated or admired. I am to be followed because I am the light of the world.

Stunned faces in the crowd and in the temple courtyard in this treasury area would have turned their focus from the ritual at hand to the one who says, I am the light of the world, ego and me. This is a dramatic and stunning way for Jesus to turn this ritual towards him and say that he is the only one that can guide this world out of darkness. I am the only way, he says, to illuminate your ignorance. I am the one who can purvey the darkness of your soul and give you light. I am the light that can give you joy and dispel the darkness of your sorrow and sadness. I am the light that can give you purity in a world of impurity. Jesus says that he is the light of the world and captivates the people with this proclamation

of his own deity. He is the only light and he is the only way to the Father. I'll conclude with this. The psalmist says, The Lord is my light and my salvation. Jesus is the only light and the only one that can dispel the darkness inside your soul and the rest of a dying world that desperately needs the light and life of Jesus Christ Stay dialed in