Day 973: Truth greater than treasure - John 8 vs 12 - 20

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 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. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father (He) who sent me.

17-18 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.” 19 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.” 20 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. John 8:12-20 English Standard Version

I've noted before that the writer of this gospel, John, often adds a little detail which suggests that he was an eye witness to the events he describes. What's the little detail we see in vs 20?

Just as we may often recall an exact time and place we had an important conversation with someone, so John tells us that this incident took place in 'the treasury'. Scholars say this was an area of the temple where there were thirteen trumpet shaped chests into which people put voluntary contributions. It was also an area where women were permitted, so it was a very public place. This may explain why John adds that, even though it was such a public place, “no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come.”

We don't know if the conversation in vs 12-19 immediately followed the incident of the woman who'd been caught in adultery, and brought before Jesus by the Jewish leaders to hear what His judgment would be, but there does seem to be a connection in vs 15-16. They wanted to know who gave Jesus the right to make judgments – either of condemnation or forgiveness. Jesus replies that He had not come to be a judge. But what did He then say about their way of judging others? (vs 15)

Perhaps the implication of those words is that their judgments were limited because they were flesh and blood. They, unlike God, didn’t know the hearts of people. They also measured others by themselves rather than the deeper implications of God's word. Their judgments would therefore often be superficial and misguided. As Jesus put it in another place, we as people are often quick to “see the speck that is in our brother's eye, but don't notice the log that is in our own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

But it was the way Jesus linked His approach to judgment to the Father who sent Him that really irked the leaders! Jesus told them that whatever things He said, and claims He made, were backed up by the Father. He had just made one such staggering claim by saying “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” They immediately responded by asking “where is your father?” That was much the same as asking “Who is this father you are talking about?” How did Jesus answer them? (vs 19)

“If you knew Me you would know my Father.” The reason why Jesus could claim to be the light of the world which can lead men and women out of their darkness, was because He had come to show us the Father. That's how John started this gospel. Speaking of Jesus, he said: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” (John 1:1-14)

That's the wonderful truth which is greater than any treasure on earth. If we take to heart the words Jesus said, we will find light that leads us out of this world's dark ways. We will know the Father, and we will know the great love with which the Father has loved the world by sending His Son, not to judge, but to save.