John

Check out all the previous John readings here.

John Reading Plan | Week 13, Day 2

Prayer

Give your soul a moment of silence to align with your body. Express gratitude to God for the opportunity to be with Him and invite Him to meet you at this time.

Bible Reading: John 8:12-20

Read these verses three times slowly.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Reflection & Questions

Very clearly, Jesus is ratcheting up his claims in our verses this week, and it is making the Pharisees angry. Today, Jesus claims “I am the light of the world” and “if you knew me, you would know my Father also.” They aren’t too happy about all this.

But for us, this is a message of great news. This world is a place of darkness. Not only are people’s deeds dark, but answers to the fundamental questions of life seem to be hard to come by. Ask anyone on the street, “what is the meaning of life?” and you will get a hundred different answers. Ask, “what happens after death?” and there won’t be much agreement. The world walks in darkness, without truth, without knowledge and without Jesus.

But if we follow Jesus, He tells us, we “will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” We know the truth because He is the truth. We know the Father, because we know Jesus. We see the brokenness of this world, but it doesn’t confuse us because Jesus has revealed to us the reason (sin) and the redemption that is found only in Him. For the followers of Jesus, there is no need to walk in darkness anymore, no need to speculate. We are children of the Light and we know the Truth.

1. What word or phrase sticks out to you from these verses? Why?
2. Do you remember what it was like to “walk in darkness” before coming to Jesus? How has being in the Light made a difference for you?

Prayer

Talk to God in response to today’s reading.

Worship Song

You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:

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Questions?