Today’s Scripture:
“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.’” — John 8:12 (ESV)
Reflection
Today’s passage has two parts: the first is the adulterous woman, and the second is about Jesus’s witness. The Pharisees bring an adulterous woman to Jesus, and try to use the law that was given to Moses against her, but Jesus says for the person who has committed no sins to strike her first. When he looks up from writing on the ground, he sees that she was left alone, and tells her to go and sin no more, for Jesus does not judge her as well. Next, Jesus speaks that he is the light of the world, and that those who follow him also walk in the light of life. The Pharisees say that Jesus only had his own testimony, and that it is false, but Jesus says that his testimony is true, and he knows where he is from and where he is going. They judge according to the flesh, but Jesus judges no one (also referring to the first part). Jesus also hints at his second coming, when he will come to judge the world, but his judgment is not just his own, but the judgment of both the Father and the Son. Jesus then uses the law against the Pharisees, saying that he bears witness about himself, and the Father bears witness about him as well. He says that they know neither him nor the Father, and if they knew him, then they would know the Father as well.
I love the first story about Jesus and the adulterous woman, because it always humbles me. Whenever I think of the bad things that others do, I always feel a sense of pride, but that pride is quickly diminished when I think that the Pharisees could not stone her, and that Jesus also forgave the woman. At this time and still today, Jesus forgives, and he advocates for us when we repent. Yet, there will be a day when the door of Jesus’s mercy closes, and judgment will come. I also love the humility of the woman who did wrong because she knew she did wrong, and she stood in front of him without excuses. It is human nature to think of excuses whenever we do wrong, like blaming it on another person or lying, but when we stand in front of God on judgment day, I really hope this isn’t our first instinct, because God knows all things. This is a great way to live life: knowing that God is watching everything, and he knows the wrongs and sins we do, and that we should never make excuses for things. Just admit the sins and repent, for God forgives.
The second part of this passage should give us assurance of Jesus’s testimony. We can judge and discern by our own minds that Jesus is real, and that his story is true, but we also see that both the Father and the Son bear witness to Jesus. This fulfills the Old Testament principle that the testimony of two witnesses is true, and Jesus wins the theological argument again. We see through these two passages that Jesus knows the Scripture better than the Pharisees do, and that Jesus has the authority to judge and forgive.