John 8

Go Deep

I AM the Light of the World (John 8)

Read John 7 and 8. What is going on in this text? Why do you think John chose to record this interaction, when he left so much unwritten (Jn. 20:30-31)? What was his purpose in sharing this?

What is the setting of this teaching and conversation (John 7:2)? What is significant about the context?

Is there any evidence that some people in the crowd were for Jesus? Is there evidence that some people were against Jesus?

In chapter 7, the crowd is mentioned eight times, in chapter 8 it is not mentioned at all. Is this significant? Why or why not?

What reasons did people cite for being against Jesus? What reasons did those who were for him give?

Read John 7:27. Do you think Jesus is being ironic in his response in verse 28? Why or why not?

When Jesus invited people to come to him and drink (John 7:37), just what did that invitation entail and how does one go about accepting it now?

Who is the “Prophet” to who people refer in verse 40? (see Deut. 18:15-19).

Read John 8:12, then read John 1:4, 5; 3:19; 9:5; 12:35-36, 46. In what sense is Jesus a light? 

Jesus says that whoever follows him will never walk in darkness. What does it mean to follow him?

What does it mean to walk in darkness? Can you give some examples?

What is the light of life? (Compare with John 1:4.) How does the light of life shine?

Is there a sense in which Jesus’s followers are also the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16)? If so, in what sense?

Are there any steps can we take to apply the Jesus’s teaching here?