I Am the Light of the World
12 1Again Jesus spoke to them, saying,
2"I am the light of the world. Whoever 3follows me will not 4walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
13
So the Pharisees said to him,
5"You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true."
14
Jesus answered,
"Even if I do bear witness about myself, 6my testimony is true, for I know 7where I came from and 8where I am going, but 9you do not know where I come from or where I am going.
15
10You judge according to the flesh; 11I judge no one.
16
Yet even if I do judge, 12my judgment is true, for 13it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.
17
14In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true.
18
I am the one who bears witness about myself, and 15the Father who sent me bears witness about me."
19
They said to him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered,
16"You know neither me nor my Father. 17If you knew me, you would know my Father also."
20
These words he spoke in
18the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but
19no one arrested him, because
20his hour had not yet come.
21
So he said to them again,
21"I am going away, and 22you will seek me, and 23you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come."
22
So the Jews said,
24"Will he kill himself, since he says,
'Where I am going, you cannot come'?"
23
He said to them,
25"You are from below; I am from above. 26You are of this world; 27I am not of this world.
24
I told you that you 28would die in your sins, for 29unless you believe that 30I am he you will die in your sins."
25
So they said to him,
31"Who are you?" Jesus said to them,
"Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.
26
I have much to say about you and much to judge, but 32he who sent me is true, and I declare 33to the world 34what I have heard from him."
27
They did not understand that
35he had been speaking to them about the Father.
28
So Jesus said to them,
"When you have 36lifted up the Son of Man, 37then you will know that 38I am he, and that 39I do nothing on my own authority, but 40speak just as the Father taught me.
29
And 41he who sent me is with me. 42He has not left me alone, for 43I always do the things that are pleasing to him."
30
As he was saying these things,
44many believed in him.
The Truth Will Set You Free
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him,
45"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32
and you will 46know the truth, and the truth 47will set you free."
33
They answered him,
48"We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?"
34
Jesus answered them,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, 49everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
35
50The slave does not remain in the house forever; 51the son remains forever.
36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
37
I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet 52you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
38
53I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard 54from your father."