“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus was the light of the world at the beginning as He will be at the end. “And God said, ‘Let there be light…” Genesis

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”  Revelation

Jesus is the light from beginning to end and beyond into eternity.

Jesus tells us that while He was walking on this earth, He was the light of the world. He no longer walks on the earth as a human man. When He left earth He promised His disciples He would send them the Holy Spirit. When we have the Holy Spirit living in us, we are the light of the world.

There seems to be a contradiction in John 8:15-16 when Jesus says, "I pass judgment on no one.  But if I do judge, my decisions are right."

In reality, people pass judgment on themselves by whether or not they believe in Jesus. Jesus sends no one to hell.  People send themselves. What Jesus judges would be the level of rewards in heaven for believers and degrees of punishment in hell for the unbelievers.

Jesus addresses spiritual freedom in John 8:31-38, "...everyone who sins is a slave to sin."  and "...if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Even in the secular society of that day, a man who is a slave can be set free by the son of the master. This comparison was extremely clear to those people Jesus was addressing.   And yet Jesus said to them, "Why is my language not clear to you?"

Jesus had no problem telling the Jewish religious leaders the way things really were with them. He rebuked them openly, even saying to them that they belong to their father, Satan.
“When he lies, he speaks his native language.”

“…before Abraham was born, I am!” Jesus establishes Himself as the Divinity. He has no past tense, no future tense, but always the present.  Jesus is the “I AM” of the Old Testament. Jesus is not the “I was” or the “I will be”. He is the “I AM!” And always will be! 

Jesus heals the blind man but notice the man doesn’t believe in Jesus at first. In fact he seems to not really know who Jesus is.  His neighbors saw him first and inquired as to how his eyes were opened. He just answered back that a man named Jesus told him what to do.  Then he is brought before the Pharisees (perhaps that sect of the Sanhedrin) on charges of violating the Sabbath law by washing his eyes or to find out more condemning information on Jesus making the mud and placing it on the man's eyes.  The formerly blind man's answer to their questions of who opened his eyes was that the man must have been a prophet.  When he is questioned by the Jews he is beginning to believe. “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” The Jews threw him out of the synagogue. They not only threw him out of the building, but by implication, excommunicated him. When Jesus finds the man he asks if he believes. This is the first time the man has actually seen Jesus. When Jesus healed him, the man had to go to the pool to wash before his sight was restored. The man’s response to Jesus’ question, “Lord, I believe.” Not only did Jesus open the man’s physical eyes, but He opened his “eyes” of understanding as well.

“…the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.” Only through Jesus is salvation. He makes it pretty plain!  There is NO other way, pathway, or religion to God but through Jesus.

“The watchman opens the gate for him…” God, the Father, is the watchman.

“…He calls his own sheep by name…” He knows us and calls us by name.

“…his sheep follow him because they know his voice…” We know Him and know His voice and follow Him. If we really know Him, we will be able to recognize false teachers and false teaching.

Jesus identifies himself as the gate. He tells us that He has come that we might have life abundant. That doesn’t just mean everlasting life. He has come so that we may have an abundant life here on this earth, not necessarily physically speaking but certainly spiritually speaking.

“…but I lay it down of my own accord…”
Jesus willingly allowed himself to be arrested and crucified. Are all of us as Believers in Jesus willing to lay down our own lives in service to Him?