Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 8:12

"Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." — John 8:12 (ASV)

Precisely at what time during Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem this segment took place, John does not say. It may have been shortly after the close of the Feast of Tabernacles, while Jesus was still in the city. His claim to be the “light” (GK 5890) of the world is the second of the great “I am’s” of Jesus and recalls 1:4–5. Perhaps Jesus drew his illustration from the Menorah that burned during the Feast. Jesus professes to be not only the inexhaustible source of spiritual nourishment, but also the genuine light by which truth and falsehood can be distinguished and by which direction can be – established.