"Jesus is the Light of the World" (John 8): No unncessary details

John 8:12-30 places Jesus in the middle of a conversation about God, light and getting on the right track toward God. And for the most part, we are not told too many details about Jesus' environment. But smack dab in the middle of the conversation, John 8:20 tells us that Jesus happens to be standing in the Temple where the offerings are collected. If read carefully, this verse brings the passage into a brand new light.

There is no place in the Temple called "The Offering Place." That place is called the sanctuary, and is about a lot more than giving offerings. It is the place where prayers are symbolized by incense, sacrifices are made and blessings given. And in a world where God has a physical residence, the sanctuary is the closest proximity to God most people would ever get. It was also a place of teaching and learning, as Jesus is doing here.

But in John, this place is called the place where offerings are collected, by far the least meaningful element of that spot in the Temple. Why would John say this?

Let's first consider John in a greater context than the disciples and the story. Let's think about the original readers of John. John was written, at the earliest, in the 70's AD. This is right on the heels of the Roman invasion of Jerusalem, in which the Temple was razed to the ground and Judaism (as it had been practiced for a thousand years) was over. What a traumatic moment! Even the Christians, many of whom worshiped in Jerusalem at the Temple, experienced some significant loss when the Temple was torn down.

John, however, designates that encountering God does not primarily take place at the Temple anymore. It takes place at the feet of Jesus. The Temple in Jerusalem was considered by many to be the light of the world. Jesus calls Himself the light of the world. And so now the encounter with God takes place wherever Jesus is.

By the Holy Spirit, you and I are connected to Christ at all times. This is why we can be described as a Temple of the Holy Spirit. And so the opportunity is always there is to connect, to grow, and to live in the light of the world.