Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
What does John 8:12 mean?
Christ is the Light of the world. God is light, and Christ is the image of the invisible God.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside John 8:12-14 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on John 8:12
Context in John 8
Show chapter context
John 8 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as conflict and witness. John presents Jesus in contemplative, symbolic, and theological richness as the Word, Lamb, Light, Bread, Shepherd, Resurrection, Way, Vine, and Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of incarnation, life, and light in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
Explore by topic
A guided collection of passages on God’s love, neighbor-love, steadfast covenant love, and the shape of love in Christian life.
Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.