The Tabernacle must have been a pretty dark place. The curtains that were designed and constructed in Exodus 25-40 were made out of thick material and were layered on top of each other. The intent was to protect the contents inside, but it also had the additional effect of limiting the ability to see while working.
The only light in the holy place came from the lampstand. Leviticus 24 says that the lamp is to burn “continually,” then also says that the priests are to keep it going from “evening until morning.” This perpetual illumination symbolizes the continuous presence of God among His people. Furthermore, the priests’ diligent care of the lamp highlights their vital role in maintaining worship and reverence in the holy place. Similarly, the concept of giving, as emphasized with the phrase ‘tithe in leviticus 27:30‘, reinforces the importance of dedicating a portion of one’s resources to God as an act of faith and obedience.
Since Exodus 27:20-21 repeats the “continually” clause for the lamps, it’s thought that the priests were responsible for trimming the lamps and refilling the oil at the beginning and ends of the day. Josephus agrees that the lamps were lit all day and all night—a true “continual” fire.
You don’t need me to tell you how important light is. Without it, you stumble around in your bedroom at night when you’re headed to the bathroom. Without headlights, you drive into oncoming traffic. Baseball games could only be played during the day.
When Jesus says that He is the “light of the world” in John 8:12, He’s standing in the Temple court. At least a few of His listeners would’ve connected His “light” with the light inside the Holy Place. If Jesus wasn’t God, it would’ve been a blasphemous statement, since He’s comparing Himself to a place synonymous with the house of God.
But His statement wasn’t heretical; instead, all He was saying is that, like the light in the Tabernacle, He shows the path to the Holy of Holies. Just as the priests can’t perform their duties without light, the way to God is made evident because of the light that He gives off.
The rest of John 8 reveals this mentality. He tells them that He is “not of this world” (John 8:23) and that He only does the things that are of “His Father” (John 8:38), which is Jehovah. This is what makes the Pharisees angry: Jesus equates Himself as the Gatekeeper to the Father.
The location is noteworthy for another reason. John 8:1 reveals that Jesus was on the Mount of Olives before descending to the Temple. Olive oil is what is used in Leviticus 24 to keep the lamps lit.
Jesus would often retreat to the Mount of Olives during the last week of His life—almost as if He’s using the area to refresh Himself. Remember His prayer to God the night of His betrayal? That was in the Garden of Gethsemane, right on the western slope the Mount of Olives.
The light in the Tabernacle was the only light allowed in the holy place, just like Jesus is the only Light that is allowed to show the way to God. You can’t find mercy at the altar of God—like the adulterous woman did in John 8:2-11—without the light of Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through Him.
