Have you ever been on a tour of a cave or an underground mine shaft. Usually there is a time when the tour guide decides to have a bit of fun and turn out the lights. We are not people who are very familiar with complete darkness. When we step outside at night there is usually the glow of light pollution lighting up the sky. Or we can look up and see the moon and stars shining down on us. Most of the time we do not have any idea what real, complete darkness is like. So when the tour guide turns out the lights, we really do get a sense of how oppressive utter darkness really is. This is as true of spiritual darkness as it is of physical darkness. But Jesus says he is light of the world. Let’s have a look.
Scripture: John 8:12-20 (ESV)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
Now when Jesus says He is the light of the world, what does he mean? He means that he is the ultimate source of spiritual light. He is the ultimate guide to spiritual reality. Just as physical light chases away the oppressiveness of darkness and shows us where to go, so too Jesus shines in the darkness that the world was under at this time. Remember how John started his gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5, ESV). The point John was making in chapter 1 is that the world is under spiritual oppression. It is spiritually dark. But now the true light had come.
The Pharisees however aren't convinced. They are still stuck in spiritual darkness and so they tell Jesus "Say whatever you want, your testimony is invalid, because you are just speaking for yourself." They are stuck in the darkness that does not receive the light of Christ. This is a direct challenge for us. Because, as much as we like to think we have got things spiritually sorted, we don't. We can be just like the Pharisees, thinking that we have all the answers, all the while stumbling around in the darkness. This reminds me of the scene at the end of C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle, where the dwarves sit huddled together. They have their eyes shut tight, they are convinced they are trapped in a dark stable. Actually they are in a beautiful new world but they refuse to look at it. They are so blinded by the "rightness of their understanding", that they can't see what is right in front of them.
We can be like that too. We need the light of Christ to show us the way. One of the great things about our faith is that Jesus doesn't just show us the way, he actually is the way. He not only shows us the path, he lays down his life and becomes the path back to the Father.
All that is left for us to do is to trust him and walk the path he laid out for us.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, we admit that often we live our lives as if we are stumbling around in the darkness. But you have come to be our light and our path. Open our eyes to help us to see you clearly. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge
Today think of some area in your life where you have been relying only on your own strength, wisdom or knowledge. In prayer ask the Lord to illuminate the situation for your with his wisdom. Then wait and see if your perspective shifts.
How is Jesus the light of the world?