Jesus: The Light of the World

I. Who Turned Out the Lights?

I can remember quite vividly the first time I visited Abby’s hometown, which is two hours from here in a very rural part of southern Iowa. The second or third day I was there turned out to be a crisp and clear November afternoon. There was not a cloud in the sky as the sunset and so Abby suggested that we go out into the country (we weren’t in the country already?) and look at the stars. I thought it was a bit old fashioned, but I agreed and when the sun had fully set, that’s what we did. Much to my surprise, the sky was completely different than I’d ever seen it before. The stars were so bright and the haze of the Milky Way could actually be seen. I was awestruck by the beauty and majesty of it all. I had never seen such a thing because for the first 23 years of my life, I had lived in cities or close enough to cities that the light generated by them robbed the night sky of its true beauty. The lack of darkness actually made seeing the stars more difficult.

Now, we talked last week about how our diets differ from those of the people who lived during Jesus’ time. I want us to consider those people again, but not concerning the issue of food. Rather, think about darkness in the first century. This would be before the invention of electricity. This would be during a time when wax candles or oil lanterns were hard to come by for the common person. Thus, when the sun went down, people stayed close to home. The darkness of the ancient night might help you see the stars better, but if you in an unfamiliar place, the darkness would be very dangerous. And so, it is not surprising that many people in those cultures worshipped the sun and the moon and the stars. These luminous bodies prepared the way for people to see (at least minimally) in the dark. Yet this was not the custom or practice of the Jewish people. They understood the concept and source of light in an entirely different fashion.

II. The Old Testament Idea of Light

Like the concept of “the Word of God,” John borrows another metaphor in Genesis to describe Jesus in his Gospel: light. The very first word from God concerning the creation was, “Let there be light.” This light is some sort of supernatural emendation coming from God Himself, because the sun has not even been created yet. Nonetheless, God’s command brings forth a light that would deliver clarity and brilliance to the following steps.

Also, God showed Himself to Moses in the form of a fire in the burning bush. Moses took notice of God’s presence by the light that this fire gave off. He was utterly astonished to see this bush aflame, yet without being consumed by the fire. The revelation which God gave to Moses because of this incident was the substance of what we discussed two weeks ago: His name (YHWH). See also Ezekiel 1:27-28 and Daniel 7:9.

Another example of light in the OT is the pillar of fire which led Israel through the wilderness by night. Imagine the deserts of the Middle East at night. I had never known darkness until I came to Iowa and went into the country on a clear night. You can see the stars so clearly and brightly and at certain times of the year, you can see the Milky Way. While this is beautiful, it is also scary because the darkness just swallows everything around it. It makes you feel very small and very vulnerable. Imagine how this must have been thousands of years ago! But the LORD becomes a pillar of fire by night to guide the people of Israel through the desert lands.

Yet another example of the LORD’s presence being equated with light is the Shekinah glory that descended upon the Temple at its consecration. This “glory” signified that the LORD was in the midst of his people. The blessings and acceptance of the LORD were assured by the fact that his glory was with Israel at the Temple. As these various forms of “light” entered creation to illuminate the work that followed, as it led Israel through the wilderness, and as it dwelt in the Temple, this light represent the fact that God was with His people. From this point forward, it is not uncommon to see the idea of light being close by the person of God. For example, Daniel says “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him” (Daniel 2:20-22). The idea of God’s being and God’s work is woven together by the idea of light. One author has put it in an accurate and succinct aphorism, “Light is Yahweh in action.”

III. The Context of the Saying

This saying has less immediate context than any other ‘I AM’ saying in John’s Gospel. Jesus just says this phrase and the Pharisees challenge Him on the issue of testimony. However, Jesus as the light has a great deal of witness both in this Gospel and in the broader NT.

This passage connects seamlessly with 7:52 where Jesus was at the Feast of Tabernacles and claiming that he could provide the living water that the Jews were looking for. This saying comes in the context of a ritual of purification which included a great deal of water as a sacramental element. In 8:12, Jesus again turns to the people and identifies himself with the light of the world.

In John, we see this idea crop up a few significant times before the I AM statement appears here on Jesus’ lips:

John 1:4-5, 9 – In the Word was life and this life was manifested by light (Gen. 1). The light is the revelation of the Son of God which people may receive in faith and be saved or reject, remain in the darkness, and be condemned.

John 3:19-21 – In a very practical application of the said fact, Jesus tells Nicodemus this very thing. He (the light) has come into the world and His incarnation is an act of judgment because He is rejected (by and large) by those who should know best who He is. Being that Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night (in 1^st c. Palestine), the themes of light and darkness would have heightened affect.

The timing of this saying is not surprising because after the water portion of this liturgy, four great lamps would have been lit at the corners of the courtyard as the celebration went on into the night. Also, individual torches would have been given to the Jewish men and as they danced, the flames would have given off great light. It is with this event in mind that Jesus mentions himself as the light of the world.

IV. Jesus as the Light of the World

In my mind, Jesus’ identification of himself with the Light of the World means four things:

1) Power – In creation, God first brought forth light to illuminate the other phases of creation, all of which showed forth his power. If light is Yahweh in action and Jesus calls himself light, then he is Yahweh in action. All the power that God used in the creation of the cosmos can rightly be seated in the person of Jesus Christ. What an amazing concept that the sovereign Lord of all creation became a human being! What a profound paradox! It is not surprising that as soon as Jesus calls himself light, the Pharisees attack his authority. “He doesn’t have the right to say this,” the Pharisees mutter. Jesus doesn’t appeal to any other authority than himself and his Father in countering the attack. In his mind, the incarnation is proof enough. The very fact that the Creator had taken on flesh, regardless of whether or not the Pharisees (or any other unbeliever) embraced him, demanded belief and submission.

2) Provision – When the LORD showed himself to Moses, he came in the form of fire (i.e. light). He then sent Moses to be his spokesman and promised to be with him as he proclaimed this message. He also promised to bless Israel with deliverance from the Egyptians. Part of this provision was through the manna that he gave to keep the Israelites alive. So too Jesus, as the light, promises to provide the way for his people. He says that whoever follows him will never walk/live (Gk: peripateo) in darkness.

3) Protection – When the LORD led the nation of Israel through the wilderness by night, the pillar of light that he assumed was not only for luminous reasons, but also for the sake of protection. Any adversary, be they human or beastly, would have fled before this awesome pillar of light that advanced before the Israelites. As Jesus is the light of the world, he serves as a protection for his people. The darkness is a destructive thing; in the darkness, we are endangered by what can happen to us (external dangers) and what we can do to ourselves when no one is watching (internal dangers). God’s heart for the holiness of his people has nothing to do with robbing them of fun. It has nothing to do imposing a code of ethics upon them. It has everything to do with keeping them in the light and delivering them from the dangers of the darkness. An issue like premarital sex is put in the proper perspective when we view it in these terms. God says that what we do in and with our bodies matters. He tells us that our bodies are not our own; we have been purchased with a price (i.e. the blood of Christ). He tells us that sexual union is a good thing and it involves not only physical elements, but spiritual elements too (the two shall become one flesh). And he tells us that the only context in which we can share the joys of sexual union is marriage, because only in that context is the commitment and care present to accommodate such a drastic transformation as two fleshes becoming one flesh. Any deviation from this God-ordained plan promises to cause pain and hurt, even when in the moment of passion, it seems like the only outlet.

4) Presence – It is not an accident that Jesus makes this profound statement in the context of the Feast of the Tabernacles in which the presence of the LORD was a central theme. In the construction of the Tabernacle and Temple, the Shekinah glory of God was what mattered most. The presence of a holy God is precisely why the Tabernacle and Temple had to be built to such exact specifications. And this presence was signaled by a fire or light.

When Jesus came into the world, how did the wise men know where to find him? They followed a star in the sky. This light led them to the Light. And when Jesus appeared on the Mount of the Transfiguration, how did he appear? He appeared as one whose clothes had been modified into a brilliant white hue never before seen or experienced. And when Jesus Christ hung on the cross, what phenomenon was witnessed in the land of Judea? The Scriptures say that darkness descended upon that land as the Light of the World gave up his life.

After he was raised from the dead and descended into heaven, his presence was signified in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, as he fell upon the people through something like flaming tongues of fire (light). Not only in this miraculous event, but even now, we know that we have an inheritance in Christ because of the guarantee of the Holy Spirit. He is essentially what differentiates a Christian from a non-Christian. The differences between Christians and non-Christians must all flow out of his presence. So in examining our differences, we must keep the function and result of his presence in our lives central.

V. What Does This Mean? From Grace to Glory

A. Without the Light of Life, we are in the Darkness of Death – Frequently in Scripture, evil or wickedness are equated with darkness. Humans are similarly described as being dead in their sins and trespasses (Eph. 2:1). In an agricultural society, these two ideas are intertwined: darkness also means death; without the sun’s light, crops are doomed to fail. In John 3:19, Jesus also makes the connection with those who are in the darkness (the spiritually dead) and those who are in the light (those who live). So it is clear that there are two basic options when we analyze these categories: darkness and light. Darkness is the default human state, but light is what is promised in the gospel. So we must ask the question HOW? HOW does one move from the darkness into the light. Colossians 1:11-14 answers this question by pointing to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He said that he was the light of life and I think that this is what he means. He gave us the light by giving us his life so that we (who are dead and in the darkness) might have the light and might have the life. He gives this to us no because we deserve it and not because we work for it, but only because of his grace. We call this transference from darkness into light which God alone can perform justification: Jesus Christ’s light is the power to graciously save us from the darkness which engulfs us and the provision of redemption, the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life by his grace.

B. The Light transforms us into luminaries – It is clear that we ourselves do not emit light in the metaphorical sense. If Jesus Christ is the sun, then Christians are called to be like the moon. We do not actually give off light in the way Jesus does, but we are commanded to be lights to the world. We do this by reflection. We ought to reflect the light that Christ shines upon us. Scripture speaks of a process by which we become light bearers. As we grow in our faith, the light that Jesus constantly shines into our lives should be reflected more and more brightly. This means that we look more like Jesus in our actions and intentions. If there is no reflection, then that may be a good indication that there is no light shining into the reflector. However, if we are drawing near to Christ, the light of life, and seeking his face, scripture promises that we will reflect his character to our friends and neighbors and even to our enemies. (2 Corinthians 4:6). We call this light reflecting process sanctification: the grace of Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers protects them from the dangers of the darkness.