Week 8
John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
This is the second of seven great “I AM” statements that the Gospel of John indicates that Jesus made. These great statements by Christ about Christ are like beacons of laser light highlighting Jesus as the Son of God, God in flesh, and His being the Savior of the world.
Two great truths are given by Jesus in this statement. First, He declares who and what He is in the truest sense. The Bible says in 1 John 1:5 that “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Jesus was and is light of very light, God of very God. In Him there is no falsehood, in Him there is no sin, and in Him there is no deceit. Jesus can be trusted because Jesus is trustworthy. We can follow Him and know that truly He is THE WAY (See John 14:6). We will find our ultimate destination in eternal holy joy if we follow Him. He cannot lead us astray, and He will not lead us astray.
The second great truth given to us in this passage relates to following Jesus as the light. The light is truly appreciated when it is found in darkness. The world lays in darkness. The world exists in the darkness of sin, moral darkness, and in the despair of hopelessness. There are no answers to the questions of life in this world of darkness. The darkness cannot and will not give us a path of joy and love. But Jesus is the light; as we follow His teaching and truth, we will find the Word of God to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (See Psalm 119:105).
Those who seek to live outside the light of Jesus Christ find themselves stumbling and bumbling along in life, bumping into issues and conundrums without any sense of perspective and proportion. There is nothing sadder than watching those who live their lives by human wisdom and guidance, to find themselves to be disappointed, distracted, and finally given over to despair. One may have the right to choose what they think is right, but that does not mean that every choice is right.
Jesus alone is the light of the world, and those who follow Him will not walk in darkness, but they will have the light of life. This is a directive; this will guide us. This is a warning; this will keep us from making wrong decisions. This is a judgment upon the world; those who follow the world will endure God’s judgment upon the world.
Precious Christian friend, we have the Light for we have Jesus. In Him we have the light of truth, the light of wisdom, the light of joy, and the light of love. We have all we need in Jesus Christ; He is for us the LIGHT OF LIFE. Let us seek to live in His light and let us seek to share His light with others.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for giving Jesus to me. Thank You that Jesus is my light in life. I ask that You guide me to follow Jesus and love Jesus all of my days, so that I may live in the light of His life. Amen.