João 8

Ray Stedman · Citado em PreceptAustin

João 8

Stedman comments on the fact that followers of Jesus do not walk in the darkness - "How many people do not know where they are going, not only after they leave this life, but even down the road a little. They have no idea of what is ahead; they are running into disaster and they cannot even see it coming. But the man who has light can see what is in his pathway." ILLUSTRATION - Years ago, when I was driving from Dallas to Southern California, I picked up a couple of young hitchhikers. As we were driving past the entrance to the Grand Canyon, I asked them if they had ever seen the canyon. They said, "No," so we decided to spend the night there. It was late at night and pitch black when we turned off the road. We could not see a thing, but we found what seemed to be an open space and crawled into our sleeping bags. When I awoke in the morning the sun was up. I stretched and threw out my arms, only to find that my left arm dropped down in the void! In the darkness of the dead of the night we had actually made our bed on the edge of a cliff that dropped into the Grand Canyon! If we had gone two steps further we would have fallen over the edge. I gave grateful thanks for the light that morning. That is what the light is for. (Ray Stedman) Ray Stedman goes on to say "Years ago I ran across a wonderful quotation from Dr. Philip Brooks, who was a preacher in the early part of this century. Here is how he described the sunrise: When the sun rose this morning it found the world in darkness, torpid and heavy and asleep, with powers all wrapped up in sluggishness; with life that was hardly better or more alive than death. The sun found this great sleeping world and woke it. It bade it to be itself. It quickened every slow and sluggish faculty. It called to the dull streams and said, "Be quick;" to the dull birds and bade them sing; to the dull fields and made them grow; to dull men and women and bade them think and talk and work. It flashed electric invitation to the whole mass of sleeping power which really was the world and summoned it to action. It did not make the world. It did not start another set of processes unlike those which had been sluggishly moving in the darkness. It poured strength into the essential processes which belonged to the very nature of the earth. It glorified, intensified and fulfilled the earth." I am sure that is what our Lord means because he always draws symbols from nature. In the words, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness," he means that not only will he give light to the one who follows him, but he will be the means by which that man will see everything else in his path; and he will be summoned to fulfillment; he will be energized and fulfilled and intensified by the light. Peter writes that in Christ we have been "called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1Pe 2:9+) In Col 1:12-13+ Paul writes believers are to be giving thanks "to the Father, Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain (exousia - the right and the might) of darkness (NOTE: DARKNESS HAS POWER!), and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son." NET Note - The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary (SEE NOTE). The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to Him. This sets up the contrast in John 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16+) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness. (Jn 9:39,40,41+).

João 8

Stedman: In other words, "All of your thinking is limited by the narrow confines of this life. You do not understand what is going on in the invisible realms of life. You do not see what is bringing to pass all the historical occurrences of earth. You do not see the hand of God or the hand of the devil. You do not understand anything beyond the limited, narrow range of facts which you can see with your eyes and hear with your ears. But I am from beyond that. I am from above, from out of this world." (The Breakthrough Point ) Know (1097) ginosko English derivatives - prognosis, gnostic, Gnosticism) means to acquire information through some modality, as through sense perception (hearing). However ginosko involves experiential knowledge, not merely the accumulation of known facts. Ginosko is one of the major verbs of the Bible and because of its numerous uses, it is not surprising that Greek lexicographers ascribe a number of nuances of meaning including to get to know, come to understand, to ascertain, to have intimate relations with another, etc. The various meanings are outlined, discussed and illustrated in the notes that follow. Keep in mind that the basic meaning of ginosko is to know by experience. Knowledge possessed through the intellectual process of learning is one thing. Knowledge gained by experience, by an active relationship between the one who knows and the person or thing known, is far superior to the former. Ginosko describes the latter quality of knowledge and is what every Christ follower should desire as their personal, permanent possession regarding the Person of Christ (e.g., see ginosko in Jn 8:32, Jn 17:3, Php 3:10). In many of the NT uses ginosko refers not just to knowledge in a secular sense but to spiritual knowledge. As Puritan Stephen Charnock said "A man man be theologically knowing (Ed: "Pharisee-like") and spiritually ignorant. (See discussion of Jn 7:17 below which clearly links spiritual gnosis or knowledge with obedience.) In a related aphorism Charnock quipped that "Knowledge in the head is as money in the purse; knowledge in the heart is as money for our use." Ginosko is when you experientially learn something, either in a classroom or more often in the "classroom of life". Ginosko is that knowledge that comes by obeying the Lord. You may intellectually know some truth but you don’t really "know" it experientially until you surrender and obey the truth. In other words ginosko speaks of knowledge that goes beyond the merely factual and into the realm of the experiential (Christianity is to be "felt"!). By extension, ginosko was used of the intimate relationship between husband and wife (Mt 1:25) and between God and His people (Jn 17:3). Stated another way ginosko frequently implies an active relation between the one who knows and the person known. Ginosko in John's writings (Gospel, Epistles, Revelation) - Jn. 1:10; Jn. 1:48; Jn. 2:24; Jn. 2:25; Jn. 3:10; Jn. 4:1; Jn. 4:53; Jn. 5:6; Jn. 5:42; Jn. 6:15; Jn. 6:69; Jn. 7:17; Jn. 7:26; Jn. 7:27; Jn. 7:49; Jn. 7:51; Jn. 8:27; Jn. 8:28; Jn. 8:32; Jn. 8:43; Jn. 8:52; Jn. 8:55; Jn. 10:6; Jn. 10:14; Jn. 10:15; Jn. 10:27; Jn. 10:38; Jn. 11:57; Jn. 12:9; Jn. 12:16; Jn. 13:7; Jn. 13:12; Jn. 13:28; Jn. 13:35; Jn. 14:7; Jn. 14:9; Jn. 14:17; Jn. 14:20; Jn. 14:31; Jn. 15:18; Jn. 16:3; Jn. 16:19; Jn. 17:3; Jn. 17:7; Jn. 17:8; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 17:25; Jn. 19:4; Jn. 21:171 Jn. 2:3; 1 Jn. 2:4; 1 Jn. 2:5; 1 Jn. 2:13; 1 Jn. 2:14; 1 Jn. 2:18; 1 Jn. 2:29; 1 Jn. 3:1; 1 Jn. 3:6; 1 Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:19; 1 Jn. 3:20; 1 Jn. 3:24; 1 Jn. 4:2; 1 Jn. 4:6; 1 Jn. 4:7; 1 Jn. 4:8; 1 Jn. 4:13; 1 Jn. 4:16; 1 Jn. 5:2; 1 Jn. 5:20; 2 Jn. 1:1; Rev. 2:23; Rev. 2:24; Rev. 3:3; Rev. 3:9 John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. BGT John 8:28 εἶπεν οὖν [αὐτοῖς] ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ὅταν ὑψώσητε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τότε γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ ἀπ᾽ ἐμαυτοῦ ποιῶ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ καθὼς ἐδίδαξέν με ὁ πατὴρ ταῦτα λαλῶ. KJV John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. NET John 8:28 Then Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak just what the Father taught me. CSB John 8:28 So Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own. But just as the Father taught Me, I say these things. ESV John 8:28 So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. NIV John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. NLT John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I Am he. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me. NRS John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. NJB John 8:28 So Jesus said: When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing of my own accord. What I say is what the Father has taught me; NAB John 8:28 So Jesus said (to them), "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me. YLT John 8:28 Jesus, therefore, said to them, 'When ye may lift up the Son of Man then ye will know that I am he; and of myself I do nothing, but according as my Father did teach me, these things I speak; GWN John 8:28 So Jesus told them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you'll know that I am the one and that I can't do anything on my own. Instead, I speak as the Father taught me. BBE John 8:28 So Jesus said, When the Son of man has been lifted up by you, then it will be clear to you who I am, and that I do nothing of myself, but say as the Father gave me teaching. RSV John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me. NKJ John 8:28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. ASV John 8:28 Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things. MIT John 8:28 Therefore, Jesus said, "When you have lifted up [i.e., crucified] the human one, then you will know who I am, and that on my own I do nothing. But I speak messages exactly as the father taught me. When: Jn 3:14 Jn 12:32-34 Jn 19:18 then: Mt 27:50-54 Ac 2:41 4:4 Ro 1:4 1Th 2:15,16 and that: Jn 5:19,30 6:38 11:42 12:49,50 Nu 16:28-30 Heb 2:2,3 but: Jn 3:11 John 8 - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: John 3:14+ (LIFT UP ~ CRUCIFIXION) “As Moses lifted (hupsoo) up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (hupsoo) John 12:32-34+ (LIFT UP ~ CRUCIFIXION) “And I, if I am lifted up (hupsoo) from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. 34 The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’ (hupsoo)? Who is this Son of Man?” John 3:34+ “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. John 5:19+ (DO NOTHING ON MY OWN INITIATIVE) Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. John 5:30+ (DO NOTHING ON MY OWN INITIATIVE) “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 6:38+ (DO NOTHING ON MY OWN INITIATIVE) “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 4:34+ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. JESUS PREDICTS HIS CRUCIFIXION So (oun) Jesus said, "When you lift up (hupsoo) the Son of Man (note), then you will know (ginosko) that I am (ego eimi) He - Note the two time phrases when...then. When is not if, because this is the hour Jesus' has been preparing for even before the foundation of the world. Who is you? He is addressing the Jews and the religious leaders, who will convince the Romans to carry out the killing of Christ on the Cross. Note that Jesus use of the future tense (will), in this context, identifies this statement as a prophecy. Lift up refers to the crucifixion, which He had earlier prophesied in His dialogue with Nicodemus (Jn 3:14-15+). It is fascinating that the same verb hupsoo that speaks here of His humiliation on the Cross (crucifixion was the most humiliating and degrading thing that could happen to a man) and then to His exaltation thereafter, Luke recording "He (JESUS) is the one whom God exalted (hupsoo) to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior." (Acts 5:31+) It is also notable that Isaiah 52:13 used lift declaring "Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up (Lxx = hupsoo) and greatly exalted." Leon

João 8

Stedman - In the verses that follow we discern something of the darkness of the men to whom he was speaking -- darkness that was keeping them from coming to the light. Here we can see why it is that every person in the world needs Jesus Christ -- everyone -- and what it is that holds men and women back from the light and allows them to spend their whole lives, sometimes, in darkness. There are two things that keep people from opening their hearts to Christ: ignorance and pride; ignorance of the facts, and pride that refuses to bow to those facts and adjust to them.

João 8

Stedman - One of the amazing things about this story is that, although these men were claiming to know God, they really did not know him. I find this is the problem with many people today. They say they know God, but the god they are talking about is a god of their own imagination. They are merely projecting an idea about God that is not real; consequently they do not know God at all. Neither do they worship God; they are worshiping a figment of their imagination. I ran across a quote from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones that speaks to this: "Their god is something which they created themselves, a being who is always prepared to oblige and excuse them. They do not worship him with awe and respect, indeed they do not worship him at all. They reveal that their so-called god is no god at all in their talk. For they are forever saying that "they simply cannot believe that God will punish the unrepentant sinner to all eternity, and this and that." They cannot believe that God will do so, therefore, they draw the conclusion that God does not and will not. In other words, God does what they believe he ought to do or not do. What a false and blasphemous conception of God! How utterly untrue and unworthy! Such is the new paganism of today." That is why many people do not come to the light: Their willful ignorance blinds their hearts. They do not know Jesus, and they do not know God R C H

João 8:12

Stedman commenting on [Col 3:1-17] writes re "walk": That (referring to Col3:1-4) is the true basis for living a Christian life. Scripture calls it "walking with the Lord." I like that figure because a walk, of course, merely consists of two simple steps, repeated over and over again. It is not a complicated thing. In the same way, the Christian life is a matter of taking two steps, one step after another. Then you are beginning to walk. Those two steps follow in this passage. Paul describes them as, "Put off the old man," and "put on the new." Then repeat them. That is all. Keep walking through every day like that. That is how Scripture exhorts us to live. Peripateo in John's writings - Jn. 1:36; Jn. 5:8; Jn. 5:9; Jn. 5:11; Jn. 5:12; Jn. 6:19; Jn. 6:66; Jn. 7:1; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 10:23; Jn. 11:9; Jn. 11:10; Jn. 11:54; Jn. 12:35; Jn. 21:18; 1 Jn. 1:6; 1 Jn. 1:7; 1 Jn. 2:6; 1 Jn. 2:11; 2 Jn. 1:4; 2 Jn. 1:6; 3 Jn. 1:3; 3 Jn. 1:4; Rev. 2:1; Rev. 3:4; Rev. 9:20; Rev. 16:15; Rev. 21:24 Darkness (4653) skotia from skotos = darkness) means literal darkness in some NT uses (Jn 6:17, 20:1), but more often (14/16x) is used figuratively to refer to spiritual darkness. In every NT figurative use, darkness is contrasted with light in all but one passage (1Jn 2:11). Darkness has no existence by itself, being definable simply as an absence of light. In the spiritual sense darkness describes both the state and works of a person. It symbolizes evil and sin, everything that life should not be and everything that a person should not do! People who think that the Lord does not see what they do in the dark are mistaken (Ezek 8:12) "Considered in itself darkness it a strongly negative image in human experience. It is physically oppressive; it is the natural environment for a host of evil happenings; and it is associated with death, imprisonment and ultimate evil. Darkness is in principle associated with evil, opposed to God’s purposes of order and goodness in the universe and in human society....Darkness in the Bible is not equal in power to light. " (From Dictionary Of Biblical Imagery) Skotia - 13v - Matt. 4:16; Matt. 10:27; Lk. 12:3; Jn. 1:5; Jn. 6:17; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 12:35; Jn. 12:46; Jn. 20:1; 1 Jn. 1:5; 1 Jn. 2:8; 1 Jn. 2:9; 1 Jn. 2:11 Related Resource: 7 page discussion of darkness in Dictionary Of Biblical Imagery (page 678) Here is a brief excerpt - "Darkness as a Spiritual Force. The power of darkness in the NT is so vivid that it is more than a symbol, becoming nothing less than a spiritual reality. Jesus himself spoke of “the power of darkness” (Lk 22:53), and Paul spoke of how Christians do not battle against physical enemies but against “the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12 NRSV). The context into which darkness is here placed is the cosmic spiritual battle between good and evil, God and Satan. “What partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness?” Paul asks. “Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Beliar?” (2 Cor 6:14–15 NRSV). The world itself is divided into “children of light” and children “of the night or of darkness” (1 Thess 5:5). The ultimate power of darkness was manifested with the temporary triumph of evil as Christ hung dying on the cross-a triumph of evil that took the form of a three-hour darkness that left people awestruck (Mt 27:45; Mk 15:33; Lk 23:44)." Life (2222) zoe in Scripture is used (1) to refer to physical life (Ro 8:38+, 1Co 3:22, Php 1:20+, Jas 4:14, etc) but more often to (2) to supernatural life in contrast to a life subject to eternal death (Jn 3:36, see all 43 uses of "eternal life" below). This quality of life speaks of fullness of life which alone belongs to God the Giver of life and is available to His children now (Ro 6:4+, Ep 4:18+) as well as in eternity future (Mk 10:30, Titus 1:2+ on Eternal Life). Zao in John's writings - Jn. 1:4; Jn. 3:15; Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:36; Jn. 4:14; Jn. 4:36; Jn. 5:24; Jn. 5:26; Jn. 5:29; Jn. 5:39; Jn. 5:40; Jn. 6:27; Jn. 6:33; Jn. 6:35; Jn. 6:40; Jn. 6:47; Jn. 6:48; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:53; Jn. 6:54; Jn. 6:63; Jn. 6:68; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 10:10; Jn. 10:28; Jn. 11:25; Jn. 12:25; Jn. 12:50; Jn. 14:6; Jn. 17:2; Jn. 17:3; Jn. 20:31; 1 Jn. 1:1; 1 Jn. 1:2; 1 Jn. 2:25; 1 Jn. 3:14; 1 Jn. 3:15; 1 Jn. 5:11; 1 Jn. 5:12; 1 Jn. 5:13; 1 Jn. 5:16; 1 Jn. 5:20; Rev. 2:7; Rev. 2:10; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 7:17; Rev. 11:11; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 16:3; Rev. 17:8; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 20:15; Rev. 21:6; Rev. 21:27; Rev. 22:1; Rev. 22:2; Rev. 22:14; Rev. 22:17; Rev. 22:19 Background to Jesus' Declaration in John 8:12 - from William Barclay The scene of this argument with the Jewish authorities was in the Temple treasury, which was in the Court of the Women. The first Temple court was the Court of the Gentiles (another source); the second was the Court of the Women. It was so called because women might not pass beyond it unless they were actually about to offer sacrifice on the altar which was in the Court of the Priests. Round the Court of the Women there was a colonnade or porch; and, in that porch, set against the wall, there were thirteen treasure chests into which people dropped their offerings. These were called The Trumpets because they were shaped like trumpets, narrow at the top and swelling out towards the foot. The thirteen treasure chests all had their allotted offering. Into the first two were dropped the half shekels which every Jew had to pay towards the upkeep of the Temple. Into the third and fourth were dropped sums which would purchase the two pigeons which a woman had to offer for her purification after the birth of a child (Leviticus 12:8). Into the fifth were put contributions towards the cost of the wood which was needed to keep the altar fire alight. Into the sixth were dropped contributions towards the cost of the incense which was used at the Temple services. Into the seventh went contributions towards the upkeep of the golden vessels which were used at these services. Sometimes a man or a family set apart a certain sum to make some trespass- or thank-offering; into the remaining six trumpets people dropped any money which remained after such an offering had been made, or anything extra which they wished to offer. Clearly the Temple treasury (SEE DEPICTION) would be a busy place, with a constant flow of worshippers coming and going. There would be no better place to collect an audience of devout people and to teach them than the Temple treasury. In this passage Jesus makes the great claim: "I am the Light of the World." It is very likely that the background against which he made it made it doubly vivid and impressive. The festival with which John connects these discourses is the Festival of Tabernacles (John 7:2+). We have already seen ( John 7:37+) how its ceremonies lent drama to Jesus' claim to give to men the living water. But there was another ceremony connected with this festival. On the evening of its first day there was a ceremony called The Illumination of the Temple (see note below). It took place in the Court of the Women. The court was surrounded with deep galleries, erected to hold the spectators. In the centre four great candelabra were prepared. When the dark came the four great candelabra were lit and, it was said, they sent such a blaze of light throughout Jerusalem that every courtyard was lit up with their brilliance. Then all night long, until cock-crow the next morning, the greatest and the wisest and the holiest men in Israel danced before the Lord and sang psalms of joy and praise while the people watched. Jesus is saying: "You have seen the blaze of the Temple illuminations piercing the darkness of the night. I am the Light of the World, and, for the man who follows me there will be light, not only for one exciting night, but for all the pathway of his life. The light in the Temple is a brilliant light, but in the end it flickers and dies. I am the Light which lasts forever." NOTES: THE ILLUMINATION OF THE TEMPLE (Source: Israel My Glory article - The Feast of Tabernacles) - A second fascinating ceremony associated with the Feast of Tabernacles involved lights. Each afternoon of the seven days, priests and pilgrims gathered at the Court of the Women. Four large oil lamps illuminated the court. It was said that the light from these lamps was so bright it penetrated every courtyard in Jerusalem. As the women watched from the upper terraces, the “men of piety and good works used to dance before the oil lamps with burning torches in their hands, singing songs and praises.” Meanwhile, “countless levites played on harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets and instruments of music” (Mishnah Sukkot 5:4). The light festivities continued all night until dawn. The illumination from these imposing Temple lamps symbolized two realities. The first was the reality of the “Light of all Lights”— the Shekinah Glory—the visible presence of God that filled the first Temple, which Solomon built (1Ki 8:10–11). The second was Ha’or Gadol (the Great Light) Who would soon come and bring light to those who were spiritually dead and dwelling in darkness (Isaiah 9:2+). Jesus was at the Temple. Perhaps it was during the light celebration or when the lights were extinguished on the eighth day that He said for all to hear, “I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). He proclaimed two truths with this statement: (1) He is the “Great Light” who the prophet Isaiah said would come, and (2) He is God in the flesh and the Glory of the Temple (cf. Jn. 1:14+). (ED: NOTE THAT THE SHEKINAH GLORY DEPARTED IN EZEKIEL 8:1-11:25+ [SEE DEPICTION OF THE PROGRESSIVE DEPARTURE OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD FROM SOLOMON'S TEMPLE] AND HAD BEEN ABSENT FOR MORE THAN 400 YEARS. NOW THE GLORY HAD RETURNED TO THE TEMPLE!!! - John 1:14+.) The response was threefold. Some religious people rejected Him (Jn. 8:13), others were inquisitive enough to ask Him for more information (Jn. 8:25), and still others believed and received him (Jn. 8:30) (ED: BUT WAS THEIR BELIEF UNTO SALVATION? SEE COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING PASSAGES John 8:31-59). The joy associated with the lights and water rituals of the Feast of Tabernacles anticipated Jesus’ coming and bringing light and life to a dark, sinful world. Shine! I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. —John 8:12 Today's Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16 Author Anne Lamott once wrote that the people she admires have “purpose, heart, balance, gratitude, joy. . . . They follow a brighter light than the glimmer of their own candle; they are part of something beautiful.” In my experience, such people are not simply religious. They are committed disciples of Christ. Jesus explained why His followers have a sort of luminous quality. “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Believing in Jesus as our Savior, we now can light up the world. We are told, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). This doesn’t mean we must always display an artificial cheerfulness. Many of us don’t possess a sunny disposition. We may struggle with moods of depression. We may have to battle melancholy. But in the Holy Spirit’s power, we can be like the Christians to whom Paul wrote, “You shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). As Francis of Assisi put it: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace! Where there is hatred, let me sow love; . . . where there is darkness, light.” There is sunshine in my soul today, More glorious and bright Than glows in any earthly sky, For Jesus is my light. —Hewitt A world in darkness needs the light of the gospel. The Light Of The World I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. —John 8:12 Today's Scripture: 1 John 2:7-11 One dark and ominous night during World War II, a US aircraft carrier was plowing through heavy seas in the South Pacific. All lights were out because of enemy submarines. One plane was missing. Somewhere in that pitch-black sky it was circling in a seemingly futile search for the carrier—its only landing place, its only hope of not being swallowed up by the giant ocean. The ship’s captain, knowing the terrible risk involved, gave the order, “Light up the ship.” Soon the plane zoomed onto the deck like a homing pigeon. At Bethlehem, knowing the risk, God gave the command, “Light up the world.” Then Jesus was born. A new and radiant light began to shine, pushing back the darkness of the world, of spiritual ignorance, and of sin and despair. Like a ship lit up in an otherwise darkened sea of sinful humanity, Christ came as “the light of the world” (John 8:12). John wrote, “The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). When Jesus the Savior entered this world, it was like the sunrise breaking radiantly over the horizon of human history (Luke 1:78-79). Long ago in Bethlehem One cold and starry night, Jesus came from heaven above To bring us love and light. —Fitzhugh Without the light of Jesus, we would be in the dark about God. A Light In The Darkness I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. —John 8:12 Today's Scripture: Luke 2:25-33 An artist was painting a winter scene. Snow blanketed the ground and the pine trees. Night was falling, and the landscape was enveloped in semi-darkness. A log cabin was barely visible in the shadows. The whole scene was one of gloom. Then the artist used some yellow tints to put the cheerful glow of a lamp in one of the cabin windows. That lone light, its golden rays reflecting on the snow, completely transformed the impression given by the painting. In contrast to the cold darkness of the surrounding forest, that light in the window created a warm feeling of love and security. What happened on that canvas is a striking portrayal of one of the most dramatic events of all history. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem’s stable, a light was placed in this sin-darkened world. The apostle John testified, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). During this week, as we commemorate the birth of the Lord Jesus, let’s be mindful of how much brighter this world is because He came into it. Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin, The Light of the world is Jesus; Like sunshine at noonday His glory shone in, The Light of the world is Jesus. —Bliss Without the light of Jesus, we would be in the dark about God. Ray Pritchard - To Bring Light to the World “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.’” (John 8:12). In 1646 the Dutch artist Rembrandt created a painting called “The Adoration of the Shepherds.” It depicts his vision of what it was like for the shepherds to see the baby Jesus. The painting is dark because it is a night scene inside a barn. The dark tones force the viewer to study the images carefully. In the center is the Babe in the feeding trough. Mary is by his side, Joseph not far away. The shepherds are gathered around, intently studying the baby whose birth was announced by the angelic choir. If you look into the gloom, you can see outlines of the sheep. The shepherds couldn’t leave their sheep outside so they brought them into the barn with them. To the right a rickety ladder leans on a crossbeam. Next to the ladder is a rooster. Soon it hits you that the ladder and crossbeam make the dim outline of a cross. The rooster is a symbol of betrayal in the distant future. Even in this joyous moment, the cross looms over the baby Jesus. But the most significant feature is the light. Unlike other Renaissance artists, Rembrandt didn’t paint Jesus as an angel with a halo. He is a very normal, very human baby. All is dark in the painting except for the baby in the manger. The light isn’t shining on the baby; it’s shining out from him. This was Rembrandt’s way of saying that all hope and light shines from the manger—lighting up a darkened world. This beloved Christmas carol says it well: Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth. Is there hope in the world? Yes! Hope invaded the world 2000 years ago at Bethlehem. If we want that hope to invade our lives, we must do what the shepherds did so long ago. We must come to Bethlehem and bow before the newborn King. Hope is available but only to those who will humble themselves and bow in faith before the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you bow before him and crown him as your King? Lord Jesus, there will always be room in my heart for you! Amen. Humble Stars You shine as lights in the world. —Philippians 2:15 Today's Scripture: Philippians 2:1-18 Our culture elevates certain people to the category of “star” because of their ability in sports, music, acting, or some other talent. The stars who are often appreciated and loved the most, though, are those who accept their popularity graciously and maintain humility despite their greatness. They are humble stars. Followers of Christ are to be stars of another kind. Jesus said that He is “the light of the world” (John 8:12). We too are to shine “as lights in the world” by being “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault” (Philippians 2:15). That’s how we stand out in the dark, sinful world around us. We can also look to Jesus as our model of humility. Although He had every right to hold on to His high position in heaven with God, He “made Himself of no reputation,” the apostle Paul wrote (v.7). He became not only a man but a servant. What a lowly position for the Creator of heaven and earth! Jesus is our example of genuine servanthood, yet He is the brightest Star of the universe. As we become like Him, we will be bright and shining stars, and people will be drawn to Christ through our humble service. I want my life to shine for Jesus So that everywhere I go The watching world will see He loves them And His saving grace will know. —Hess You can be too big for God to use, but you can't be too small. THE GIFT OF LIGHT I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. —John 8:12 Sir Christopher Wren designed and built more than 50 church buildings in London during the late 1600s. His design style had two main features—the first of which was sturdy, tall steeples. The second, however, was more profound. Wren was convinced that all of the windows in his churches must use clear glass as opposed to the stained glass so popular in churches of that era. In part his reason for the clear glass is found in these words attributed to him: “God’s greatest gift to man is light.” Allowing light to cover people as they worshipped was, to Wren, a celebration of that gift. In the Genesis account, on the first day of creation God made light (1:3). The light God created is even more than just a means by which to see. It’s a picture of what Christ brought when He entered this darkened world. In John 8:12, our Lord said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” To the follower of Christ, light is one of the great reminders of the character of our Saviour and the quality of the life He has given us through His sacrifice on the cross. Wren was right. God’s greatest gift to man is light—Jesus Christ, the Light of the world! JESUS CAME TO GIVE LIGHT TO A DARK WORLD. A Lantern Lit By Christ I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness. — John 8:12 Today's Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 In Benjamin Franklin’s day the streets of Philadelphia were dark after sunset. Nighttime pedestrians had to walk cautiously to avoid rocks and holes. Franklin decided to set a good example for his fellow citizens by placing a lantern outside his home. As people stumbled down his street at night, they would come to that oasis of light and realize what a blessing it was. Soon other Philadelphians were putting up their own lanterns. After sunset the whole village became a place of illuminated safety. The world around us is dark with spiritual ignorance. For multitudes of people, the aimlessness of their existence leads to unspoken despair. We can’t single-handedly drive back the darkness everywhere, but we can do something significant. We can let our redeemed, Christ-ignited lives serve as lanterns of light. Our Savior commands us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16). We've a Savior to show to the nations, Who the path of sorrow has trod, That all of the world's great peoples Might come to the truth of God. —Nichol The smallest light still shines in the darkest night. Let There Be Light God said, “Let there be light.” Genesis 1:3 Today's Scripture & Insight: Genesis 1:1–5 In my daughter’s earliest days, I often named for her the things she encountered. I’d identify objects or allow her to touch something unfamiliar and say the word for her, bringing understanding—and vocabulary—to the vast world she was exploring. Though my husband and I might naturally have expected (or hoped) her first word would be Mama or Daddy, she surprised us with an entirely different first word: her small mouth murmured dight one day—a sweet, mispronounced echo of the word light I’d just shared with her. Light is one of God’s first words recorded for us in the Bible. As the Spirit of God hovered over a dark, formless, and empty Earth, God introduced light into His creation, saying, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). He said the light was good, which the rest of Scripture bears out: the psalmist explains that God’s words illuminate our understanding (Psalm 119:130), and Jesus refers to Himself as “the light of the world,” the giver of the light of life (John 8:12). In what area of your life do you most need God’s light right now? How has His light helped you in the past? Thank You, Jesus, for being the light of life, who illuminates the path for me every day. Reflecting the Son The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 Today's Scripture & Insight: Matthew 5:14-16 Due to its location among sheer mountains and its northern latitude, Rjukan, Norway, does not see natural sunlight from October to March. To lighten up the town, the citizens installed large mirrors on the mountainside to reflect the sunrays and beam sunlight into the town square. The continuous glow is made possible because the giant mirrors rotate with the rising and setting sun. I like to think of the Christian life as a similar scenario. Jesus said His followers are “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). John the disciple wrote that Christ the true light “shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). So too, Jesus invites us to reflect our light into the darkness around us: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). That is a call for us to show love in the face of hatred, patience in response to trouble, and peace in moments of conflict. As the apostle Paul reminds us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). Teach us, Lord, what it is to reflect Your light, especially when life’s demands can tempt us to live selfishly. Help us today to live in Your love. Reflect the Son and shine for Him. Leave the Light On You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 Today's Scripture & Insight: Matthew 5:13–16 A hotel chain’s commercial featured one little building standing amidst a dark night. Nothing else was around. The only light in the scene came from a small lamp near the door on the porch of the building. The bulb cast enough illumination for a visitor to walk up the steps and enter the building. The commercial ended with the phrase, “We’ll leave the light on for you.” A porch light is akin to a welcome sign, reminding weary travelers that there’s a comfortable place still open where they can stop and rest. The light invites those passing by to come on in and escape from the dark, weary journey. Jesus says the lives of those who believe in Him should resemble that of a welcoming light. He told His followers, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). As believers, we’re to illuminate a dark world. As He directs and empowers us, “[others] may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] Father in heaven” (v. 16). And as we leave our lights on, they will feel welcomed to come to us to learn more about the one true Light of the World—Jesus (John 8:12). In a weary and dark world, His light always remains on. In what ways can you shine your light for Jesus today? What can prevent you from shining for Him? Jesus, help me to shine brightly so that others may be drawn to You. Darkness and Light I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12 Today's Scripture & Insight: John 3:1–2, 16–20 As I sat in the courtroom, I witnessed several examples of the brokenness of our world: a daughter estranged from her mother; a husband and wife who’d lost the love they once had and now shared only bitterness; a husband who yearned to be reconciled with his wife and to be reunited with his children. They desperately needed changed hearts, healed wounds, and for God’s love to prevail. Sometimes when the world around us seems to hold only darkness and despair, it’s easy to give in to despair. But then the Spirit, who lives inside believers in Christ (John 14:17), reminds us that Jesus died for that brokenness and pain. When He came into the world as a human, He brought light into the darkness (1:4–5; 8:12). We see this in His conversation with Nicodemus, who furtively came to Jesus in the cover of darkness but left impacted by the Light (3:1–2; 19:38–40). Jesus taught Nicodemus that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (3:16). When has your hope been renewed through remembering that God loves you? How can you share Christ’s light with others? Thank You, God, for coming to save me from the darkness of sin and despair. Help me to remain in Your light. Keepers of the Light For God . . . made his light shine in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 4:6 Today's Scripture & Insight: John 8:12–16 They call them “Keepers of the Light.” At the lighthouse on the cape of Hatteras Island just off the North Carolina coast of the United States, there’s a memorial to those who’ve tended the light stations there since 1803. Shortly after the existing structure was moved inland because of shoreline erosion, the names of the keepers were etched on the old foundation stones and arranged into an amphitheater shape facing the new site. That way—as a placard explains—today’s visitors can follow in the historical keepers’ footsteps and “watch over” the lighthouse as well. Jesus is the ultimate light-giver. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). That’s a radical thing for anyone to claim. But Jesus said it to affirm His relationship with His heavenly Father, the Creator of light and life who sent Him. When we look to Jesus for salvation and follow His teaching, we’re restored in relationship with God, and He gives us new power and purpose. His transforming life and love—“the light of all mankind” (1:4)—shines in us and through us and out to a dark and sometimes dangerous world. As believers in Jesus, we become “keepers of the light.” May others see His light shine from us and discover the life and hope He alone can give! In what practical ways can you shine Jesus’ light? Where is God calling you to be obedient to Him today? Jesus, I praise You for Your light and love. Help me to shine for You. Christmas Lights I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12 Today's Scripture & Insight: John 8:12–20 Each year for several weeks around Christmas, Singapore’s tourist belt, Orchard Road, is transformed into a wonderland of lights and colors. This light-up is designed to attract tourists to spend their money at the many stores along the street during this “golden month of business.” Shoppers come to enjoy the festivities, listen to choirs sing familiar Christmas carols, and watch performers entertain. The first Christmas “light-up” ever was not created by electrical cables, glitter, and neon lights but by “the glory of the Lord [that] shone around” (Luke 2:9). No tourists saw it, just a few simple shepherds out in their field. And it was followed by an unexpected rendition of “Glory to God in the Highest” by an angelic choir (v. 14). The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see if what the angels said was true (v. 15). After they had confirmed it, they could not keep to themselves what they had heard and seen. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (v. 17). Lord, help me this Christmas to reflect the light of Your presence and goodness to others. Read more of the Christmas story in God of the Stable at discoveryseries.org/hp145. The gift of God’s love in us can bring light to any darkness. John Henry Jowett - THE DISCIPLESHIP THAT TELLS “He that followeth Me.”—John 8.12- 20. YES, but I must make sure that I follow Him in Spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24). It is so easy to be self-deceived. I may follow a pleasant emotion, while all the time a bit of grim cross-bearing is being ignored. I may be satisfied to be “out on the ocean sailing,” singing of “a home beyond the tide,” while all the time there is a piece of perilous salvage work to be done beneath the waves. To “follow Jesus” is to face the hostility of scribes and Pharisees, to offer restoring friendship to publicans and sinners, to pray in blood-shedding in Gethsemane, to brave the derision of the brutal mob, and to be “ready” for the appalling happenings on Calvary! Therefore, following is not a light picnic; it is a possible martyrdom! But if I set my face “to go,” the Lord Himself will visit me with “the light of life.” And the resource shall not be broken and spasmodic: it shall be mine without ceasing. “Be thou faithful ... and I will give thee ... life.” That life will flow into my soul, just as the oxygenating air flows down to the diver who is faithfully busy recovering wreckage from the wealth-strewn bed of the mighty sea. Let me be faithful, and every moment the Lord will crown me with His own vitalizing life! J R Miller - I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 We are always coming to points we have never passed before. Every new temptation is such a point. We cannot get through it unless we have a guide. Some of you know how dark and strange it seemed to you, the first time you had to enter the valley of sorrow. A godly man says: "I shall never forget, while memory lasts, the strangeness of the experience through which I passed, when first the reaper whose name is Death came into my home, and with his sickle keen cut down at one thrust, two of my children! The stroke blinded me for the moment; but when at length I opened my eyes, I saw the ark in the river, and that instantly steadied me. I knew then where I was." Every new duty brings us also to a way we know not. Every fresh responsibility calls us to walk in an unfamiliar road. All of life is untrodden, and we cannot find the way ourselves. Then there is that last walk on earth—into the valley of shadows. We never can get any experience in dying; for no feet ever walk twice on that way, nor has any friend ever come back to tell us what it is like. When we come to die, we shall find ourselves in an experience we have never known before. If we have not Christ in the strange, unfamiliar path, we shall not find the way. Words Of Light I am the light of the world. —John 8:12 Today's Scripture: John 8:12-20 Jesus, an itinerant rabbi from the town of Nazareth, asserted that He was the light of the world. That was an incredible claim from a man in first-century Galilee, an obscure region in the Roman Empire. It could not boast of any impressive culture and had no famous philosophers, noted authors, or gifted sculptors. And we have no record that Jesus had any formal education. More than that, Jesus lived before the invention of the printing press, radio, television, and e-mail. How could He expect His ideas to be circulated around the globe? The words He spoke were committed to the memories of His followers. Then the Light of the world was snuffed out by the darkness—or so it seemed. Centuries later we still listen with amazement to Jesus’ words, which His Father has miraculously preserved. His words lead us out of darkness into the light of God’s truth; they fulfill His promise, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, A light to my path alway To guide and to save me from sin And to show me the heavenly way. —Sellers Because Jesus is the Light of the world, we don't need to be in the dark about God. A Great Light The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. — Isaiah 9:2 Today's Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7 I was driving through the mountains of western Maryland on a cold December night. As I topped a ridge near Rocky Gap State Park, a brilliant sea of lights caught my attention. What in the world is that? I wondered as the exit road flashed past. It so aroused my curiosity that 5 miles down the interstate I turned around and drove back to see what it was—a local community’s celebration in lights during the Christmas season. At noon, I wouldn’t have noticed anything. But at night, the dazzling display couldn’t be ignored. Strange, isn’t it, that we complain about the moral and spiritual darkness of our world, yet it is the perfect setting for the radiance of the Lord Jesus Christ. At Christmas, we often read these prophetic words: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). Jesus said of Himself: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), and to His disciples, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). O Holy One of glorious birth Who lives within our heart, May we to all men everywhere Your wondrous love impart. —Brandt To lead others out of the darkness, let them see your light. Nic At Nite I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. —John 12:46 Today's Scripture: John 3:1-21 According to the apostle John, Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night” (John 3:2). Was this Pharisee skulking under cover of darkness, embarrassed or ashamed that he, as one of the ruling class, was curious about Jesus? Some have suggested that it was just cooler at night. Others have said that evening was a better time to ask Jesus questions because it was quieter and there were fewer distractions. We really don’t know the reason Nicodemus went to Jesus at night, but John seemed determined to make a point of that specific fact. Every time he mentioned Nicodemus, he identified him by saying something like: “You know who I’m talking about—the guy who came to Jesus by night” (see 7:50; 19:39). Nicodemus, no doubt, was quite moral and lived according to Mosaic Law. People probably thought he was a pretty good person. Yet none of that mattered. He was in the dark about who Jesus really was, and he wanted to know the truth. So he was drawn from the darkness into the presence of “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Our search for truth is hindered by The darkness of the night, Until the Bright and Morning Star Reveals His brilliant light. —Sper Faith in Christ is not a leap into the dark; it’s a step into the Light. The Light Of The World He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. —John 8:12 Today's Scripture: John 1:1-9 Scholar and historian Will Durant wrote 11 volumes titled The Story Of Civilization. Across the pages of that monumental work moves a procession of the world’s outstanding persons—rulers, philosophers, military heroes, artists, scientists, and explorers. When someone spends his life studying history and keeping company with the most influential men and women of all time, his appraisal of famous people is worthy of respect. And in Durant’s opinion, Jesus of Nazareth stands out above all others. From a human standpoint, Jesus was a young Jew who was crucified as a criminal in first-century Israel. He never commanded an army, ruled a nation, wrote a book, or did any of the other things that are regarded as significant achievements. Yet that young Jew had the audacity to declare, “I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12). And 20 centuries later, people are still following His light and being delivered “from the power of darkness” (Col. 1:13). No darkness have we who in Jesus abide— The light of the world is Jesus; We walk in the light when we follow our Guide— The light of the world is Jesus. —Bliss God wants us to walk in the light of his Son, not stumble in the darkness of the world. Pilot Lights You shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. — Philippians 2:15-16 Today's Scripture: Philippians 2:5-16 In 1982, a London pastor watched as a man stood on the church steps and witnessed to passersby about Jesus. The pastor had never seen anything like it. He admitted that before that day he had considered himself an evangelist because he preached evangelistic sermons. But that night a fire was kindled in his heart. He promised God he would begin talking to people outside his church as well as inside. The pastor invited members of the church to join him, and the weekly venture became known as Pilot Lights. Just as a pilot light stays lit and ready to be used, members of the Pilot Lights commit themselves to be faithful to God and available for Him to use to tell others about Christ. After a time of training and prayer, they walk the sidewalks near the church every Saturday morning, talking with people about Jesus. Our churches are to be places of wonderful friendship and support. But perhaps, like the pastor in London, we need to raise our eyes to see people just beyond the walls of our traditional practice. It’s important to share the glow of worship together, but the sidewalks of life are filled with people who need to see the light of Christ shining through us (Phil. 2:15). Is your life a channel of blessing? Is the love of God flowing through you? Are you telling the lost of the Savior? Are you ready His service to do? —Smyth A world in darkness needs the light of the gospel. James Smith - “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.” John 8:12 I. Think of the Nature of this Saying. What a revelation of Christ’s character! What a consciousness of unlimited fulness! II. Think of the Light the World has had. Light of science, philosophy, and of experience; yet, apart from Christ, it is a world rolling in spiritual darkness. III. Think of the Light Christ has Brought into the World. 1. Light on the true character of God. 2. Light on the world’s own character and need. 3. Light on the dark problems of human history. 4. Light on man’s future and eternal destiny. Vance Havner - The Bushel and the Bed Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? (Mark 4:21). Christ is the Light of the world (John 8:12). Believers are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14). Our Light is Christ within. We are to let our light shine, not shine it. It is to be a glow, not a glare. TWO THINGS HINDER CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY, THE BUSHEL AND THE BED. 1. The bushel stands for business, commercialism, money-making. Your only business is to do the will of God. That is your vocation but most Christians treat it as a vacation, something to be done only once in a while. If you are a farmer, it really is God's farm; you are just the tenant. If you keep store, really it is God's store; you are but the clerk. Don't let the bushel smother the candle! 2. The bed stands for pleasure, ease, worldly comfort. There is no testimony among those who are at ease in Zion. Churches are filled with "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (2 Tim. 3:4). And if "she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth" (1 Tim. 5:6) what a host of animated corpses run around doing church work! Said the Irishman who saw a tombstone marked "I yet live": "If I was dead I wouldn't be ashamed to admit it!" But professing believers are dead and don't know it nor does Sardis know she is dead though she has a name to be alive. Beware the bushel and the bed! James Butler - Jesus the Light “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.” (John 8:12) THIS verse is one of the great verses in the Bible. In this verse we learn some wonderful truths about Jesus Christ. We focus especially on the truths found in that part of the verse which says, “I am the light of the world.” Among the truths taught in this statement are that Jesus is God, Jesus is Messiah, and Jesus is Savior. Jesus is God. The two words “I am” are most significant. They are related to the great “I am” revelation of Jehovah God given to Moses in the back side of the desert. “I am” is the abbreviation of the name “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14) which is the chief name of God given to Israel in the Old Testament. Therefore, the “I am” in our verse speaks of the Deity of Jesus Christ. Throughout the New Testament you will find these two words associated with Christ. And when you do, you have a testimony of the Deity of Christ. Jesus is Messiah. “Light” declares Christ’s office of Messiah. “Light” is a symbol of the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah in prophesying of the coming Messiah said, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined” (Isaiah 9:2). When Christ came to earth the first time, He brought this light (Matthew 4:13–16). But the people rejected the Light. When Christ comes again to earth, the people will not reject the Light; and He will rule from Jerusalem and bring light to the world. Jesus is Savior. “Light” also says Jesus is the Savior. The prophet Malachi said, “Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing [salvation] in his wings [rays of light]” (Malachi 4:2). Apostle John said in the book of Revelation about the new Jerusalem, “The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for … the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23) The “Lamb” here is the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). It is Jesus Christ the Savior. (Daily Bible Reading, Volume 2) John 8:12–20; 12:44–50 LIGHT OF THE WORLD - John Bennett Light is one of John’s favourite metaphors for the purity, holiness, and judgement of God. In John chapter 1 he says ‘In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not … That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world’, vv. 4, 5, and 9. Elsewhere, he affirms that ‘God is light, and in him is no darkness at all’, 1 John 1:5. In John chapter 8 the religious enemies of the Lord Jesus once again try to discredit Him. They bring before Him an adulteress, and bid Him deal with her. Would He enforce the Law by decreeing her execution? Or would He set aside the dictates of the commandment in favour of mercy? In unequalled brilliance, the Lord Jesus showed Himself to be ‘the light of the world’ by showing mercy, while upholding the law. He made no attempt, as the legalistic Pharisees often did, to find a loophole in the commandment. Nor did He explain away the righteous standard of the law. He agreed that the woman could justly be executed for her crime. Nevertheless, He exposed the hypocrisy of her accusers by reminding them that they had all violated God’s holy standards and were likewise deserving of death. ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her’, John 8:7, reminds us that the perfect God has the ultimate right to judge. As the barbs of conscience struck home to these men, they each drifted away in shame. Sadly, we do not read of any of them repenting of their duplicity and seeking the Lord. The woman in turn found that the sinless Lord, who had every right to condemn her, mercifully set her free with the injunction to ‘sin no more’. There were no accusers to bear witness against her. Having illustrated His perfect knowledge and holiness in His handling of this difficult situation, the Lord Jesus proceeds to offer Himself as the Light of the world who will enable men to ‘not walk in darkness, but … have the light of life’, v. 12. He offers us freedom from slavery to sin and the liberty to serve God as we ought. Sadly, chapter 12 makes it clear that many were heedless of this invitation, John 12:35–43. (Day by Day: Divine Titles) Walk in the Light - Bill Bright “Later, in one of his talks, Jesus said to the people, ‘I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.’” JOHN 8:12 The living room of our home was dark when I quietly slipped the key into the lock and opened the door one night, walking slowly and softly so as not to awaken Vonette and our sons who were very young. Though they had been trained to put away their toys, somehow in the rush to get ready for bed that night they had left cars and a train and other favorite playthings scattered throughout the living room. You guessed it! I stepped on one with wheels that almost threw me to the floor before I could regain my balance. Many a person has broken a leg or an arm under similar circumstances, and some have even fallen and hit their heads on sharp objects, resulting in a fatal accident. So it is in the spiritual realm. If we insist on walking in the darkness, we will inevitably stumble and take risks that can greatly jeopardize our spiritual health and, in some cases, lead to our spiritual death by cutting ourselves off from God. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness.” In the first epistle of John we are told, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not tell the truth. If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses [and keeps on cleansing] us from all sin.” There is only one person who qualifies to be the light of the world. That is Jesus. So how do we follow Him? What does it mean to walk in the light? Basically, it means that there is no unconfessed sin. It means that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, that we are feasting upon the Word of God and obeying His commands which include sharing our love for Christ with others. Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:4–8 Action Point: Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I shall walk in the light with Christ and reflect His light in such a way that those who walk in darkness will be drawn to the light as moths are drawn to a burning candle (Promises: A Daily Guide to Supernatural Living) Henry Blackaby - CALLED TO BE LIGHT “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” —Matthew 5:14–16 Children love to play with flashlights. Do you remember how much fun it was as a child to go into a dark room and turn on the flashlight? It could be pointed in any direction and on any thing and immediately illuminate that area. Flashlights are not only fun but also useful. We keep one in our car for emergencies; we keep one in the kitchen in case the electricity goes out; and we always take one on camping trips. While flashlights are used in a variety of places, they are always used for one purpose: to bring light to a dark place. Have you ever tried to turn on a flashlight, only to find out the batteries were dead? Is a flashlight useful to you without batteries? No, it’s not. In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” As we consider Jesus’s words, we are reminded that Jesus is the Light and that He, through the Holy Spirit, dwells within those of us who are Christians. He is the Light within us, and He wants to use our lives to bring light into the darkness around us. Imagine yourself as a flashlight and your relationship with Jesus as the batteries. Your fellowship with Jesus is the source and sustainer of your light. Jesus holds you, the flashlight, in His hands so that He can direct and shine His light through you onto any person or situation He chooses. He can use you as a light in your neighborhood, your workplace, or your family. As long as the batteries are good, the flashlight is useful. However, if the batteries are corroded or dead, the flashlight is of no use. In the same way, if we are out of fellowship with God, our lives (flashlights) are of no use in the kingdom of God. If corrosion is a problem, our batteries must be cleaned; if low on charge, they need to be recharged or replaced. In other words, in order to be the light of the world, we must be in a healthy, right relationship with Jesus so He can use us to shine His light into the darkness of this world. As Jesus tells His disciples that they are the light of the world, He paints a wonderful word picture of a city sitting on a hill. When we are driving at night, the sight of a city on a hill is beautiful. The lights bring color and beauty to the night sky. As we approach the city, our eyes are drawn to the city lights; the lights become our focus because they dispel the darkness. The light of the city set on a hill will draw people to the city. Jesus tells His disciples that they are just like that city and that He will use them to draw the watching world to Himself. They will shine like lights in darkness for the purpose of drawing all people to God. Lord, please give me the courage to let You place me in the middle of the darkness to shine as a light. May I not fear a dark place, but trust You to illuminate my world by shining Your perfect light through me today. Amen. (Called and Accountable) THE GOSPEL OF LIGHT - Robert Blackhouse with D Martyn Lloyd-Jones I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. JOHN 14:6 Are we all doomed to perpetual blindness and darkness? There is but one hope. There is but one answer. There is but one cure. According to the Gospel, Jesus of Nazareth was the only begotten Son of God. He came down to earth because of the blindness of mankind, because man had been deluded by the god of this world. He came and brought that treatment that alone can avail. He has removed by His sacrificial, atoning death and His resurrection the stain of the guilt of sin. He has given new life and power to our diseased and paralyzed spiritual optic nerves. He enables us to see God, to behold the Father’s face. And, looking at Him, the light of the eternal countenance irradiates our whole being. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). And that statement has been verified in countless thousands of experiences. He said that He was “the light of the world” (John 8:12) and that anyone who followed Him need no longer walk in darkness but will have “the light of life” (John 8:12). It is He alone who can reconcile us to God and enable us to see and to know God. The message of the Gospel therefore to this modern, distracted world is that in simplicity it has but to offer this prayer: Holy Spirit, truth divine, Dawn upon this soul of mine. Word of God and inward light, Wake my spirit, clear my sight. The Gospel states with assurance that all who offer this prayer in sincerity and truth will be able to say with the apostle Paul that “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6) has shined into their hearts. (Walking With God Day by Day) Daily Light on the Daily Path: “I am... the bright morning star.” “A star shall come out of Jacob.” The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.-Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on cleft mountains. “Watchman, what time of the night?” The watchman says: “Morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; come back again.” “I am the light of the world.”-“And I will give him the morning star.” “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the door-keeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake... lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Rev 22:16. Nu 24:17. Ro 13:12. Song 2:17. Isa. 21:11, 12. Jn 8:12. Rev. 2:28. Mk 13:33-37. My Daily Pursuit - A W Tozer 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. Jn 8:12 I once knew a man, a Southerner, who never quite made the English language hang together. He was a dear saint of God and was converted down in the southern part of Ohio. His conversion was so real and so marvelous, and he knew when and where it all happened. Every year he would go back to the little church where he was converted, walk down the isle, kneel at the old-fashioned wooden altar and have an hour of Thanksgiving to thank God Almighty that He saw fit to save him. One summer, he went back to find that the church had been sold and turned into a garage with a concrete floor. It was the same building, only it had been gutted out, and now they were using it for a garage. He stepped off to the approximate place where the old altar had been and knelt down in the oil and grease with all the fellows around him working and drilling while he praised and thanked God that he was ever converted. Dare to believe in the infinite love and grace of God, and let His power bring you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. The whole world was lost In the darkness of sin; The Light of the world is Jesus; Like sunshine at noon-day His glory shone in, The Light of the world is Jesus. PHILIP P. BLISS (1838–1876) Dear God, I remember when Thee met my soul and Thy infinite grace rolled over me with cleansing power. I praise Thee today that Thee saw fit to save me. Amen. The True Light - John 8:12 - George Everard - 1868 David Jeremiah - Turn On the Lights - Signs of Life - DavidJeremiah.org The human heart is dark without Christ, but what a difference Jesus makes! Imagine a world without Christmas lights. That would be the world before 1882. Oh, people built bonfires and attached candles to the limbs of their Christmas trees (sometimes burning down the town in the process), but it wasn’t until Edward Johnson, Thomas Edison’s associate, invented electric Christmas tree lights that American homes began to really sparkle and twinkle. As Johnson’s family decorated for the holidays that year, he poured his energy into producing a string of eighty small, brightly colored lights. As they sparkled through the front window, crowds of people lined up to gasp in wonder. It seemed magical, especially after Johnson developed a system for making them flash on and off. Wanting to see the lights more closely, people knocked on the front door. Newspapers sent reports all over the country, and reporters marched, one after another, into and out of the Johnson home. Electric Christmas tree lights didn’t immediately become a commercial item, however, because no one except Thomas Edison, Edward Johnson, and a few others had electricity in their homes. Furthermore, it was rather expensive. Johnson’s string of bulbs cost over $100 in materials—more money than some Americans made in a year. Gradually, however, as more people got electricity, Christmas lights became more popular. In 1910, General Electric introduced a string of bulbs that could be produced and sold inexpensively, and Christmas lights have been household items ever since.1 … Nothing expresses the mission of Jesus Christ better than lights. In the Old Testament, the golden candlestick in the temple was a type of Christ signifying that the coming Messiah would be the light of Israel. And the prophet Isaiah predicted His coming by saying, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.… For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:2, 6). In the Gospels, Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), and John opened his Gospel saying, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Now, I’m not a physicist, but I know a few things about light. First of all, light destroys darkness. In fact, some scholars claim there’s no such thing as darkness at all. In their view, darkness is simply the absence of light! What I have observed, though, is when light comes, darkness flees. The human heart is dark without Christ, but what a difference Jesus makes. Missionary E. Stanley Jones said, “When I met Christ, I felt that I had swallowed sunshine!”2 How sad, then, when people love darkness rather than light. Jesus predicted this in John 3:19, but it’s still hard for us to understand. Maybe an old story about a desert nomad who awakened in the middle of the night can help. This man sat up, lit a candle, and began eating dates from a bowl beside his bed. He took a bite from one end and saw a worm in it, so he threw it out of the tent. He bit into the second date, found another worm, and threw it away also. Reasoning that he wouldn’t have any dates left to eat if he continued in this way, he blew out the candle and quickly ate all the dates. Many people love iniquity so much they’d rather swallow their sins and wallow in darkness than to turn on the light of Christ—and light truly does define Christianity. Ephesians 5:8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” In Philippians 2:15, we’re described as “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” We should picture ourselves like that! As you stroll up and down the aisles at the grocery store, remember that your smile, your attitude, your concern for others, and perhaps even your purchases should reflect the light of Jesus. As you work in your yard, remember that you’re a mirror designed to reflect the light of Christ so that it shines into your neighbor’s window. As you play a round of golf, remember that God may give you an opportunity to say a word for Him. Now think of prison inmates. What a dark place they are in! Have you ever considered getting involved in a jailhouse ministry? Could you reflect Jesus’ light by mentoring prisoners? distributing gifts at Christmas? regularly writing to someone behind bars? We also need to shine a light into the streets of our inner cities. Does your church have a ministry to prostitutes? the addicted? alcoholics? the mentally ill? What about reaching out to the people in the nursing homes? Jesus said that when we do something for “the least of these,” we do it unto Him (Matthew 25:40). In His Sermon on the Mount, our Lord said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16). As I was working on this chapter, newspapers reported that a massive blackout struck the whole country of Colombia. From the northern Caribbean coast to the southern Amazon jungle, the power suddenly went off. People in Bogotá were trapped in elevators. In cities and in the countryside, ten thousand traffic signals were darkened, mobile telephones went dead, the stock market suspended trading, and homes lost their lights and refrigeration. Authorities blamed the failure on a single electricity substation. I think the same thing is happening to the United States, spiritually speaking. A massive spiritual blackout is spreading across America and Western Europe, and this is the darkest day we’ve ever had in our culture. Our society is more corrupt now than it has ever been. But even in that harsh fact, I find a bit of encouragement. The darker the night, the more noticeable when our light shines brightly. A man I know recalls growing up in a little town in the mountains. There were few streetlights, and when bedtime came, the streets were dark. His bed was by the window, and every night the last thing he saw before closing his eyes was the tiny light of a neighbor’s doorbell button—two blocks away. On a dark night, even a small light travels a long way. So you may not be a famous humanitarian, a worldwide evangelist, or a well-known preacher. But when Jesus returned to heaven, He commissioned you and me to be His lights who must not hide our faith under a bushel. If we don’t reflect the light of our Lord in our dark culture, it remains dark. God has graciously given His children the capacity to meet human need in the power of the Holy Spirit and, as we do so, to be His light in a dark world. And that’s our very identity. In the devotional book Voices of the Faithful, a missionary named Gerri told of working in an African town. One day exciting news reached her. The Lozi king was coming to attend church services and to eat at her house. As far as Gerri knew, the king usually didn’t visit private homes, and word of his upcoming visit spread through the town like wildfire. When the day finally arrived, the king entered Gerri’s house. She explained in the Lozi language that she was a missionary and that, in Lozi, the name Gerri sounded like “Jelly” because the “r” sound is hard for the people to pronounce. She boldly asked the king for a Lozi name. Though she didn’t know it at the time, such a request was against protocol, but the king just smiled and said, “I’ll think about it.” Later as he prepared to leave, the king said, “My wife and I have decided upon a name for you. It will be Liseli [pronounced lee-SHE-lee]. It means ‘light.’ Just as the sun gives light and life to plants, animals, and people, I want God’s Word to be life and light to the people of Western Province.” Gerri later wrote, “I was stunned and pleased to receive this blessing. After the king left the room, a lady seated nearby privately said, ‘Ah, you are a very lucky woman to be given a name by the king.’ ”3 Well, the King of kings has given you a name—and it’s LIGHT! Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” So turn on the light for Him and then shine before men that people might see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. SIGNS OF LIFE Life Sign: I am a source of light in a dark world. Life Verse: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.—Matthew 5:16 Life in Action: When people see me, do they see the light of Jesus shining through me? Here are four ways I can reflect the Light into others’ lives today and every day: D L Moody - I am the light of the world.—John 8:12. I HEARD OF AN INFIDEL once who said, “Look at your convert; it is all moonshine.” The young convert replied to him, “I thank you for the compliment. We are perfectly willing to be called that. The moon borrows the light from the sun, and so we borrow ours from Christ.” Ivan Steeds - CHRIST IN THE CLOUD AND PILLAR OF FIRE Its Properties. Mystery surrounded this strange object in the camp. The fiery pillar whose brilliance was softened by the misty cloud reminds us of One whose effulgent deity, too much for mortal eyes, was shielded by the fashion of His humble humanity. Its Pathway. The desert was a trackless waste. No signposts marked their way but there was no danger of being lost so long as they followed this gracious guide. Wherever it lead, they safely followed. So is Christ to the believer. We follow One who has crossed the desert sands before us and has pioneered the way. His promise is for us, ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life’, John 8:12. Its Protection. It was a covering for their camp and a protective canopy above their heads. Umbrella-like it gave the redeemed people a protection from the heat of the sun during the day and the cold of the wilderness at night. The Hebrew poet informs us, ‘He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night’, Ps. 105:39. So is Christ to the believer. Its Positions. The pillar cloud was ever with them. Whether it was the edge of the wilderness, the danger of the sea, the hunger of the desert, the glory of the mountain, or the filling of the sanctuary, the cloud was there. How like a Saviour who identifies with His people in every circumstance of their pilgrimage. Its Permanence. It was always there. Unmoved by desert storms and so unlike normal clouds changeable in their vapour and their movements. How blessed the assurance of Exodus 13:22, ‘He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people’, and we are reminded of One who has promised us, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’, Heb 13:5–6. Its Plenitude. They made the tabernacle, in every detail, according to the pattern. The labour was demanding but how worthwhile it all was when the newly constructed sanctuary was filled with the glory of the Lord. May we still enjoy, as we seek to follow the pattern of His word, the compensations of the fullness of His presence in the midst of His redeemed people. (Day by Day: Christ Foreshadowed) A Contrast A miser, whose ruling passion was strong even in death, exclaimed: "Put out that candle, Marie." "But, Uncle, suppose you want something." "Put it out," he gasped, "one does not need light to die!" Indeed we do. Alas! for those who have it not—for those who have to repeat the dying words of a noted infidel: "I'm taking a leap in the dark." Now for the contrast. A lad lay dying. Said his mother tenderly: "Is Jesus with you in the dark valley?" "Dark valley!" he whispered, "it's not dark, it's getting brighter and brighter, Mother. Oh," he murmured, "it's so bright now, that I have to shut my eyes!" And so he passed away to be with Jesus, who said, "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." —S.J.B.C. in Assembly Annals I am the LIGHT of the World; he that followeth Me... shall have the Light of Life (John 8:12). • The Light... John 12:35. • The True Light... John 1:9. • A Great Light... Isaiah 9:2. • A Light Come into the World... John 12:46. • The Light of the World... John 8:12. • The Light of Men... John 1:4. • A Light to Lighten the Gentiles... Luke 2:32. • A Star... Numbers 24:17. • The Morning Star... Revelation 2:28. • The Bright and Morning Star... Revelation 22:16. • The Day Star... 2 Peter 1:19. • The Dayspring from on High... Luke 1:78. • The Sun of Righteousness... Malachi 4:2. THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.—John 8:12 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.—John 9:4–5 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.—Genesis 1:2–5 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.—2 Corinthians 4:6 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.—John 1:4–5 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.—John 3:19 You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Those who walk in the dark do not know where they are going. Put your trust in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.—John 12:35–36 The deepest darkness I ever experienced was during a tour of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The group had just entered a much deeper cavern and our guide informed us that the lights were about to be turned off. We were instructed not to move until the lights were turned on again, and nobody had a problem obeying that order! For the first time I understood what Moses meant when he described the tenth plague in Egypt as “darkness that can be felt” (Ex. 10:21–23). It’s impossible to explain it, but we could feel the darkness and were happy to see the lights come on again. The people living on Planet Earth are very familiar with the sequence of day and night, so it’s no surprise that in many languages light and darkness are used as metaphors. Light usually symbolizes what is good and darkness what is bad. For example, if you don’t understand what’s going on, you are “in the dark”; if you do understand, you are “enlightened.” In Scripture, light speaks of God (“God is light,” 1 John 1:5), and the darkness speaks of sin and Satan (John 3:19–21; Acts 26:18). Sinners perform “deeds of darkness” (Rom. 13:12), while God’s people should live as “children of light” (Eph. 5:8–13). Jesus called hell “outer darkness” (Matt. 8:12; 25:30 NASB), but Revelation 21:25 tells us that there will be no night in heaven. Unbelievers are lost in the darkness (John 12:46), while believers have been called out of darkness and “into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). When John the Baptist appeared on the scene and announced the arrival of the Messiah, “he came as a witness to testify concerning that light [Jesus]” (John 1:7). The only people you must tell that the light is shining are blind people! Many people believed John, repented of their sins, and had their eyes opened to truth, but the religious leaders of the nation remained in darkness. They thought that they could see and that the common people were ignorant, but it was quite the opposite. The common people believed John and followed Jesus, while the “spiritual leaders” resisted God’s truth (Matt. 21:23–27). Some of them said that Jesus was a drunk, a glutton, and a demon-possessed man. As in that day, so today: The most dangerous darkness in our “enlightened age” is the dense spiritual darkness that blinds the minds and controls the hearts of people who have never trusted Christ or who claim to know Him but don’t follow Him. Jesus came to dispel spiritual darkness, and to do so, He had to endure the darkness and the suffering of the cross. As the prophet Isaiah described it, “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isa. 9:2; see also Matt. 4:15–16). In order to live as “children of light,” we must understand and personally apply the truths Jesus shared when He said, “I am the light of the world.” Let’s consider three aspects of this statement from our Lord. The Setting The context of John 7—9 is the celebration of the annual Festival of Tabernacles (John 7:2–3, 14, 37), which the Jewish people observed for eight days in the seventh month of their calendar, which would be sometime in our mid-September to mid-October (Lev. 23:33–44). It was not only a time of joyful thanksgiving for the harvest, but it was also a celebration of God’s care of their ancestors during the years they wandered in the wilderness and lived in temporary dwellings. During the week of the festival, many people lived in booths made of tree branches set on the roofs of their houses. Jerusalem was filled with visitors and alive with celebration—singing and dancing, torch parades, and even people marching around the city walls in imitation of Israel’s great victory at the city of Jericho (Josh. 6). Early each morning during that week, some priests would carry water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out on the west side of the brazen altar in the temple court. This reminded the people how God had provided water for their ancestors during their difficult journey to Canaan. This ritual should also have reminded them of the words of Isaiah: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isa. 12:3). On the last day of the festival when the water was poured out, Jesus used the event as an opportunity to tell the people that they could satisfy their spiritual thirst by trusting Him and receiving the gift of the Spirit: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” (John 7:37–39). At night during the week, the priests lit four large candelabra in the court of the women, and the glow from the light could be seen across the city. These lamps were reminders to the Jews of the pillar of fire by which God led Israel through the darkness. But they were also a symbol of the cloud of God’s glory that led the nation by day and hovered over the tabernacle when the people camped (Ex. 13:21–22; 40:34–38; Num. 14:14). “The LORD is my light and my salvation” (Ps. 27:1). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Ps. 119:105). “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you” (Isa. 60:1). Did the celebrants in Jesus’ day think of these verses? The people who knew the Scriptures would remember that the prophet Ezekiel had described the glory of God departing from the temple in Jerusalem before the city was destroyed by the Babylonians. (See Ezek. 9—11.) As in the time of Samuel the prophet, they could say, “Ichabod—the glory has departed” (see 1 Sam. 4:21). When the priests were putting out the lamps at the end of the festival, perhaps that’s when Jesus cried out, “I am the light of the world!” The Meaning It was proper for the Jewish people to observe this feast because God had commanded it. However, it was tragic that, in their many joyful activities, they were ignoring the Son of God, who alone could bless them! Jesus had to stand up and shout to get their attention. Divine truth had been replaced by man-made tradition. Nowhere did the Lord command the priests to light huge candelabra or to pour out water at the altar. There was nothing essentially wicked about either activity; but unless the priests and people lifted their minds and hearts to the Lord and experienced changed lives, those traditions were futile. When man’s tradition replaces God’s Word, then illusion replaces reality. We glory in the past but never grow in the present. Great value can be found in celebrating meaningful traditions that are handed down from generation to generation. Every nation, city, and family has them. The English word tradition comes from the Latin traditio and simply means “to hand over.” When Paul commended the believers in Corinth for “holding to the traditions” (1 Cor. 11:2), he was referring to the commands he had received from the Lord and had faithfully passed on to them, including how to observe the Lord’s Supper (vv. 23–26). The tradition itself is not wrong, but it is wrong to observe it in a meaningless and routine way and to ignore the Son of God. The late theologian and church historian Jaroslav Pelikan wrote, “Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”1 In our Lord’s time, the Pharisees practiced and protected their legalistic traditions and criticized Jesus for neglecting them, but Jesus rejected both their traditions and the legalism behind them (Mark 7:1–23). But before we criticize the Pharisees too severely, let’s examine our own churches and see if perchance our practices may represent “the dead faith of the living.” Godly tradition, born out of biblical truth, loving ministry, and deep spiritual experience, is too precious to be abused or ignored. As the priests extinguished the candelabra in the court of the women and thus ended the festival, Jesus called out, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). He didn’t condemn their tradition; He simply asked them to allow that tradition to point to Him. They had light in their temple but spiritual darkness in their minds and hearts. In spite of their joyful religious festivities, the priests and people were dead in their sins, and the festival itself could never give them life. Jesus offered them life—eternal life—if only they would trust Him and follow Him. In short, Jesus wanted them to have lasting blessing in the present tense, and only He could give them that blessing. The Jews were only looking back and remembering what God had done for their ancestors, when God was willing that very day to give them the water of life and the light of life! “Light” is one of the names of the Messiah, based on the phrase “light dwells with him [God]” in Daniel 2:22, and surely the Jewish religious leaders knew this. They also knew the prophecy in Malachi 4:2: “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.” Here they were, pouring out water, lighting lamps, living in booths, and having a joyful time, yet they really had nothing to celebrate because they had ignored Jesus. Jesus knew the appalling spiritual condition of the people, especially that of the religious leaders. “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.… For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes” (Matt. 13:13, 15; see also Isa. 6:9–10). They didn’t know who Jesus was, nor were they willing to investigate (John 8:25). They claimed God as their spiritual Father (v. 41) and Abraham as their ancestral father (v. 39), when in reality Satan was their father (v. 44). Israel faced a much greater judgment than the “unclean” Gentiles, because they had been given more light and yet rejected it (vv. 39–45). These Jewish religious leaders could see the sun in the heavens (John 8:2), but they did not know the Son who came down from heaven to save them. They didn’t love Jesus (v. 42), understand Him (v. 43), believe in Him (v. 45), or honor Him (v. 49), nor did they really know the Father (vv. 54–55). Instead of listening to Jesus carefully and believing His words, they argued with Him, and as a consequence, they rejected Him. The darkness of unbelief and ungodliness was overcoming them. In our physical world, the sun is “the light of the world,” but in the spiritual kingdom, Jesus is the Light and there is no other. Everything in our galaxy depends on the sun, and without it, there would be only darkness and death. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:13–15), but Jesus is the only true Light (John 1:9). “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5 NASB). If you have trusted Christ as your Savior and Lord, you need no angel or saint in heaven nor person on earth to represent you before God. Jesus is your Mediator, Advocate (1 John 2:1–2), and High Priest, interceding for you at the throne of God (Heb. 4:14–16). Just as the sun is sufficient to give light to our planet, so Jesus is sufficient to enlighten His church. The sun is in the center of the earth’s solar system and our planet orbits around it. Jesus is at the center of all things that relate to the Father and to His church and we must keep Him central. He must never be relegated to the fringes. The apostle John saw Jesus among the seven churches on earth (Rev. 1:13) and also in “the center before the throne” in heaven (Rev. 5:6; 7:17). When He was here on earth, Jesus was in the midst of the teachers in the temple (Luke 2:46), and He promises to be in the midst of His people when they assemble in His name (Matt. 18:20). At His crucifixion, He was placed between two thieves, accessible to both, and after His resurrection, He appeared in the midst of His disciples (Luke 24:36; John 20:19, 26). Jesus in the midst! But why was Jesus Christ depicted at the center of things? To remind us “that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18 NKJV). It’s unfortunate that there are people in our churches who are like Diotrephes and love to have the preeminence (3 John 9 NKJV). During my many years of itinerant ministry, I preached to more than one church congregation that was divided and almost destroyed by people who wanted to be important and have their own way. We shouldn’t be surprised if some Christians promote themselves; after all, even the apostles argued over which of them was the greatest (Luke 9:46; 22:24). But Jesus warned them, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12). If the sun were extinguished, life as we know it on the earth would also be extinguished. Jesus is “the light of life,” but only to those who trust Him and follow Him. Yes, the Father “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good” (Matt. 5:45), but the Son of God shines His grace and glory only on those who trust and obey. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). When we fellowship with the Lord, meditate on the Word, and obey what He commands, God’s light shines “in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). We not only learn more about Christ, but we also become more like Christ, “transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). The most important part of our lives is the part that only God sees—our daily worship time with Him; and to ignore that privilege or treat it carelessly will cause us gradually to go from heavenly sunshine into earthly shadows. The nation of Israel was chosen to be “a light for the Gentiles” (Isa. 42:6; 49:6), a privilege that God eventually gave to Paul and the church (Acts 13:47). Jesus watched as the Jewish religious leaders lit the festal lamps each night, but the light did not transform anybody. They were just as blind as ever. The Jews may have boasted over Isaiah 42:6 (see Rom. 2:17–24), but they ignored Isaiah 42:7: “To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” But that’s exactly what Jesus did in John 9, and He is still doing it today through His faithful servants. Let’s watch Him and learn how to do it. The Living James Hudson Taylor was weary and ill and had gone to visit friends in Brighton, England, where he hoped to find rest and spiritual enrichment. It was Sunday, June 25, 1865, and he had accompanied his friends to the morning worship service; but Taylor was “unable to bear the sight of rejoicing multitudes in the house of God.”2 He left the meeting and walked down to the seashore, his heart greatly burdened. How could so many believers be so joyful and yet do so very little to share that joy with the lost, especially the lost in China? On that Sunday morning, Hudson Taylor resolved that, with the Lord’s help, he would begin a mission to reach the lost of inland China. Two days later, he went to the London and County Bank and with a ten-pound note opened an account in the name of the China Inland Mission. That piece of Christian history reminds me of what Jesus did, as recorded at the end of John 8. It was the last day of the weeklong Festival of Booths and the people were celebrating in the temple. At the same time, their religious leaders were rejecting their own Messiah, who was standing among them; in fact, they were on the verge of stoning Him! Undisturbed, Jesus calmly departed from the temple area and obeyed Isaiah 42:7 by bringing light to a blind beggar: “To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Jesus is not visibly walking our city streets today, but His people are here to represent Him and spread the light. Millions of people profess to be followers of the Lord, so there ought to be plenty of light in this world; yet things seem to be getting darker. Jesus promises that if we follow Him, we will walk in the light, not in the darkness, and that His light will give us life. Even more, we will be lights in this dark world and help others find the true Light. “You are the light of the world,” said Jesus. “A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14–16). Paul put it like this: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). The festive crowd in the temple did not impress Jesus, nor did the angry religious leaders who wanted to kill Him disturb Him. He simply moved away from the crowd and went to help an individual who was desperately in need. He left people who were spiritually blind to go heal a man who was physically blind. Our Lord turned away from the religious leaders who rejected Him and ministered to a poor man who obeyed Him and ended up worshipping Him! In the temple, Jesus exposed darkness and was rejected, but to the beggar, He brought light and was worshipped. More than once the record tells us that Jesus turned from the crowd in order to minister to individuals, a practice that would bother believers today who measure ministry only by numbers. How we look at other people determines how much we can help them. To our Lord’s disciples, the blind beggar was a theological problem to discuss and not a needy person to help. Perhaps they had been discussing whether the beggar was even worthy of help; for if his parents were the guilty ones, then the man couldn’t be blamed for his blindness. But Jesus totally rejected their viewpoint and focused on the man and his needs. The next time you sing “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee,” remember that the author, Bernard of Clairvaux, said, “Justice seeks out the merits of the case, but pity only regards the need.” The disciples wanted justice; Jesus opted for mercy. Suppose that back in 1945, Jesus had asked me if I deserved to be saved. Of course I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve it then, and I haven’t deserved it since! I trusted Him, and in His mercy He didn’t give me what I did deserve: judgment. And in His grace He gave me what I didn’t deserve: salvation! “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13–14). Christ is our Light and we trust Him; He is our Leader and we follow Him; He is our Life and we grow in Him and reveal Him to this dark world. The religious leaders and most of the common people in Jesus’ day were blind to who He was and to the very Scriptures they claimed to obey. Jesus told them, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39–40). When we trust Jesus and follow Him, He enables us to see things as they really are. The Jews bragged about their temple, but Jesus knew that the day would come when the Romans would destroy Herod’s temple. The Jews also boasted of their great ancestor Abraham, but Jesus said that the first birth was not sufficient, and that people needed to be born again (John 3). The Jews and their Samaritan neighbors debated over whether Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim was God’s appointed place for worship, and Jesus told them to forget geography and worship God “in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). The priests poured out water at the Festival of Booths without realizing that the water represented the promised Holy Spirit (John 7:37–39). David put it beautifully when he wrote, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light” (Ps. 36:9). We cannot receive light from history, science, or any other discipline unless God’s light shines on it first. God’s Word is light (Ps. 119:105, 130) and God’s Spirit is light (Rev. 4:5), and if we yield to the Spirit and live in the Word, God will teach us. Apart from the Spirit’s ministry, the Bible is a closed book. Furthermore, when we follow Jesus and walk in the light, we see this world and its dangerous illusions as they really are and we will not be deceived. “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20). Jesus told the Jews, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32), but they didn’t understand what He was saying. Because they had rejected the light, they thought He was talking about political freedom from slavery when He was actually referring to spiritual freedom from sin. The way Jesus healed the blind beggar helps us better understand how we, the “children of light” (1 Thess. 5:5), may share God’s love and be used by Him to open the eyes of those who are spiritually blind. First, Jesus put mud in the blind man’s eyes, which must have seemed cruel to those who were watching; but Jesus knew what He was doing. He could heal blind eyes merely by touching them (Matt. 9:27–31) or by putting His spittle on them (Mark 8:22–26), but the irritation from the mud encouraged this man to obey our Lord’s words: “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” (John 9:7). As we witness to the lost, we must not fail to deal with sin, because there can be no conversion without conviction and contrition. The apostle John explains to his Gentile readers that “Siloam” means “sent” (v. 7), and he sees this as a reference to the Messiah, who was sent by the Father (see also 3:17, 34; 5:36; 7:29; 8:18, 42; 9:4). The beggar was healed by Jesus, not by the water from the Pool of Siloam. Knowing it would anger the Pharisees, Jesus had deliberately healed the man on the Sabbath day, and this ignited a controversy. In their attempt to gather evidence against Jesus, the religious leaders interrogated the beggar and his parents, and four times they asked how he had been healed (John 9:10, 15, 19, 26). The parents were evasive, because they didn’t want to be excommunicated from the synagogue; but the healed man did not change his testimony. In fact, his witness became so personal and powerful that the angry Pharisees insulted him and expelled him from the synagogue. This was a costly experience for a Jew, for it would cut him off from official worship and social fellowship. But better that he could see and build his own life than that he remain a blind beggar for the rest of his life. And Jesus always cares for His sheep. He found the man in the temple and there opened his spiritual eyes (Eph. 1:18) and brought him into the flock of the Lord (John 9:35–38). It’s beautiful to see how this man grew in his knowledge of who Jesus was. “The man they call Jesus” (John 9:11) was his first statement about Jesus, but then he said, “He is a prophet” (v. 17). The Pharisees called Jesus a sinner, for after all He had dishonored the Sabbath; but the beggar called Him a man of God (v. 33). When Jesus met him in the temple, the beggar discovered that this “sinner” was actually the Son of Man, a title of the Messiah (vv. 35–38; see also Dan. 7:13–14), and he worshipped Him. We will one day meet this healed man in heaven and hear from his own lips what the Savior did for him. Did you notice how Jesus moved from the universal (“the light of the world”) to the individual (“the one following me,” see John 8:12)? That’s because He brings His light to the world through the good works of His own disciples. James Hudson Taylor and his associates were lights shining in China, just as you and I must be lights shining wherever God has put us. The phrase “good works” includes many things, from visiting the lonely and feeding the hungry to teaching the ignorant, assisting the needy, and encouraging the discouraged. It always includes sharing the good news of Jesus and seeking to love others as Jesus loves us. In our modern world, we are so accustomed to electric lights of all kinds that we forget the spiritual darkness that enshrouds our globe and blinds the minds and hearts of lost people. But the greatest tragedy is that people think they are “enlightened” when the light that is in them is actually darkness. Jesus said, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness” (Luke 11:34–35; see also John 9:39–41). Our outlook helps to determine our character and conduct; and character and conduct determine the outcome of life. To obey Jesus and follow the Light of the World means to become a living light and avoid the delusions that lead to the detours toward darkness. It means to become the kind of people who can point others to the Savior so that they too might experience “the light of life.” (See He Walks with Me: Enjoying the Abiding Presence of God) James Smith - REJECTING THE LIGHT. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). As the Light of the world Jesus Christ was a great Teacher come from God. I. A Joyful Announcement. "Light is come into the world," a light brighter than the sun. 1. WHAT THIS LIGHT IS. It is the Light of Life (chap. 1:4). This is no mere cold, shining moonlight. It is the warm, living, compassionate light of the life of Jesus (2 Tim. 1:10). 2. WHERE THIS LIGHT HAS COME. "Into the world." "In Him was life," and He was in the world (chap. 1:10). Into the place of darkness and death, to shed abroad the light of life (John 3:16). 3. WHAT THIS LIGHT REVEALS. The revelation is twofold. The life of Christ, like the light of the sun, reveals His own hidden glory and power. The wisdom and love of the Father shine out in the Son. He is the image of the invisible God. It reveals, also, the true condition and destiny of man as an unclean and guilty sinner in His sight. The holiness of God and the awfulness of sin appear in eye-blinding brightness. II. A Lamentable Condition. "Men love darkness rather than the light." What is the darkness? Just that place, or condition, where Christ is not. A Christ less life; they love— 1. THE DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE rather than the light of the knowledge of God as seen in the face of Jesus (2 Cor. 4:6). 2. THE DARKNESS OF SINFUL PLEASURE rather than the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4). 3. THE DARKNESS OF DEATH rather than the light of life. This miserable choice reveals the depravity and perversity of man—a mind blinded by the god of this world. III. A Sorrowful Reason. "Because their deeds were evil." Evil deeds lead to shame and confusion when suddenly brought into the light. The Holy Spirit has come to reprove the world of sin. At the shining of the light some confess their sin and forsake it. Others hug to their hearts their evil deeds, and deliberately hide their face from Heaven's merciful light. The Light has come; the responsibility is now with those who reject it (1 Kings 22:8). IV. A Solemn Conclusion. "This is the condemnation." The condemnation will be just, because they loved the darkness. It is the wilful sinning for which there remaineth no more sacrifice (Heb. 10:26). If a man turn away from the sun, and refuse its light, then he can never see any light more convincing. If the deep ocean of God's mercy is reckoned too shallow to cover a man's sins, then they can never be covered. The presumptuous soul shall be cut off (Num. 15:30). While ye have the Light, believe in the Light. Yet a little while is the light with you. Has not Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life" (John 8:12). F B