As we journey together through Lent, Christians throughout Columbia will be sharing their own beautifully written personal meditations. Each will be accompanied by a corresponding scripture reading, and be linked to that passage in the Holy Bible. If you would like to join us on Columbia’s Lenten journey, please submit your personal meditation by email. Especially meaningful submissions will be printed. Let us continue our Lenten journey, day by day, to its glorious culmination on Easter Sunday.
Scripture reading: John 8:12-20
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”
The image of light is such a powerful one and is found throughout the Bible. l It is the light of Christ that is ever present in our faith, from the hymns we sing to the lighting of candles to the text of the various services in the prayer book. As I read this passage, I am reminded of entering the Cathedral before sunrise on Easter Sunday for the Easter Vigil and watching as the congregation lights their candles and the entire space slowly goes from darkness to light. It is one of the most poignant moments I experience on an annual basis at church, one where I truly feel the ‘light of life’ Jesus is teaching about here.
Jesus is not only the light of God on Earth, but He was also shining a bright light on the law of the day and the tyranny of the Pharisees against the people. There is a power to the dialog between Jesus and the Pharisees. Jesus is breaking the Pharisees’ law by being His own witness. But Jesus answers the challenge and the Pharisees’ questions. He makes it clear that He does not need their approval for His teachings to be valid.
He doesn’t stop there, though. He goes on to say that even under their laws requiring two witnesses, His testimony is true, and He has another witness, and that witness is His Father. The Pharisees are in the dark, and do not understand they are speaking with the Son of God, and that their actions ultimately lead to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, as John foreshadows in the final line of the passage.
Jesus stood up for what is right in the face of those who challenged Him. His message was not only to follow Him and His light, but it was also to stand up to those people of things who try to get in the way of following Him.
Ryan Newton
Trinity Cathedral member
Columbia, South Carolina
You might also like to read:
- Bible Verse of the Day
- Daily Bible Guide
- Growing in Christ
- Bible Study Tools Online
- The Jesus Walk Bible Study Series
A discussion of today’s Lenten meditation is encouraged. If you would like to participate, please feel free to write a comment in the space below. There are many different outlooks and interpretations of scripture passages and, the more we share, the more we learn.
Sharon is a member of the Community Church of the Midlands that meets at Seven Oaks Community Center at 200 Leisure Lane in Columbia and is a frequent participant, with her husband Douglas, at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral located at 1100 Sumter Street in Columbia.
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If you enjoyed this article, you can find more at Sharon's Columbia Biblical Studies Examiner homepage.
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