“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).
Darkness and light are two major themes that permeate the Bible from beginning to end. When God created, he said, "Light there be light." Light became a symbol of all that was good, lovely, holy, and life giving. Darkness then represented evil, the unholy, ignorance, and death. When Jesus came, light invaded the darkness. John, earlier in his gospel, had written concerning Jesus: "In him was life, and this life was the light of humanity."
On two occasions Jesus proclaimed, "I am the light of the world." In a recent post I explained the significance of Jesus' claim to be the I AM. This is one of a number of instances when he added to "I AM" a phrase giving insight into who he was and why he came. Here he tells a group gathered in the Temple Courts in Jerusalem that he is the light of the world. He brings truth where there has been ignorance. He brings spiritual life where there is spiritual death. Into a world fallen into faulty ideas about God and how to please him, he brings truth.
What was true that day in Jerusalem is still true today. The I AM is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus wants us to know that this day he is still the light of the world. The light shines in the darkness. The darkness cannot overcome it. He invites us to follow him. If we will, he promises that we will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
Every day, and every minute of every day, we have a choice to make. Do we want to walk in darkness? It is a choice...a bad one! Or do we want to grow in a relationship with Jesus, who can fill our lives with love and light? Put a "L" on your had today to remind you to choose love, life, and light.
And make sure to check out www.bibleseries.tv to keep up with the coming Bible series!
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