Jesus: The Light of the World
By Jeff Cranston
Light is necessary for life. It sets our biological clocks, triggers in our brains the sensations of color, and supplies the energy for things to grow. Light is so important for our lives that in the wintertime, when there are fewer hours of sunlight, many people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, a type of depression caused by the lack of light.
While some of us struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder, all of us have Sin Affective Disorder, which is indeed SAD, but we should be glad—not sad—because the light of Jesus frees us from our sins. Light reveals and gives life. John 1:4, says this about Jesus: “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”
Deliverance from darkness and despair
In John 7, we find Jesus at the Feast of Booths, which was a time for the nation of Israel to remember and celebrate God’s presence with them in a time of darkness, when they were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years before they were brought into the Promised Land. For seven days, the entire nation camped out in booths or tents made of branches and foliage to remind them of the hardships their ancestors had endured in the wilderness. On the opening night of the celebration, four gigantic candelabras standing 75 feet high were lit, gloriously illuminating the entire temple and much of Jerusalem.
The Feast of Booths focused on the promise of God to send a light, the Anointed One, the Messiah, who would deliver them from darkness and despair. Throughout the week the light burned brightly as the religious leaders praised the Lord and sang songs of joy while the people watched and waited. On the final day of the feast, the celebration wraps up and all of the lights are extinguished because, in their minds, God has not yet sent the Savior. The temple has grown dark. The tents are torn down.
And then Jesus stands up among the magnificent menorahs and declares, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12, NASB)
What does this truth—Jesus is the Light of the world—mean for us today? Let’s take a look.
He is God of the second chance.
John 8:12 begins with these words, “Then Jesus again spoke to them … ” Aren’t you thankful that God doesn’t just give us one chance? He spoke to both the sexual sinner and the lost legalist in John 8 and is ready to do it again and again and again. Jesus loves to give us chances. I had to hear the gospel many times before I responded. But we don’t have unlimited opportunities. At some point, it will be too late. In John 8:21 and 24, Jesus tells the Pharisees that they “will die in their sins.” I can’t think of anything more tragic than that.
Jesus is both God and Savior.
Perhaps you’re not sure if Jesus is really who He says He is. Friend, when Jesus said, “I am the light,” He is claiming to be both God and Savior. Speaking of Jesus, God Himself said, “I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, to make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons. I am God” (Isaiah 42:6-8a, MSG).
He is for everyone!
Notice what comes next in John 8:12: “ … I am the light of the world. He who follows Me … ” Jesus came for the whole world. Interestingly, the word “world” occurs only 15 times in the first three Gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke—and 77 times alone in the Gospel of John! I love that phrase, “ … who follows me … ” Anyone can come to Him. He died for the sins of everyone. No matter what you’ve done, you can be forgiven.
Jesus said, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).
He is the only way.
Salvation is not automatic. It’s for whoever “follows.” To follow the Lord Jesus means to believe and receive, or literally, “to follow together along a way.”
Have you done that yet? John 1:5 says that by nature, we try to extinguish the light because it hurts our eyes. The problem with that is we will then stumble around in the darkness of our sins. The only way to have light is to follow the light.
His offer still stands.
Once you respond and decide to follow Christ, you “ … will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Darkness is a metaphor for disaster, death and destruction, along with sin and its consequences. Do you see the word “have”? We don’t just get to see the light; we can have the light.
You can live in the light or despair in the dark. John 12:35 says, “So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.”
Is it dark where you live? You can change that by embracing the light of life.
He calls you to live for Him.
Christ-follower, have you been slipping spiritually? Have you been defaulting to the dark instead of living in the light? If so, it’s time to turn the lights on. Jesus Christ can dispel your darkness. To walk in light is to walk in His presence, filled with the life of God. “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light” (Ephesians 5:8).
Jeff Cranston is the lead pastor of LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, S.C.
