The Light Of The World

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 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

 

Christ made bold claims. Our text contains one of them. He had just told the woman taken in adultery that He did not condemn her and to go and sin no more. Our text is His next statement uttered before the crowd gathered in the temple to hear Him. Some of His hearers responded negatively to this categorical statement. The Pharisees said, ‘You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.’ Christ did not retreat from His claim. Thus we can either take the position of those who did not believe Him; have doubts about His claim, or wholeheartedly believe Him. If we do believe Him, how shall we understand His claim? Matthew, speaking of Christ’s public ministry, quotes Isaiah saying, ‘The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.’ When Christ went to the synagogue in Nazareth, He read from Isaiah. Part of that passage says, ‘To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery, of sight to the blind.’ Christ’s remark at the close of His reading was, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ We understand that when Christ claims to be the ‘light of the world,’ He is identifying Himself as the One who dispels the spiritual darkness that grips the world.  

Our Gracious God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You are the Light of the world. 
We praise You that You bring light everywhere You go. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning