Names of Jesus | Advent DevotionalSample

Wednesday, December 18 John 8:12-30 | Light of the World Author: David Bibee

One of the greatest joys and insights that parenting brings is remembering how wonderful, colorful, and enchanting the world is, which our tired, jaded adult eyes often fail to see but which children grasp instantly. Our son is at the age when he’s just beginning to make his way toddling in the world, and his understanding of and delight in the world is only increasing.

One of his greatest joys is turning lights on and off. Sometimes, this is serious business—when he’s trying to color and realizes that not enough light is coming in through the window. Other times, turning the lights on is for sheer pleasure—he loves that he can brighten a dark room, and he’s excited to finally be tall enough to barely reach the switch. But when you think about it, he sees this situation rightly. It is amazing that he can declare, “Papa, light!” and with the click of a switch or the press of a button, this little one can experience a dim recreation of the first time God himself said, “Let there be light!” God is the bringer of light; in God’s image, even our little ones can become light bringers themselves.

Light is the first thing called good in the Bible (Gen. 1:4). In a world without sin, light is synonymous with glory—it glistens gold, sparkles dew, and shines faces anointed with holy oil. Light is a precondition for human activity. We rise to conquer our day by the light of the sun, to build our lives and tend our land, our children, and our affairs. But in the presence of sin, the same light called good in the beginning becomes a source of fear and danger. Adam and Eve’s first impulse was to hide and cover themselves, concealing their bodies from view. Dark deeds flowing from darkened hearts often occur under cover of darkness—crimes committed under masks and disguises or during nocturnal hours. For a burglar, the appearance of sudden light is a great fear. Light robs us of our ability to hide.

In our passage today, Jesus again takes the name of Yahweh upon himself, declaring—“I AM the light of the world.” A recurring theme in John’s gospel is the theme of darkness and light. Beginning in John 1, Jesus is identified as the very one through whom the world was created. In Christ, the very God who burst into resplendent glory as the words, “Let there be light,” were first uttered, was born as a man like one of us. Many doubted or decried him as a deceiver. They claimed they could see the truth, yet the appearance of Jesus exposed that it was they who were spiritually blind.

A friend of mine once said that most of us are just like Adam and Eve. In fear, we cower away from God, seeking to hide ourselves. But God is waiting for us in the Garden, so to speak. Ultimately, our destinies are determined by how we respond to God’s call, “Where are you?” Will we flee fromhis light, fearing the truth he would expose? Or will we flee tohis light, willing to heed his calling, although we would have to stand before him naked and ashamed? Make no mistake: the pain of honest exposure and genuine repentance is real. It feels like death precisely because that’s what it is—death to our pride, death to our excuses, death to our false image of ourselves, death to the way things were, death to the future we would have had otherwise. But Jesus is the light that God the Father has provided us.

This Advent, may we flee toward the light. Jesus, the Light of the World, was willing to be overcome by darkness and death. He went to the grave in our place to shine his light into the deepest and darkest depths, bringing our sin right along with him, rising again in victory. His light is the only true light for our path, the only light that leads to life.