The Light of the World

Like bread, sunlight is so essential to us. Plants, animals, humans, and none of the living creatures can survive without sunlight. It is the source of life on earth. Similarly, Jesus is the source of eternal life. That’s why he refers to himself as the light of the world. Let’s see how this ‘I AM’ statement is relevant to our lives today.

We can learn three lessons from the second ‘I AM’ saying of Christ. The first lesson is simply this: Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). In the Old Testament, light is often associated with Yahweh, the Messiah, and God’s Word. This world is living in darkness and Christ offers himself as the guide. We know that plants, animals, and humans cannot live without sunlight. Billy Graham says, “What the sun is to the earth, Jesus Christ is to the human heart.” Today, many people are still living in darkness and stumbling because of their blindness. Jesus offers himself as the light to such people.

What the pillar of fire was for the Israelites in the wilderness, Jesus is for the whole world. In the Old Testament, the light was associated with God. When the scribes and Pharisees heard Jesus’ claim, they understood that Jesus was claiming that he was the Messiah and even much more than that!

The second lesson from the second ‘I AM’ saying of Jesus is: We must follow Jesus, the light (John 8:12). What does it mean to follow Jesus? Examining the Greek verb for “follow,” akoloutheō, will shed some light on its meaning. William Barclay defines akoloutheōis in several different ways. First, it can refer to a soldier who follows his captain. No matter where the captain leads, the soldier faithfully follows him. Similarly, Jesus is our captain and we are his soldiers. We must follow him faithfully. Secondly, it is used of a slave who is always ready to serve his master. Likewise, a Christian is Christ’s slave, always ready to do his Master’s will joyfully. Thirdly, akoloutheōis can be used to describe a person who takes a wise person’s counsel. A Christian guides his life with counsel from Christ.

The third lesson from the second ‘I AM’ saying of Jesus is: If we follow Jesus, we will not walk in darkness but have the light of life (John 8:12). A flower cannot blossom without the sunlight. Similarly, our lives cannot have life without the Son’s light. Jesus, the light, dispels the darkness of ignorance, the darkness of falsehood, the darkness of sin, the darkness of sorrow, and the darkness of death! Following Jesus is not an occasional thing. We must keep following him. Then, we will have the light of life and reflect his light.

Since Jesus is the light of the world, we must keep following him and keep reflecting his light.