I am the Light
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good.
Let us pray,
Lord may we be illuminated by your word, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of all of hearts be acceptable to your radiant glory. Amen
Light – There are 26 ways of defining Light in Webster’s dictionary here are some
v matter which makes objects perceptible to the sense of seeing
v luminous rays which flows from the sun
v Day
v Any thing that gives light; such as a lamp, candle, star, &c.
v The illuminated part of a picture;
v Support; comfort; deliverance
v The understanding or judgment
v Truth
v Life.
v A moral instructor
v A true Christian
We understand light… it is a primal element.
- It affects … everything,
- it defines day and night,
- it provides photosynthesis to plants to make them grow,
- it gives us a tan in the summer
To the ancient Jews, it was two things
- The Messiah * And God’s word
The Jews believe that in beginning of creation while the earth was a formless void, the Light was the Messiah.
In Psalm 119: 105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.”
And Isaiah 9:2 - The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.
The light was God’s word. It was given to a chosen people and as the chosen people it was the first covenant
Let’s consider the opening of John’s Gospel
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world
In one reference I have, John the Baptist’s ministry ranged from 25-27 A.D. and Christ’s earthly existence was until 30 A.D. So let’s fast forward 29 A.D. October. And if you want to follow along in your pew Bibles it is Chapter 7 of John’s Gospel.
Verses 3-5 - Now the Jewish festival of Booths (or the Feast of Tabernacles) was near. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; 4 for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.)
Now I can only imagine being raised as Jesus’ brother. It would not be the same as your next door neighbor. I mean there would the stories from your mother and your father of how an Angel of the Lord spoke to them about your brother. There was the time when visiting Jerusalem where Jesus is found teaching the elders in the temple. Then since the baptism by John, there are all the followers and wonders that your brother has done. So in true brotherly way, I think that it is understandable that they might mock and question what he should do at the Big Feast.
So Jesus did not go with them initially and in fact goes there secretly. The people at the festival were talking about Him, some were saying that he is a ‘good man’ others saying that ‘he deceiving the crowd’. We are told that about the middle of the festival Jesus goes up to the temple and begins to teach and they are astonished. They wonder how someone who has never been taught has such learning.
Verses 16-17 - Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. 17 Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.”
And then later
Verses 28-29 - “the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
The Pharisees hear of this and they send officers to arrest Jesus. And how does Jesus respond:
In Verses 34 - 34 You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
And on the last day of the Feast
Verses 37-38 - “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink.
This creates a division amongst the crowd, some say that he is the prophet and the Messiah, while others doubt this, as the Messiah is to come from David’s line and from Bethlehem, not Galilee. When the temple guards return they are questioned why Jesus has not been arrested and
Verse 46 - The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!”
So what is the response of the elders and the Pharisees… The next morning as Jesus has returned to the temple to teach and has people gathered around him. They bring a woman got in the very act of adultery to test Jesus. They claim that according to Law of Moses, this woman should be stoned.
Chapter 8: 6-11 - Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”
What had started out as a test by the elders and the Pharisees to test Jesus and have something which they could bring charges against Him, turns into something quite different. The women was unquestionable identified as a sinner… but so are those that brought her to Jesus. The test became of a test of the identity of the elders and the Pharisees. And Jesus says that he was not there to condemn but that the woman should go and not sin again.
What follows this in John’s gospel, this breakdown in the worldly religious authority;
Verse 12 - Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
Christ clears the air, clears the uncertainty, and leaves no room for doubt. The light that the chosen people had been waiting for; is Jesus. He is using the metaphor for the Messiah and Life that is so familiar; and He is claiming it. Just after the Feast of tabernacles, where in the temple there stood two colossal golden lamp-stands, on which hung a multitude of lamps, diffusing their brilliancy over all the city….so now amidst the blaze and the joyousness of this illumination, He proclaims, "I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD"
Now the Pharisee’s response to this awesome statement is amusing and I will let you read through that on your own, needles to say it is somewhat trivial in Light of what has been said.
And Jesus does not make this claim only once:
Chapter 9:1-5 - As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
There can be no mistaking what Jesus was saying in John’s Gospel. Twice! … He is claiming His identity.
So now what?
Where does that leave us?
What do we do with that information of Christ’s identity?
Well, when Jesus identified Himself as the Light, it was context that tells the second half of the story. With the woman and the religious leaders identified as sinners. And the man blind not from his or his parent’s sins but to reveal the works and identity of Jesus. Sin is not of God, it is a separation from God, it is ‘in contrast’ to the Light.
In John 8:12 Jesus say “I am the light of the world. And then Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” And in John 9:4-5 “We must work the works of him who sent me …5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” The first half is that Jesus IS the light and the second half is that in order for us to receive the light, we must believe, follow and do the works of God.
I would like to tell you about a story that I came across while working as a chaplain this summer at St. Joseph’s hospital. This was told to me by a patient that had just had major surgery, who’s outcome was uncertain and who was in a great deal of pain. I will be speaking in the first person, as her.
Travis was a really good kid, he was always the type that would think of others first. I mean if I gave him a cookie he would go outside and give it to a friend first and then come back in to see if there was one for him. He was just that way.
Well he came down with Turrets. And got it bad. I mean Turrets can manifest itself in many ways but Travis had it in the most obvious way, speaking and make sounds uncontrollably, you know, really visible. The friends that he had, all left him. I mean you can’t blame them; they were young and didn’t understand what was going on. The way he was acting, well it’s understandable it seemed funny to them. They would make fun of him, at first, nothing much but over time it really hurt.
And do you know what Travis did. He was brave. He stood up in front of everyone and said, “I have Turrets and that is why I act strange at times”. He has a lot of courage.
Well my sister, his other Aunt, she had a lot of Faith. She was always going to church. Always trying to help others. I mean I have faith but she was very devout. Well a couple of years ago she got really sick, but she wasn’t praying for herself, she was praying for Travis. And do know what happened…Well the day after she died, he was healed. Healed. It was her dying wish! And he has been perfectly fine every since. That to me is a miracle. God cares. Now all the kids that made fun of him, who do think is their friend. Travis! He very popular, he always has lots of friends around. And he doesn’t hold any grudges. That’s just the way he is. I mean God worked in him to heal him, a miracle and Travis just continues to be a really special kid.
Last month he was going on a trip to Ottawa with his school. I gave him a little bit of money, you know a bit of spending money for the trip. Well, I asked him what he spent his money on, he said a few chocolate bars but mostly for presents for his family, for his mother, father and sister. And he even had money left over. That’s just the way Travis is, he is truly a special kid.
And all of this has happened to him so early in his life, he is now only 13. The kids these days, I don’t know… I have seen a lot, you know, in the malls and such, but there are some like Travis and when I think of that, I know that everything will be okay.
This story was told to me to encourage me in my ministry, to reveal hope to me and also as hope to the story teller in spite of the great suffering she was going through. But I feel it was also the Holy Spirit working through one to shed light to many.
Exodus 34:29- Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
In closing, and using scripture to prove scripture I would like to show further what we are instructed to do with God’s light. Looking further in John’s Gospel:
Chapter 12:35-36 - Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”
Also in verse 46 – “I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.”
The metaphor of light, although dominate in John’s gospel, is not limited there. St. Paul in Colossians 1:12
Col 1:12 - giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
And St. Peter states the purpose of identity of the Jews:
1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
And in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is identified as:
In chapter 2:32 – “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
Also St. Luke in Acts:
Chapter 13:46-47 – Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, …47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
And also
Acts 26:18 – to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Matthew’s Gospel finishes with the Great commission in 28:19, but it is there elsewhere. As part of the sermon on the mount, a year before the feast of tabernacles, Christ says in 5:14:
Mat 5:14 - “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.”
Mat 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
So from all these scriptural passages what are the action words that we are to do:
· Believe
· So that we may Become
· Share in the inheritance
· Proclaim
· Bring Salvation to the ends of the earth
· Receive forgiveness
· Open their eyes … turn from darkness
· Be a witness
· Give Glory to God by our works
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
May we go from this place, confident that you are the light of the world and may we live daily as your lights in the world, Amen