"Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
~John 8:12
In our series on the names of God, we come next to a name He attributes to Himself - The Light of the World - which points to His being the Source of Truth and Life, reminding us that He leads us out of darkness.
C.S. Lewis once famously declared, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen - not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
This brings to my mind the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path."
Jesus is the Light of the World, which has a few implications for us.
For one thing, it means that He is able to free us and rescue us from the darkness of sin, hell, and the enemy. It also means that He is able to light our path, making it clear for us which way we are to go an which steps we are to take in life. We never have to lean on our own understanding (and, truly, shouldn't do that, anyway!). We never have to look to ourselves for answers. We never have to wallow around in the darkness of confusion trying to find a way out of our troubles. No, because Jesus is the Light of the Word, He is and can be our Light every moment of every day. After all, Jesus Himself declared in John 8:12, "“I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
Which brings us to something else Jesus once said, this time about us as His followers in Matthew 5:14-16:
"You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 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."
As incredible as it is that Jesus is the Light of the World for us, it is even more astonishing that He uses that very same phrase to describe us ourselves! We, too, made in His image, redeemed by His blood, and commissioned by Him to go out into all the world as His hands and feet, are to be the light of the world to the lost. We are to live in such a way that those who see us would give glory to our Father in heaven.
So not only is Light of the World one of our God's names, it is one of ours, as well!
Reflection Questions:
1) What stands out to you about the fact that Jesus declares Himself to be the Light of the World?
2) What stands out to you about the fact that He declares you to be the light of the world, as well?
3) Are you currently living as the light of the world? If not, why not? What needs to change?
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