If you want to receive Grounded in the Bible’s weekly Bible studies in your inbox each week, you can subscribe here! Join us as we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Last week, we looked at the context of what Jesus meant when he said, “I AM the light of the world.” Jesus was standing in the Court of Women at the temple, right next to where the huge lamps were lit during the Festival of Tabernacles. These lamps had recently been extinguished at the end of the festival, and his declaration of “I AM the light of the world” would have made connections in the people’s minds related to the Great Light that God promised to send. This week, we’ll explore more closely what Jesus meant by this statement.
John 8:12: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
3. What do we learn about Jesus from this statement?
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah declared that God would send a Great Light:
Isaiah 9:2: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
Jesus as the Light in John 1
John sets us up to see that Jesus is the light that Isaiah was talking about:
John 1:1-14: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The characteristics of this light line up perfectly with Jesus.
Jesus was with God in the beginning, which he claimed with his statement of “Before Abraham was born, I AM!” (John 8:58).
This light brought life, which we see in Jesus’ statement, “I AM the bread of life.”
The world did not recognize Jesus as the light, which was obvious by their unbelief when Jesus claimed to be sent by God.
Jesus’ own people did not receive him, which we also saw in the Bread of Life lesson. They rejected him because they knew his family background and because he was asking them to accept teachings that were outside their comfort zone.
Jesus came to give eternal life to those who believe in his name, which we see in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus is the Son of God, who came down to earth to live among us. We saw this in the Bread of Life lesson as well. Jesus claimed God as his Father, and he claimed to be sent by God.
With his claim to be the light of the world, Jesus was claiming to be a representation of God’s glory.
By claiming to be the light of the world, Jesus was saying that he is the Light that God promised, the light that would bring the people out of the darkness. He’s claiming that he was with God in the beginning, that he is the Son of God, and that he was sent to earth by God to be the representation of God’s glory on earth.
Light and Darkness
Let’s look at this concept of the light that brings people out of the darkness a little more. We’ll start by looking at the connection between sin and darkness.
In John 9, Jesus is still trying to help people see the reality that Jesus is the light of the world. First, he heals a man born blind. When he was asked who sinned, the man or his parents, that he was born blind, Jesus answered:
John 9:3-5: 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When the Pharisees confronted the man to see who healed him (Jesus had healed him on the Sabbath), they were furious that the man claimed that his healing was from God, and Jesus was the one who healed him. They threw the man out of the temple!
When Jesus heard this, he sought the man out again. The Pharisees were also there, and when Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind,” (John 9:39), the Pharisees asked, “What? Are we blind too?” (John 9:40). To this, Jesus responded, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (John 9:41).
Jesus is equating darkness, or spiritual blindness, with sin. Those who sin are in darkness because they don’t see the light that God has sent. In fact, those who are still living in sin hate the light because it exposes their evil deeds:
John 3:19-21: 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Those who do evil and live in sin stumble around in darkness. This is contrasted by the brightness that lights the path of the righteous.
Proverbs 4:18-19: 18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
John 11:9-10: 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
Jesus draws a clear distinction between those who follow the light and those who stay trapped in darkness. And Jesus is the only light that can bring people out of the darkness.
Jesus Is the Light That Brings Us Out of Darkness
As the Great Light that God promised, Jesus is the only one who can bring us out of this darkness of sin.
John 12:46: [Jesus said,] I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
When Jesus appeared to Saul (Paul) at his conversion, he said this:
Acts 26:17-18: 17 “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them 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.”
Jesus wants people to no longer be blind to their sin. He wants to open their eyes, to let the light in, so that they will turn from their sin into the light of life that Jesus brings. Jesus is the only one who can rescue us from the power of Satan and forgive our sins. He is the only one can who sanctify us and give us a place in heaven. He calls us out of the darkness and into the light.
1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
He is the one who pulls us out of the darkness of our sin and into the light of God’s forgiveness and healing. He is the one who can open our eyes to see our need of a Savior and to see our sin for the filth that it is. He is the one who can light our path to salvation.
4. How should we respond?
Jesus calls us to believe that he is the light of the world and to follow him:
John 8:12: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
How should we respond to this? Let’s look at John 8 again to see the possible responses.
1. We can reject him.
Immediately, the Pharisees rejected Jesus’ claim:
John 8:13: The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”
We see throughout the gospels that the Pharisees constantly challenged Jesus about his claims, and most of them refused to believe. In fact, the Pharisees and other religious leaders were the ones who arrested Jesus and spurred the Roman leaders and the crowds to have Jesus crucified.
2. We can ask for more information.
Although the Pharisees rejected Jesus outright, the people continued to question him.
John 8:25: “Who are you?” they [the Jews] asked.
They didn’t understand what Jesus was claiming or what he was teaching. But they continued to tag along after him and listen to his teachings to try to understand.
3. We can believe in Jesus.
As the people followed along after Jesus to continue to listen to his teaching, many people placed their faith in him.
John 8:30: Even as he spoke, many believed in him.
So these are our three choices: We can reject Jesus, we can continue to seek him and ask questions, or we can believe in him and receive the light and salvation that he has promised.
But what happens when we do receive the light? Then we are called to shine that light for others to see.
Matthew 5:14-16: 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
How will you respond today? Will you reject Jesus and continue to live in darkness? Or will you receive him, let his light shine in your own life, and let his light in you shine for others to see? It’s your choice.
Share this post