Light of the World
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Jesus declares in John 8 that he is the light of the world who brings the light of life to us. We need him to bring this light because, as this verse reminds us, we walk in darkness. Often, it’s only when you realize it’s dark do you remember that you need light. It’s when the sun has set on the camping trip that you begin to frantically search your backpack for your flashlight. It’s when you’re traveling with kids and trying to get them to sleep that you remember you left their nightlight at home. To appreciate that Jesus is the light of the world and to long for him to shine himself into our lives, we have to appreciate the darkness of this world.
We can recognize the darkness of this world in large-scale injustice. People suffer and are killed because they aren’t the same as those in power. People face poverty, disease, enslavement, and the list could go on and on. We, too, experience this darkness on a personal level through the hardships of life like suffering, rejection, and loss. But there’s also the darkness we personally experience because we bring it into the world as we cause pain and grief to those around us—often to the very ones we love. Jesus tells us that it’s sin that has brought this darkness into the world (8:24). It’s our rejection of God and his ways.
Yet, darkness is not the end. The light of Jesus shines into the darkness of this world. He shines as the light of life (8:12). He shines as the light sent from the Father (8:16)—like the sun shines its rays on the earth, so the Father shines the light of his Son into our lives. Jesus shines as the light who is not only sent by the Father but also reveals his Father (8:19). “If you knew me,” Jesus declares, “you would know my Father also” (8:19). Jesus is, as the author of Hebrews writes, “the radiance of the glory of God” (Heb 1:3). Jesus is the goodness of God on display. He is God’s perfection shinning into our lives. He shines the goodness, beauty, truth, justice, grace, and love of God into this world. He is light of God shinning into the brokenness of this world.
As the light, Jesus reveals. He, in the fullest sense of the phrase, “sheds some light on it.” He exposes the darkness of this world and the darkness of our own hearts. His light also brings life. We’re trying to grow a small garden in our backyard, and without light, the garden will never grow. Light is essential to life. Christ Jesus is the light who brings life—who heals us and leads to our growth.
As Jesus continues in this passage, he teaches that he shines the brightest when the powers arrayed against him try to extinguish his light. Right as the darkness tries to snuff out his light, he shines the brightest and the farthest. It is when he is lifted up on the cross that he shines his brightness to the world.
When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he (John 8:28).
“Lifted up” is how Jesus describes his crucifixion in John’s gospel. His shameful death on the cross becomes his glory. His lowest point in life is his exaltation. As the powers of darkness try to snuff out his light, he shines for all the world to see. His glorious light will burst forth from the darkness of the grave.
This is the great gospel reversal. He shines his light all the brighter and farther as the darkness engulfs him. He brings life to us through his death.
For those who have been transformed by this light of life, the call is for the light of Jesus to shine through us. Often, we bear his light as he did—by being lifted up. We shine the brightest, not by seeking glory and power but by living in the way of the cross.
