BY GREG CRUM
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
Light…all those living today have experienced some aspect of this creation of God spoken into existence by the Master Builder before that first man was formed from the dust of the ground. When you read the Genesis account, you’ll notice that it’s the first of God’s creation in this world as we know it. That’s significant. With God, first things usually are. Why is it significant though? What is the enlightenment that comes from light as God’s spark in His greater Creation? Well, to answer that question we need to understand what light is.
So, what is light? A few standard definitions lead us to a better understanding of its purpose in God’s creation of our world. First, light can be defined as “the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.” A second definition declares light “a device that makes something start burning, as a match, lighter, or flame.” Finally, a more scientific definition reveals light as a “characteristic of all sensations and perceptions that is specific to vision, or radiation that is considered from the point of view of its ability to excite the human visual system.” Now, as you read those definitions, I’m sure you noticed the strong connection between light and sight, right? Yeah, and that connection is beyond the natural, it’s spiritual as well (more so really).
The Bible has much to say concerning the connection of light and sight, and a few merit mention here. In Matthew 6:19-23 we read that if our lights aren’t “lit” by the Lord we are in a world of hurt! Our whole lives are enveloped in darkness. In John 11:9-10 we learn that without Jesus’ light, our way in this world can be treacherous. We can’t see where we are going! Finally, in I John 1:5-7 we see that the message of Jesus is a call to walk in his light. Our peaceful communion with God and man depends on walking the path shown by his guiding light.
With that said, let’s circle back to our opening Scripture in John 8:12. What about Jesus calling himself the light of the world? What’s he really saying to us here? Well, let’s keep our thoughts in context with our previous definitions of light. When we do that, we can see that he is telling us that he is our vision. His light is our sight. He is (or at least should be) our perspective, or in other words, how we see the world around us.
People talk about seeing things differently (usually in the most positive way possible) as seeing the world through “rose-colored glasses.” As believers, our outlook on our lives should be even more positive because we are seeing things through “Jesus-colored glasses.” If we would always see things the way God does, through the prism of faith and the finished work of Jesus, we would never fear, doubt, or be depressed!
Along those same lines, when Jesus states that he is the light of the world, he is also letting us know that he desires to be our depth perception. When he is our light, we are spatially aware. “How far away is the Lord’s coming? How long before the end?” We don’t need an external aid to maneuver these last days when Jesus is our light! We don’t have to rely on the latest YouTube prophet to tell us what they saw or heard because Jesus is daily communicating a “knowing” inside of each of us that are guided by the light that he is.
Finally, Jesus declaring that he is the light means that he is all the enlightenment we need. In Genesis 3:1-7 we read how that Adam and Eve desired forbidden knowledge. They got “woke” and then promptly went “broke.” From that point on, spiritual and mental darkness became the norm. Now, it’s only through Jesus that we can truly be enlightened and see things the way they really are. Some talk about people coming to their moral senses and being “Red-pilled” today, but what we all really need is to be forever “Gos-pilled” and only the light of Jesus can do that!
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.