When Jesus says, “I am the light of the world,” echoes of Jewish scripture reverberate for the early church. The Old Testament, as we call it, were the scriptures of the early church. They read and re read those sacred texts with Jesus’ teachings in mind, using his words as a lens to understand who they are called to be as his followers. We struggle to understand Jesus because we have left the First Testament on the shelf because it is “old.” The Jewish narratives are embodied in the life and teachings of Jesus, calling us to be the Israel in which Israel failed to be. Israel was supposed to be an embodiment of the Good Creation amongst the broken creation. They were to represent what God intended the creation to be when he sat down from his work, called it “Very good,” and rested.
Go back and read Genesis 1. What do you see different between the first day of creation and the other days of creation? There is a repetition to the days of creation. Each day ends with “And it was so,” except the first day. Rabbinic teachings say that the reason this is not said on the first day is because light was not created because light has its source in God who shares it with the world. This light has more magnificence than the light from the sun. The sun isn’t created till day four! This light is illuminating. The first day ends with a rhythm that we should pay attention to, “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” For the Jews, their day begins with darkness as a reminder that when they turn in for the night God is the one in control and they wake up to light breaking into the darkness. The world is better off when we relinquish control and let God take control. Where do you need to let go of control and let God be God?
In Exodus 13:21-22 says that God led his people by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, “to give them light.” They followed God when the light moved and showed them the way. Seems simple enough. If God doesn’t show you the way you should go, then you shouldn’t move. This becomes an ongoing problem throughout Israel’s story. They regularly make moves without God’s direction and it never goes well for them. The grace all throughout the First Testament is that God continues to meet them in those dark spaces with his light to guide them out of the darkness. The book of Exodus (40:34-38) ends making this point. The “Glory of the Lord” was on the tabernacle day and night in the cloud and fire and the people did not move unless God went before them. Where do you need to slow down and seek God’s guidance and let God of control yourself? In what ways have you seen churches seek God’s light of direction before heading out on a new venture? What does it look like for communities of Christians to seek discernment together for where God would lead them?
God’s light illuminates the world in the beginning of Genesis and at the end of Revelation (22:5) there will be no more need for sources of light because God will be light. God’s light guides Israel through the darkness of the wilderness and rests on the tabernacle day and night. All of this is in the background when John opens his Gospel talking about light shining in the darkness, which gives light to everyone (John 1:1-13). In reference to the light, verse 14 says the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory…” The word “dwelt” is the same word used for tabernacle and the readers of John would have caught that. Jesus is the presence of God, his Glory, coming to the earth. Will you follow him?
Finally, we arrive at John 8:12-30 where Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus calls us to follow him in ways that do not make sense to the world. When he invites us on the journey, he hands us the cross as our walking stick. He bids us, “Come and die” as a means of following him. He doesn’t invite us into a life of prosperity, which the world strives for. He invites us into radical sacrificial love for a world of darkness so that his light might shine through us to bring light into the world. There is a quote from a 16th century Spanish church leader that continually challenges me in my quest to follow Christ, “If a man wishes to be sure of the road he walks on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark” (John of the Cross). When Jesus invites us to follow him, we must flip the world and recognize that all we see around us in the world is darkness, close our eyes to see the true light God has placed within us in the Holy Spirit, so that we can see clearly and walk in the light.
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to come as a guide, a Helper, to bring us into peace so that we might follow him through the darkness (John 14-16). As a church are we willing to wait on God’s movement through the Spirit to guide us where we need to go? Do we have faith enough to close our eyes so that we might see? Are you establishing habits in your life to create space where you can listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance?