Light!

Light!

Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12 AMP

Today's extract again shows that everywhere Jesus went, there was a crowd waiting for him, and waiting to listen to his teachings. He was quite popular, but this wasn't ever His motivation; the hearts of men and the question of eternity were always the paramount interest in His teachings. Can we say the same about us today? Are we still concerned about the souls of men or about our own comfort, convenience and circumstances? Are we motivated to work by the desire to be popular and accepted, or by the desire to impact lives for Jesus? 

This same scene was where Jesus dealt with the adulterous woman, who the scribes and Pharisees had brought to Jesus for judgment. They had judged her already, But Jesus had just one message: if you are any better, apply judgment. If you know you are any better than the next sinner, cast the first stone. And we know how that ended: every single accuser left. The crowd is not an ideal way to measure what is in line with God's will, or what He accepts. You don't know God's will by coming to Him with an air of superiority. You know God's will by sitting down at His feet and submitting to His teaching. You know God's will by accepting your limitations and allowing His Spirit run the rule over all that you are and do. 

He was teaching the willing listeners when the scribes interrupted. He dealt with them, silencing them, and then returned to the listening crowd. We must proceed with that same heart: focused on who the Master is and what He wants. We must focus on the message about Christ and cut out distractions. Jesus went back to the listening crowd and told them again who He is: the Light of the world. In me, you have light to light up your path so you know how to walk and where to go. You have a choice here; between the Light I am and the darkness of the world. By Christ's express teaching, anyone who follows the world walks in darkness. I can accept it or reject it; it doesn't change what Christ has expressly laid out. 

Have I met the One who calls Himself Light here? Who am I really following? Who am I patterning my life after? Who provides inspiration for my life? Sin brings darkness, and anyone still in sin is in darkness. Jesus has come to offer the way out, and has introduced Himself to us as the Light. He is many things to us, but here, in the context of the hypocrisy of the scribes, He is known as the Light. Have I met this Light? Have I submitted my life to Him? Does He even have any control or influence on what I do and how I do it? This Light leads to Life. This life is the type that never ends. This life is secured by the One who died, rose again and now lives forever: an indestructible life. 

He is THE, not A. He is the Light, not a light. He has no alternatives; He is all there is. He is not one of many options; He is the Only One. I may think I have options, but eternity demands a clear choice between two extreme eternal realities. There is no fence on this one too; you are either all in or all out. Will you remain in sin or will you seek out the Light? Am I content with darkenss or for the sake of my eternity, will I seek out the Light that dispels darkness? As always, the choice is personal but the consequences of that choice are eternal. His time of favour is here.