I Am the Light of the World
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.”
“I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12) is the second of seven “I AM” statements of Jesus, recorded only in John’s gospel, that point to His unique divine identity and purpose. In declaring Himself to be the Light of the world, Jesus was claiming that He is the exclusive source of spiritual light. No other source of spiritual truth is available to mankind.
Light is an essential part of life. Light is the source of all life on our planet. The importance of light could be comprehended as plants synthesize nutrients from light using chlorophyll, and filter the air we breathe. Animals and humans depend on plants for survival. Therefore, everything depends on the light in some way.
One of the very first things that God said at the beginning of Creation is: "Let there be light.”
We couldn’t have seen the beauty of God’s creation if there was no light. Light allows us to see the surrounding world by distinguishing details, individual colors, movement, brightness. Lights make life beautiful. Light brings life. Imagine the world without lights.
That’s basically the essence of what Jesus said in John 8:12 when Jesus said “I am the light of the world.”
The Introduction
A. Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles (7:14-52)
The context from which Christ made this statement begins in chapter John 7:14, where Jesus went to the Jerusalem during the Feast of the Tabernacles.
John 7:14-15
(14) Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. (15) The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”
The Feast of the Tabernacles, Sukkōt is the plural of Sukkah, "booth" or “tabernacle,” or tent. Also known as the “Feast of Ingathering.” This is one of the seven annual feasts of Israel commanded by God, and one of the three high feasts that all Jews were required to attend annually for seven days, which will start from the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (Sept-Oct). God had inaugurated this feast to help the people of Israel to remember that for forty years they had wandered in the wilderness before God finally brought them into the Promised Land (Exo. 34:22).
Now there are three important aspects to the way the Jews celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles:
1. Camped out in booths (tents) for 7 days.
That is, every family moved outdoors into temporary shelters made of branches and leaves to remind themselves of the hardships that their ancestors had undergone while living in tents during the 40 years in the wilderness.
2. Celebration of the Place of Water-Drawing
This is known as Nissuch Ha-Mayim. A tradition grew up in the few centuries before Jesus that on the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, a golden container filled with water from the pool of Siloam was carried in procession by the high priest back to the temple. As the procession came to the Water Gate on the south side of the inner temple court, three trumpet blasts were made to mark the joy of the occasion and the people recited Isaiah 12:3, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” At the temple, while onlookers watched, the priests would march around the altar with the water container while the temple choir sang the Hallel (Pss. 113–118). The water was offered in sacrifice to God at the time of the morning sacrifice. The use of the water symbolized the blessing of adequate rainfall for crops. Jesus used this event as an object lesson and opportunity to make a very public invitation on the last day of the feast for His people to accept Him as the living water.
John 7:37-38
(37) On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. (38) Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
On hearing Jesus’ declaration, the crowd listening was divided. Some said He is the Prophet Moses mentioned. Others say He is the Christ. And still others (Pharisees and religious leaders) continue in their unbelief and rejection of Jesus as the Christ. Even to the point of sending guards to arrest Jesus.
3. The Illumination of the Temple
A third great ceremony during the Feast of Tabernacles was the "Illumination of the Temple," which involved the ritual lighting of four huge (75 ft.) golden oil-fed lamps (Menorah) in the Temple Courtyard.
They’re celebrating the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness. And how did they know where to go in the wilderness? They were led by light. They were led by a glowing cloud by daytime and a pillar of fire at night. This was the light that led them in the wilderness. To commemorate that, they had this illumination of the temple, and they lit all these candles and let them burn all night.
There are some interesting descriptions of it by historians, ancient historians who describe it as a stunning vision, like a diamond in the midst of the city of Jerusalem was the temple ground with like floodlights coming up across its perimeter walls. Every night they were lit, the temple became a flashing diamond, a symbol of the pillar of fiery light and cloud that led them in the wilderness. Some have said they actually quoted Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6. “I will be a light to the nations.”
Now imagine the impact of the words said by Jesus in the Temple courtyard when He declared, "I am the Light of the World."
THE INTERPRETATION
When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world…”
What did Jesus mean when He declares those words? How does that relate to you and me? Let us consider how light is used in the Bible and that will help us understand what this statement means to us.
1. Jesus Declares Himself to be the Messiah God
When Jesus says, “I am the light of the world,” he is making a direct claim to be the prophesied Messiah.
Isaiah 9:2
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.”
Isaiah 42:6-7 NASB
(6) “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, (7) To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
This declaration of Jesus as the light of the world is accompanied by a sign when He gave sight to a man born blind in John chapter 9. As the language Jesus used in 8:12 echoed Isaiah 9:2, He was pointing to Himself as the fulfillment of that prophecy.
Jesus said He was “the Light,” not merely a light or another light among many lights. He WAS and IS the only Light, “the true Light” that brought life so that the people might no longer have to walk in darkness.
In proclaiming Himself the light of the world, Jesus defined his unique position as the one true light for all people, not just the Jews. Isaiah wrote,
Isaiah 49:6 ESV
“I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
But more than just declaring to be the Messiah, Jesus is declaring to be God. To say, “I am the light of the world,” is to identify yourself as God. In the Old Testament, God is revealed and described as Light.
Psalm 27:1
“The LORD is might light and my salvation.”
Psalm 104:2
The LORD wraps Himself in light as with a garment;
1 John 1:5
“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”
So when Jesus declared, “I am the light…” they understood what He was claiming. He was claiming to be God. He was claiming to be the Messiah, the light.
2. Jesus Delivers Us from Darkness of Evil and Sin
But more than bringing sight to the blind. Jesus came for a worse kind of blindness—the blindness of the soul. Light is the active power that dispels darkness. The truth is we live in darkness, not literally of course. Darkness in the Bible is an analogy for evil and sin and all its derivatives.
Eph. 5:11
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them
Darkness also means the blindness of men who live in sin.
Eph. 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
John 3:19b
“Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil.”
Yes, our world is shrouded in spiritual darkness, and where there is spiritual darkness, evil and sin thrive. People do not obey God’s commands, we act selfishly, harm others, either physically with their actions, or verbally with their words. Darkness exists in our country, it exists in our community, it exists in our schools, and the Bible says it even exists in us.
But Jesus Christ came to deliver us from the darkness.
John 1:4-5 ESV
(4) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (5) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
When Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world," He declared Himself to be the exclusive source of spiritual light to dispel the darkness of sin in people. No other spiritual truth or light is available to mankind; all spiritual light comes from Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:13 ESV
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.
3. Jesus Directs Us to the Path of Everlasting Life.
Light not only dispels darkness but light directs our path. What do we do when there’s brownout and total darkness? We look for a flashlight or a candle to guide our way, right?
In the same way, Jesus directs us to the path of God’s kingdom of light. No longer are we to walk according to the ways of this dark world, instead, we are to walk in accordance with the light of God.
Imagine Jesus standing there in the temple courtyard probably near the Menorahs. Maybe they’re just lighting them or about to extinguish the fire. We don’t have the exact moment. And maybe He looks at those extinguished Menorahs and says, “I’m the light of the world, and I never go out. If you follow me, the light will never go out. You will never walk in the darkness. But you will have the light of life.” It’s a profound moment. “I’m the light that never is extinguished. And as the pillar of light in the day and the night directs Israel to the promised land, I am the light that will lead you to the kingdom. I will lead you to God, to heaven, to everlasting life. It’s not a light to be looked at. Not a light to be admired. It’s a light to be followed. It moves. It’s to be followed.”
Exodus 13:21-22
And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
The Israelites followed the cloud, they followed the pillar, and they were directed to the promised land. So somehow Jesus said, “If you follow Me, you will not walk in darkness anymore. You follow me, this will light you all the way to – you receive the full promise of eternal life.”
Psalm 43:3
Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.
THE IMPLICATION
So having known the interpretation of Jesus’ statement “I am the light of the world,” let us learn it’s implication. How does Jesus’ statement affect you and me today?
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
1. Participation of the Light
John 12:46
I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
This means we allow the light of Jesus to expose every room of darkness in our life and allow the Holy Spirit to clean it up. This means the ugliness of our dark past will be exposed, and we need to hand it over to God in repentance, and ask forgiveness. That’s how it is for us to be directed by Him.
1 John 1:5-6
God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.
Ephesians 5:8-10 NLT
(8) For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! (9) For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. (10) Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. (11) Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.
Once we have allowed Jesus to go through and expose all the dark areas of our life, and allow his light to shine. We must walk in the light. Allowing the light of Christ to shine through us.
The more areas of our life we allow Christ into, the more light will shine through us.
If we still have dark areas of our life it is because we have not allowed the light of Christ to deal with it, we have tried to keep it hidden and secret from him.
It is important to avoid the “fruitless deeds of darkness” (any pleasure or activity that results in sin), but we must go even further. Paul instructs us to expose these deeds, because our silence may be interpreted as approval. God needs people who will take a stand for what is right. Christians must lovingly speak out for what is true and right.
2. Possession of the Light - “…will have the light of life.”
And notice that when you follow Him you have Him — you have Him as the light of life. “I am the light . . . Whoever follows me . . . will have the light.” You will have Me, He says, as your light. If you follow Me, you have Me. I am yours. I am your Bread from Heaven and I am your Light.
What is the connection between light and life?
John 1:4
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
The life gives the light. The life Jesus has and the life he shares with those who follow him gives them light. That is, we are dead and blind to the light until the life of Jesus is imparted to us by God’s Spirit, and then we see. The eyes of our hearts are opened, and divine light streams into our living spirits. And thus we have the light of life. The light that comes from new, spiritual, eye-opening life — the life that gives sight to the blind soul, eternal life giving eternal sight.
3. Promotion of the Light
Once we have the light of Jesus in us and participate in His light by walking in the light, you know what happens next? We become His lights in the world.
Matthew 5:14-16 ESV
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Can you hide a city that is sitting on top of a hill? Its light at night can be seen for miles. If we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like. We hide our light by (1) being quiet when we should speak, (2) going along with the crowd, (3) denying the light, (4) letting sin dim our light, (5) not explaining our light to others, or (6) ignoring the needs of others.
Be a beacon of truth—don’t shut your light off from the rest of the world.
The Invitation
John 8:12
“I Am the light of the world whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The Israelites followed the cloud, they followed the pillar, and they were led to the promised land. That whole generation died, of course, and only the next were able to go in. Jesus said, “If you follow me, you will go in. You follow me, this will light you all the way to – you receive the full promise of eternal life.”
So rather dramatically and beautifully and powerfully and effectively does Jesus capture the crowd and the stunning temple ritual turns to Him.
“I know the way out of darkness,” He says. “I know the way out of the darkness of ignorance. I know the way out of the darkness of sin. I know the way out of the darkness of sadness and sorrow. I know the way out of the darkness of death. Follow me, and I will lead you to life, eternal life.”
What does it mean to follow Christ? Just the word itself. Follow me. The way it’s used in ancient usage, it’s used of a soldier following his commander as the believer follows Christ as his sole commander. It’s used of a slave following his master as the believer is to do the same.
It’s used of someone following a wise counselor. It’s used of someone following the law obediently. It’s used of a student following the teacher’s line of argument. That’s what it means to follow all of those things, to follow Christ as a soldier follows his commander, as a slave follows his master, as a person in ignorance follows a wise counselor. As a disobedient sinner turns to follow the law obediently. As a student follows the teacher’s line of reasoning and argument.
To be a follower is to give yourself totally to Christ. To say with the psalm, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Where as it also says in the Old Testament, “The Lord shall be an everlasting light.” “Follow me,” Jesus said, “and I’ll lead you to the heavenly promised land. I’ll be the light, the true light.”
And again in v.24, Jesus tells us that to follow Him and to believe in Him is the same thing.
John 8:24
“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I Am, you will indeed die in your sins.”
Jesus emphasized that the fatal, unforgivable, and eternal consequence if a person does not believe in Him as the Messiah, the Son of God, the great I AM.
To have Jesus as our light and life, we must daily, continually, persistently, believe in Him.
Conclusion
Why does darkness exist today? Because of the presence of Satan? Actually, another of way looking at darkness is the absence of light.
There is the presence of darkness in the lives of People today because of the absence of God in their lives.
Brethren, without God’s presence in our life we are left in the dark. Why do we see great wickedness committed around the world? Why do we see people in our community increasingly sucked into drugs, alcohol, abuse, immorality, and mortal sin? Why do we hurt people, and make poor choices in our life? Because we lack God’s presence in us, God’s light is fully within us. Our community has not allowed the light of God into it.
God wants us to be a spiritual light to a dark world, and he says, "I am the light, but I'm goin' back to heaven, and now you are the light". And probably some of you are saying, "I don't feel like a light. In fact, there's a lot of darkness in my life, Pastor.” Jesus is still the light. He's the sun. We're the moon. We can't generate light. We can just reflect on it. We have no light in ourselves. We are reflectors. God desires that we reflect Him brightly in our lives today.
In order to see our lives changed, our communities changed, our world changed requires the light of Jesus shining in the dark corners of our heart first, then our entire life, and then in our communities. Jesus wants us to live in the light. We need to receive the Light (own it! Posses it) if we are going to walk in the light. Then be the light of Jesus to the world, beginning with the people around you today.