“I am the light of the world.” John 8:12
Have you ever wondered how God’s people made it through the wilderness at night when God brought them out of slavery in Egypt? They had no streetlamps or headlights. They found their way through the desert at night because God led them by a pillar of fire (Ex. 13:21-22).
John takes up that picture at the beginning of his Gospel when he says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Though the darkness remains, God is with us in it. He will give us sufficient light to find our way.
When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” He is telling us that He did not come to give light only to people of a particular culture or to people who’ve lived a particular kind of life. It is for everyone. “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (1:9).
Think about the pillar of fire in the darkness. The light moved and God’s people followed. If they had stood still when the pillar of fire was moving, they would have found themselves in darkness. But as long as they followed, they would stay in the light.
This is the reason why Jesus said, “Whoever follows me… will have the light of life” (8:12). If you fly west, you follow the light of the sun. And if you could fly fast enough, you would always be in the daylight. That’s the picture here. If we follow Jesus, we will not be in darkness. We will have the light of life. And Jesus will lead us all the way through the darkness of this world into the light and joy of God’s presence in heaven.
So if you find yourself in great darkness and you cannot see the way forward, if you are saying, “Where do I go from here?” or “How do I get to something better?” Jesus is the light for you.
Has your world gone dark? If so, what step could you take toward following Jesus today?
