Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
In this week’s text, Jesus makes the second of the seven “I am” statements recorded by John in his Gospel (see also John 6:35, 48, 51; 9:5; 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1). Jesus’ announcement continues a theme that’s been repeated throughout the first half of the book, beginning in the Prologue: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5; see also 1:9; 3:19-21; 9:5; 12:35-36; 12:46).
Jesus came to drive back the darkness. He came to enlighten darkened hearts and give life. His words provoke a crisis; they demand a decision: follow Christ and walk in the light of life, or reject him and walk in darkness.
As we prepare our hearts for worship this Sunday, let’s pray as Paul prayed, “…that the eyes of [our] hearts may be enlightened, so that [we] may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19).
No comments:
Post a Comment