Our scripture this morning is John 8:12-16.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.”
We have heard Jesus described as the bread of life who sustains us. Today we read that He is the light which leads us from the darkness of sin back to connection with God. John used this to help us understand that the difference between our selfish human behavior and God’s will for us is like the difference between darkness and light.
The first words of creation God speaks are “let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). God brings His light of order into the chaos. Later He made us and all things for our benefit. When the time was right, He sent Jesus, the light of the world to show us life in the light of His love.
In his first letter John tells us “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). In the opening of his Gospel we read “in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:4-5). Jesus is a beacon of hope in a dark world, drawing us closer to Him and showing us the way to eternal life.
Heavenly Father, we want to live in Your light and show it to the world. Help us to be energetic in our faith and share the love You have sent with everyone. Amen.
