Key Verse: "I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12
The feast of Tabernacles took place after the Autumnal Equinox,
when the days would become shorter and the nights longer. Along with prayers
for water, the worship service would also include bringing light back in the
spring.
At first, as we explored two days ago, Jesus
declared Himself to be water, responding to the concern for water. Now, He
declares Himself to be the true light which will never depart. If you are in
the light as He is in the light, you will walk in truth and have no fear of
darkness.
John seems very concerned that we understand this concept of
Jesus being light. He refers to Jesus as light and in his first epistle, he
uses light and dark as a test for all of us to determine whether or not we are
truly Jesus' disciples. "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates
his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the
light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble." (1
John 2:9-10)
Jesus stands at the temple announcing to the crowd that He
is the "light of the world!" Follow Him and you will have the
"light of life!"
What does this light mean? Light can mean truth and
understanding. It can mean living outside of sin. John, however, makes sure
that we also understand that light means love. "Whoever hates his brother
is in the darkness…”
In John
3:16, John recorded that Jesus said that, "He so loved the
world," now again, John brings attention to Jesus' love by shining the
light of God's truth upon it. Jesus’ death on the cross is the greatest act of
love known to the world. It is through that act that we can receive His life.
We will gain the light of His life and not walk in darkness again. His light is
His love for us that we are to share with others. If we hide it under a bushel,
then we hide God's love from the world, but Jesus tells us to let it shine so
that others will see it, through our good works and give God the glory. (Matthew
5:16)
"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, God's Son, purifies
us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
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