The light of the world
by Neil Bergmann
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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’ (John 8:12).
Read John 8:12–20
John’s Gospel has many references to Jesus as the light of the world. In John 1, Jesus’ incarnation is described as the true light coming into the world, which overcomes darkness, and John the Baptist is described as a witness to testify to that light.
Yesterday’s reading in John 3 describes light coming into the world and the choice that we all have to live in the light or remain in the darkness. In John 8, 9 and 11, Jesus describes himself as the light of the world and asks his followers to walk in that light. In chapter 12, he predicts his death when he says that his disciples will have the light just a little while longer. They are called to believe in the light and become children of the light.
This theme of light is continued in John’s letters. Paul also uses the image of believers being children of light in several of his epistles (Ephesians, Colossians and 1 Thessalonians), and Peter uses the image of being called out of darkness into light in his letters.
The entire Bible is bookended by the theme of light. In Genesis 1:4, the first thing God created after the formless dark and empty chaos at the beginning of time was light, even before he created the sun and the moon. ‘God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.’ This might be read as God separating goodness (light) from evil (darkness) to create a moral universe.
At the other end of the Bible, in Revelation 22:5: ‘There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.’ So, finally, in heaven, evil (night) will no longer exist, and we will live forever with God, the light of goodness.
This concept of light and darkness describes the choices we must make every day. Certainly, it is not the quality of our moral choices and actions that bring us salvation. We are already saved, and our eternal destiny is assured. However, here on Earth, every day we can choose to live in the light or retreat to the darkness. When we choose to live as children of light, then we can follow God’s call to be part of his mission to a hurting world, where many are still in darkness.
Father, give us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to live as children of the light. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. In addition to professional qualifications in engineering, he holds both coursework and research master’s degrees in theology. He is working towards a PhD in theology at Australian Catholic University.
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