Jump Start # 269

John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

  As a person reads the Gospels, especially the book of John, he will notice many declarative statements that Jesus makes concerning Himself. Statements such as: I am the door…I am the bread of life…I am the way…I am the Life…and here, I am the light of the world.

  We notice that these statements are positive in nature and they give. Bread gives nourishment, light gives light, a door opens to allow entrance. These statements also help define the work and mission of Jesus Christ. He came and gave. What He gave changed the world. Before Jesus, the very opposite of these words was the condition and the state of life. Instead of light, the world was in darkness. Instead of having a door, the world was trapped and closed in with no way out. Instead of bread, the world was lacking. Instead of life, the world was dominated by death.

  Today, we focus upon the expression, “I am the light.” Have you noticed that Jesus is. He doesn’t say, “I once was,” or, “I will soon be,” but rather, “I AM.” This is ME. Light. The world in which Jesus introduced this concept to did not have electricity, instant light at a flip of a switch. We have a lot of light around us. Have you noticed? Our cell phones, our TV screens, our computers, inside the refrigerator, on the microwave, the oven, our watches. We have little lights, night lights, LCD lights, strobe lights, and stick lights. Living in the city, even late at night, there are lights in the distance. Many of us never experience much darkness. Some people don’t like darkness. It’s creepy for them.

  Lights make things visible, they “enlighten” us. When searching for something, we often get a flashlight. Doctors, dentists, and mechanics have special lights to help them in their work. Jesus is the light of the world. Light attracts. It grabs our attention. Pilots look for the lights on the runway late at night.

  Now, how is Jesus light? First, and probably the easiest way to answer this, is by living a life that is appealing. Jesus was perfectly perfect. He never sinned. He never made the wrong choice. He never lost it. He never had to apologize. He never ever did wrong. Perfect. No one else was like that. That is appealing. There have been times, more than once, when I have thought the wrong thing, said the wrong thing and done the wrong thing. It’s easy to say, “Well, I’m human. We all do things like that,” except Jesus. He is the best example. A few years ago the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) wrist bands were popular. The idea was a great one. What would Jesus do? A better thought, What am I going to do? I know what Jesus is going to do, because he’s perfect and without sin. What am I going to do is what is scary.

  Jesus is the light of the world in more ways than just example. We use the word “light” to describe understanding. When someone is trying to teach a principle to someone, they might say, “let me shed some light on this,” meaning, let me explain this. The word, “enlighten” means seeing things, understanding things. In this way Jesus is the light of the world. Through Jesus and because of Jesus, we become enlightened. We see just how dark sin is. We see how hopeless we are without Christ. We become enlightened and begin to see things the way God does. The world looks different from God’s perspective. Holiness, righteousness and faithfulness look different and better under the light of Jesus Christ. Heaven looks different from God’s perspective.

  Sometimes a person will say, “I don’t see what’s wrong with…” and the reason is, they don’t see. They need some light, God’s light. Others say, “I don’t see the need to go to church all the time.” They need to look at it as God does.  We sing a song that says, “Open our eyes Lord, that we may see Jesus…” Jesus is the light, but we must open our eyes to see the light.

  What a different, wonderful, and special world this becomes when we see it with some light. What is important is people. What is needed is Jesus. The light shows that.

  I am thankful that Jesus is light and that He provided light and that He invites us into the light. God could have easily said, “Find Me.” But He didn’t.

  Light. Look about your world today, and see all the “light” around you, but then think, of THE LIGHT, Jesus Christ. What a difference He has made in this world, and in your life. And when things don’t make sense, you know what to do…turn some LIGHT on it. You’ll see things God’s way when you do.

Roger