I AM the Light of the World

The ancient Hebrew festival of Sukkot, or as we know it, Feast of Tabernacles (or Shelters or Booths), was a 7-day commemoration of the time their ancestors wandered in the desert and relied on God for everything.  While living in tents for a week, attendees would observe a daily ritual of pouring out water to remind them how God provided water in the desert, and a solemn lamp-lighting ceremony recalling the pillar of fire that accompanied them at night.

Like every Jew, Jesus participated in the traditions of His people. With this festival providing the backdrop, He makes the next claim that will shock and anger many of the people who hear it:

"I am the light of the world.  If you follow Me, you won't have to live in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

While the people understood the LORD God as light, especially in the context of the festival, this statement made it plain that they needed to accept that Jesus was the One they should have been looking and waiting for. Why did they not recognize the reference to the light from heaven?  Their own prophets spoke of the light which would one day come, even pinpointing it to a particular city, yet their hearts were never ready to recognize what God was doing right in their midst.

Isaiah 9:1, 2: "Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever... there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles... will be filled with glory.  The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.  For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine."


Here is a direct reference to the miracles that Jesus was performing, prophesied 700 years before His birth:
Isaiah 42: "Look at My Servant... My Chosen One... I have put My Spirit upon Him... (He) will be a light to guide the nations;  (He) will open the eyes of the blind; (He) will free the captives...

In the beginning of the gospel of John, we find this statement:

"God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.  John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.  The One who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world."

Without the light, we cannot discern the hazards, pitfalls or nefarious characters that are hidden from sight under cover of darkness.  Think about when a storm knocks out electricity—the first thing you go for is the flashlight, which will help you recover some sense of safety.  Jesus is not only the light of the world, but our own intimate light, which dispels the personal darkness we may face on a daily basis.

Let Him be your guide, for that's the only way to see things clearly.