“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
John 8:12 is a life-changing verse if we will see it for what it is. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This verse tells us that following Jesus is more than just tagging along behind Him. It is following Him for who He is…being so enthralled with Him that you unite yourself with Him through faith. Notice that when you follow Jesus, you have Him – you have Him as the light of life. “Whoever follows Me…will have the light of life.” We have Him as our Shepherd. We have Him as our sacrifice for sin. We have Him as our Living Water. We have Him as our Bread of Life. We have Him as our light in the darkness.
The last part of verse 12 says, “You will have the light of life.” What is the connection between light and life? The answer can be found in John 1:4: “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” The life gives the light. The life Jesus shares with those who follow Him gives them light. We are dead in our sin and blind to the light of grace until the life of Christ is given to us through the Holy Spirit. Then, by grace through faith, we can finally see. The eyes of our hearts are opened and the light of the Holy Spirit comes to live within us.
What about the phrase, “Light of the world?” Jesus called Himself the light of the world. What does He mean by that? The whole world is not being lightened. If it were, He would not have said, “Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness.” This statement means that if we don’t follow Him, we will walk in darkness. So being “the light of the world” does not mean removing all darkness from the world. What it does mean is that the world has no other light than Jesus. It is Jesus or darkness. There is no alternative…no other light.
If that is true, then everyone in this world needs Jesus as their light. The world was made for this light. This light makes the world shine with the original beauty it had before sin messed everything up. One day, this world will once again be filled with this light. When that time comes, all darkness will be cast out. That is why Jesus called hell “outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). In that day, there will only be light. Jesus, the light of the world and the radiance of the Father, will fill the world. If you follow Him now, you have Him as the light of your life even before that great day comes.
Dear Lord, I want to be a light for you. Please give me the opportunity to shine in the darkness of this world so that I can point others to you. In Jesus' name, amen.
Topics: Salvation
