May 21st 1 Chron 3-5, John 8:1-20

"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)
This 'I AM' statement of Jesus is very well known, yet I've been struck today that I've often passed over this statement without every really pondering what it means. In John's gospel light is an important image: we are introduced to it right in the opening verses:
"In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness but the light has not understood it." (John 1:4-5)
Light is paralleled with life, both there and in our passage. Just as the light from the sun is what gives life to plants and makes things grow, so Jesus is the light who gives life to his people. This is doubtless referring to eternal life: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16), but also perhaps a certain quality of life now: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
Part of this quality of life is seen in another benefit light brings - we can see, and hence not stumble. Jesus being the light of the world means he is the one who shows us how to live in the world - he explains life to us, and we are not left stumbling in the dark. Of course he does this through his word: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105)
Light also has a moral connotation to it, especially in John's gospel: "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear his deeds will be exposed." (John 3:19-20) Like a torch shone in an abandoned building, that shows up all the litter and grubbiness that was not at first visible, so Jesus, by his example of moral purity, reveals all that is grubby and morally repugnant in the world.
Jesus is the light of the world - bringing life, revelation, and moral clarity. If we feel weak and lifeless we can come to him. If we feel lost and stumbling, we can come to him. If we feel grubby and unclean, we can come to him - knowing he not only reveals our filth, but deals with it by his death.
During the last solar eclipse, which lasted only a short time, the sky still went dark, things went strangely still, and the temperature dropped several degrees. Imagine a whole day without sun - imagine a whole year! Life would quickly become impossible: nothing would grow, no-one would be able to find their way around, and crime would skyrocket, as we know happens during blackouts.
We need light - and how much more do we need the spiritual light of the world that is Jesus. Without him there would be no life, no knowledge, no goodness. Our world is a dark place, despite the ever increasing number of streetlights illuminating our cities. But we have a Lord and Saviour who is the light of the world - and those of us who follow him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!