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John 7:37-52. John 8:12
Do you remember the light? It is so dark already! Come with me to Jerusalem, to a festival of remembrance, a week of people gathering from near and far to celebrate the longest festival in the Jewish calendar – the Feast of Tabernacles (7:2). The people are remembering a time of movement, (the tents), a time of salvation, (when they were saved), and a time of reliance on God. The festival was a time of celebration of God’s provision for Israel in the wilderness, the old desert, the Sinai desert, which was instrumental in their history.
In the gospel of John, the writer has been weaving the wilderness narrative. In chapter 6 the 5,000 had been fed, bread is provided, just like the manna was provided in the wilderness. Jesus then declares, “I am the bread of life.”
In John chapter 7:37-39 the Feast of Tabernacles is underway and they remember how God provided water in the wilderness. They perform a ceremonial water drawing. Jesus steps in again and says, “I am the one that will give living water.”
In chapter 8, Christ Jesus steps into the dark and says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).
Come now with me to the scene. It is dark. It’s the end of the festival. We are in the court of the women. In the temple lots of people gathering. Along the walls there are chests with coins, maybe they are glimmering in the light of the great candelabras. There are lots of burning light, four huge lamps in that space. Imagine Jerusalem being in darkness, but the light is beaming out from the temple during the festival. People are dancing through the night with torches, trying to re-enact the time when God had been a pillar of fire for them, guiding them through their desert days. When the festival is nearing the end, the lights are being extinguished. Darkness ensues. Another festival over. But it is then, after the dark, Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Remember this verse, in the dark, when you are dying, when the hopeless Red Sea of death is before you, when God is guiding us through the sea to the promised land.
John is shining a big spotlight on Jesus of Nazareth. Remember:
1. Who the Light is.
2. Why that Light was necessary.
3. What we are to do with that light.
- Let us remember who that light really is.
“I am.” Charged words! When we read these words we should remember the prophet Moses, who heard at the burning bush, ““I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14). There is no other God. He simply is, was and will be. Hundreds of years later, the Israelites saw this God in action – the one who opened the sea, the same Lord who led them personally to a better land, a better country, the Promised Land. He reminded them throughout, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” (Psalm 27:1). He is the one who provides light in the darkness. This is the God who saves people from oppression, from dark situations. Is that you this morning? This is God who deals with guilt – past, present and future. This is a God who led the people of Egypt.
But John goes further back at the end of his gospel, which is written so that we may believe in Him, “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.” (John 21:24).
John mirrors the creation in his writing, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5). The second person of the Trinity, who interrupted the darkness of the beginning of the book of Genesis, who is the same one who can interrupt your darkness here today. Jesus is the Light of the world. He is the light of everything. He is the true light, true light that lasts forever. John is saying that Jesus Christ is better than candles! He is what the candles are pointing to. Our life is like a flower that fades. Time is kicking. By nature, our life will run out. What happens then? Remember who He is – an answer to the darkness of life, to the end of life.
- Remember why the light was necessary.
Before He came, there was death. He has power over death. He is the one man in history who stormed out of death. The bible tells us, our ancestors tell us, we fell. We need light. The world needs light. Pembrokeshire needs light. Habakkuk 3:3-4 talks of God’s splendour like sunrise. The prophet Malachi talks of the sun of righteousness, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” (Malachi 4:2). Malachi is talking about end times but also the experience of a Christian; when you are converted taken from one realm and put in another. You are no longer a creature of darkness, you are a creature of the day. If you are a Christian, you are already saved. You are being saved and will be saved at the end.
Reject Jesus and your doom is already written. When the Son comes back, are you a creature of night or walking in the day? By nature, we’re walking in the dark. But the good news of the gospel is that God interrupted that darkness. Salvation is of the Lord. God, in His mercy, calls you. Jesus of Nazareth interrupts. He strides into darkness and says, ‘I’m here.’
Paul calls us stars in the sky. Isn’t that lovely! The dust of earth, you and I, can come to know Him. He came to save. Remember why He came. It was for you, to led you out of darkness.
3. What are we to do?
When the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt, can you imagine them wanting to return there? But that’s what many people are doing. They have been told about the Light but reject Jesus. They will not follow Him or walk in that light. They do not want Jesus Christ to rule over them because they will have to change. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The first statement is stunning! He is the light of the world. The proof is in the whole story of Jesus Christ. There is an immediate consequence to Jesus’ words, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” What is He saying?
After the festival, turn to Chapter 9. He will give sight to the blind. Only God can do that. Chapter 11 – it gets better. Lazarus is raised from the darkness of death. Only God can do that. In chapter 13 we see He will wash the disciples’ feet. Then we hit the darkest point of the whole gospel in chapter 19. The very embodiment of light and life is arrested, beaten in my place, taken up a hill to the place of execution – the cruellest form of execution. He is stripped, nailed and lifted up on a Roman cross. Darkness. The sun disappears for three hours. This is a day of judgement. The Light takes our sin upon Himself. The Father turns His face away. Even the sun darkens as the Light of the World dies. He breathed His last that you might breathe forever. He is the great High Priest who goes into the holy place, but He is also the sacrifice.
Remember the one who was born into a dark world, who bore your darkness, who experienced my hell so I would never have to go there. But darkness could not hold Him. He was raised from the dark on Easter Sunday. “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” What He has done for a Christian is guaranteed. A follower of Jesus lives.
Are you in the dark this morning? God Himself says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).
I would rather look forward to a real land of light. We are heading to a new creation, when we will be face to face with Jesus. Will you know Him? Remember who Jesus is, why He came and to follow Him all the way. Are you following the Light today into the promised land? The lamb is the lamp. The glory of God gives light.
Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch 