“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
The purpose of light is to reveal—to shine out and to show up a thing. This revelation is the outshining of God’s very glory.
Christ shines out the person of God. When He claims to be the Light, He claims to be God. Is He a liar, lunatic, or Lord? Those are the only options. He is either a deceiver, delusional, or Deity. John was an eyewitness to His glory revealed on the Mountain of Transfiguration and testified, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). Paul saw that Light and said Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Col.1:15). Hebrews 1:3 speaks of, “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person….”
Christ shows up the path to God. The Lord had just attended the Feast of Tabernacles (7:2). This feast celebrated the pilgrimage of the Jews through the wilderness. You may recall the glory cloud—a pillar of cloud that directed them by day and a pillar of fire by night. This glory cloud rested above the tabernacle. When it moved, they moved. As the glory cloud led the Israelites through the wilderness, so Christ is the Light of the world to guide us to God and in the path of His will day by day until we reach the eternal light of glory.
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor.4:6).
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