“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 8:20 KJV
No one likes to walk in physical darkness. We like bright sunny days and well-lit homes. Why don’t we like the dark? Because we can’t see where we’re going or what obstacles might be in our paths. Most of us at one time or another has tripped over something in the dark or smashed a leg into an end table we didn’t see. So when a severe storm knocks out the power, we quickly grab a flashlight or light a candle. Physical darkness is unnerving.
Spiritual darkness is no different. The sun and our modern day electricity gives us physical light, but only Jesus gives us spiritual light, which is the light of life. That light guides us into all truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He is the Way. He is the Truth! He is the Life! He is the Light of Life! Without Him, we walk in spiritual darkness. No one would take a journey at night down a dark road without a flashlight or lantern. So why do people journey through life in darkness? There is a light, and His name is Jesus. John 1:9 says, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
Darkness is the complete absence of light, so if you can see a glimmer of light, the shadow of your hand, or the outline of the person beside you, then you are not in total darkness. In darkness that great, you cannot see anything, therefore you are totally blinded to danger.
Jesus said in John 9:5, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” The Spirit of God lives in the heart of every believer, so as long as we are in the world, Jesus is in the world. And Jesus is the Light of the world.
- His Light shows us the way to God.
- His Light shows us the truth of God’s Word.
- His Light makes us aware of dangers and obstacles.
- His Light reveals the enemy.
- His Light reveals our imperfections. (How else would we know that we were sinners in need of a Savior?)
- His Light reveals evil.
In John 3:19-21, Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
Jesus is the light of the world. Whoever follows Him “shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”