I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 8:12
The Bible begins with the story of Creation. In Genesis 1:1-3 we read In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light.” The very first thing created by God was light. In these very first verses of the Bible, we are introduced to the Holy Trinity. The Father is seen in the “God created”, the Spirit is moving over the waters. And the voice, or Word, of God speaks the command for light to be created.
The Gospel of John begins by speaking of the Word of God being the light. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:1-3) In these verses, the Evangelist gives his account of the Creation, establishing the Word as being with God from the beginning. In John 1:14, he covers the Incarnation in only a few words: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Word made flesh. However, before revealing this, John ascribes “light” to the Word. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man who comes into the world. (John 1:6-9)
In John 8:12, Jesus reveals Himself as the light of the world, the One present when light was created, the One referred to by John as the light, now reveals Himself as the Light of the world. John 8:12 mirrors John 1:5, as Jesus says “he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Indeed, Jesus is the Light of the World.
In Matthew 5:14-16, in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells His disciples (and everyone else in attendance), “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Thus, the one quality that we share with God is light. He is the light of the world. We are the light of the world. We are supposed to let our lights shine, meaning, people should be able to see the light of Christ shining in us. Which now unites the two great commandments of loving God and loving our neighbor. We love God as we embrace light and unite with Christ through His light, and we love our neighbor by shining Christ’s light on our neighbors through example and service.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaking about being the light of the world is part of a larger conversation that occurs in John 8. Immediately after this discourse, in John 9, we read of Jesus healing a blind man. Thus, Jesus not only claims the title “Light of the world,” a light that assures no one will walk in darkness, He then heals a man who lives in darkness so that he can see the light.
It is the practice of the Orthodox Church that when one enters into the sanctuary, the first thing he or she does is light a candle. This is to reaffirm (and probably in some cases reestablish) our relationship with Christ—He is the light of the world, we are the light of the world. The first thing created was light. And the first thing we do upon leaving the world to enter into God’s temple to worship involves light. At Pascha, when we celebrate a new beginning, the theme is also light, the light of the Resurrected Christ passed to the people in the congregation who light candles from His light, renewing our souls as bearers of light, having received the blessing from the Creator of light, the Light of the world, Jesus Christ.
Before Christ, eventually the light went out for every human being. The end of life brought an entrance into eternal darkness, consigned to Hades, where the light of God is absent. Because of the Resurrection, the bars of Hades and death have been broken, the sentence to eternal darkness has been lifted, and because of this, we have the potential to forever live in the light of Christ. Christ revealing Himself as the light that will never be overcome by darkness, sets the stage for the Resurrection, and a change of purpose, direction and destiny for all who believe in Him.
Answer me when I call, O God of my right! Thou hast given me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer. O men, how long shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him. Be angry, but sin not; commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say “O that we might see some good! Lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us, O Lord!” Thou hast put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for Thou alone, O Lord, makest me dwell safety. Psalm 4
Light is the quality we share with Christ. Be a light in the world today!
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