Jesus: Light of the world

Last week we started by asking, “What is God like?” We concluded from Scripture that the best way for God to reveal his love and other characteristics to us is through his Son, Jesus. John, in his gospel, uses many figures of speech to describe Jesus. He is light, life, truth, the way, the good shepherd, the bread of life, etc. It should be noted that the opposite of all these characteristics is undesirable: darkness, death and falsehood.

Jesus is “the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Jesus said, “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). The reference to Jesus as being the light highlights the truth that his teachings and work reveal the darkness for what it is: deceitful, destructive and steering a person’s life in the wrong direction.

Jesus’ teachings are a revealing light that informs us of God’s design and desire for our lives. It may be described as the “narrow way,” but it is the best way for us to experience a happy and productive life for ourselves and those we love. Jesus communicates the words from God that we need to hear — they are not always what we want to hear. God’s words are like medicine: they bring health and healing to our lives and relationships if we take his words in and let them become a part of us.

Jesus’ teachings are a guiding light that will lead us into the way we should live. Someone made the comment, “We are free to choose until we make a choice. After we make a choice, the choice we make then becomes the driving force in our lives and it becomes our master.” Jesus steers us in the right direction.

John’s objective in writing the Gospel of John was for us to “see” Jesus, to come to a deeper understanding of God and then “believe in him” (John 20:31).

Pastor Ray Martin Retired Great Trail Church of God, Minerva