Jesus spoke to them saying, “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)
Reading the creation story in Genesis we are told that the first thing created was light. Obviously the Deity responsible for such a significant phenomenon must be the embodiment of power and wisdom. Who was this Being? To Old Testament authors He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets and wisdom writers, and His mighty acts and spirit are the subject of many pages.
Then came further revelation recorded in what we know as the New Testament. Intended for readers of a later age, it sets forth the story of one Jesus of Nazareth, whose teachings and ministry set him apart and proclaimed that even death could not extinguish the light of his continuing presence.
Thus when John, the Gospel writer, set down his unforgettable words about who Jesus was, it was in the context of his firm belief that he had not only been present at creation but in himself represented the source of spiritual light responsible for all creative and fruitful lives, known for their goodness and truth and who most surely are the possessors of joy and peace. Thus, according to John, Jesus could most truthfully say, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Is that light “resurrection?” The Risen Jesus, who empowers us for a new way of living, is that the light we absorb that in time makes us one with the light? When Jesus reappeared from the dead, he did not tell us what resurrection means, he lived it - he was among them. His presence pulled his followers into a new level of existence. Would it be so for us all today.
Kaye White
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