(REFLECTIONS ON John 8:12-30)

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

The light of the world? Doesn’t the world already have light? There is light from the sun. There is light powered by electricity. There is light from sparks, fires, and explosions, meaning that there is light from the transfer or release of energy.

I am the Light of the world thus isn’t just talking about physical light, but as Jesus said in verse 12, “he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.” This is the Light of the world, it is the Light of life.

The Light of life means that the Light that Jesus provides is a Light that opens our spiritual eyes to see life in Him. No, this is not the same life as the life we have now, being born into this world, but it is eternal life, showing us that there is light and dark beyond physical light and darkness.

That is why Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.”

I am the Light of the world, is not the light of this world, for Jesus is not of this world, but is the Light of the spiritual world, the heavenly world, the eternal world entering into the physical world. There is life beyond this life, and in order for us to see that life, we need the Light of life, and it is Jesus that is the Light of that world.

25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?”

The Jewish leaders simply could not understand, and it is a reflection of how much they needed the Light of the world. They asked Jesus, “Who are You?” And Jesus took them back to the beginning. In the beginning God, and as the writer of the Gospel of John tells us in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

I am the Light of the world, is God, is the Light of life, and that is the Light that will give us direction, purpose, and meaning in this life, and more importantly eternal life.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: John 8