I am the light of the world
RUMC 4/10/11
- What goes 186,000 miles per second.
- It can be visible or invisible
- It bounces
- We communicate with it
- It can be bent, blocked and filtered
- It can be harnessed to destroy or to create
- I’ll give you one more hint------It is a kind of radiation
It is LIGHT - Light. . . one of the greatest powers in all creation. What was the first things God created- Light- “Let there be light”
When we think of light we think of the sun. The Sun is the greatest light of creation. The sun is 93,000,000 miles from the earth. In other words in order to get there in an average lifetime you would have to spend 70 years traveling at 150 miles an hour. The diameter of the sun is 109 times that of the earth. The Sun contains 99.8% of the total mass of our solar system. The temperature at the sun’s surface is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. And its energy output in heat and light is an absolutely unimaginable 386 billion billion mega Watts
In spite of all that, Jesus did not say, the SUN is the light of the world.
No, Jesus says, “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.” That would be amazing enough but it is doubly amazing when you understand where Jesus said it.
He and his disciples were at the Feast of Booths, one of three holy days when every Jewish male was required to present himself before the Lord in Jerusalem.
On the evening of the first night of the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, there was a ceremony called the "Illumination of the Temple," which involved the ritual lighting of four golden candelabra. For additional reflection, each person lit four candlesticks and set them in a floating bowl, producing such a spectacle of light that it is said that all Jerusalem basked in its glow. All night long the light shone. The greatest, wisest, and holiest men of Israel danced before the Lord and sang psalms of joy and praise, while the people watched and waited.
They watched and waited, hoped and prayed, because this festival was a celebration that God had promised to send the Messiah; someone who would renew Israel's glory, release them from bondage, and restore their joy.
It is in this setting; against the magnificent, hopefilled glow of these candles that Jesus makes a dramatic announcement. He looks at the disciples and says "I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD."
Imagine the impact of that saying.
Don’t you suppose everyone fell silent.
Everyone knew exactly what He meant. Jesus is saying:
"The one you've been watching and waiting and hoping and praying for in the Feast of Tabernacles is now before you. “I am the messiah, the light God has promised you." “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
"I am the light of the world." Let's take a closer look at this sentence. We first notice the words "I am." I have said before that this throws us back to God telling Moses “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
Jesus says "I am,". The importance is inescapable: Jesus claims for Himself the divinity of God. He is part of the Godhead. He is the Messiah; the Anointed One; the Son of God; the great "I am."
"I am the light." Notice, Jesus doesn't say "I have the light." Or I bring the light. Rather, He says, "I am the light." What does it mean to be light.
First we look to the first chapter of the Gospel of John says. “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” In John 8 Jesus says “He who follows me will have the light of life.” The light is life itself. Without the light from the sun there would be no life- we would be just a bunch of popsicles with clothes.
Without the light from the sun there would be no photosynthesis’ No photosynthesis, means - no plants, no food, no carbon-dioxide oxygen exchange- no life. Jesus is saying that he is the light that gives life.
What is the opposite of Light. >>> Darkness???<<< Actually there is no opposite of light. What we call darkness is the absence of light. You can’t measure darkness like you measure light, because you can’t measure the absence of something.. You can’t define darkness without light. We wouldn’t even know darkness if we didn’t know light.
No I think the opposite of light, the way Jesus used it is death. In Jesus’ thinking Light was equivalent to life. When Jesus says he is light, he is saying that he is life itself.
So the first thing I want you to know about light of Christ is that it is uniquely life itself. And that light is uniquely for us. We don’t get to choose which light to follow. We don’t get to choose between light and darkness and. Because there is only one unique light, one unique source of life- that is the one and only Light of Life Jesus Chris who comes into the darkness just for us.
There is the darkness of sin. Jesus is the light of salvation.
There is the darkness of despair. Jesus is the light of hope.
There is the darkness of guilt. Jesus is the light of forgiveness.
There is the darkness of meaninglessness. Jesus light gives meaning and purpose to life.
There is the darkness of death. The light of Christ is the light of eternal life.
BUT---Second, I am sure you realize we now have a problem. The problem is how do we get this wonderful light of life? How do people who walk in darkness get the light? How do people who sit in deep darkness find the light of life
Jesus answers that when he said in today’s reading; "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
To go from darkness into light we, by the magnificent grace of God, must follow Jesus. There is no light apart from Jesus. We won’t find light by following our own whims, we won’t find light by following the culture. We won’t find light by following our friends or hanging on the coat tails of our spouse or a parent. We only find light by getting off our behinds and getting behind the one who is the light of life.
"Follow me” is a present participle in the Greek. That means it is not a onetime event that is over. Following Jesus is a continuous following. It is a process, a journey, a life. Jesus is speaking of a whole-hearted discipleship, not of a casual relationship.
· "Follow me." Jesus is speaking of a life of commitment.
· "Follow me." Jesus is speaking of a way of life.
· "Follow me." By grace, we have to cut ties with all the works of darkness. The
Finally, we need to understand that light by itself is invisible. Can you see a light ray? Can you see a single sunbeam? Can the astronauts see light of the stars zipping past them in space toward the earth? No.
Light is only visible when it reflects off of something. It is only when the light bounces off something and reflects back in to our eyeballs and our optic nerve that we are able to see. What we see is light reflecting off the atmosphere to make the sky is blue. Light reflecting off clouds and trees, and grass, and buildings, and water, and faces and everything else around us is what makes the world a bright place.
Remember, first I said, Jesus light is uniquely life itself. Second, we receive it by following Jesus, the Final thing is that if the light is truly to shine all the dark places-- if the light is truly to shine in all the darkest corners of the human heart, The light has to reflect off of something. Guess what? When you follow Jeuss you volunteer to reflect that light. Jesus needs someone like you and someone like me willing to reflect the light of life into the darkness of the world.
· The light of Christ brings life to our dead hearts and is reflected in our attitudes and the way we treat others.
· The light of Christ brings life to our dead lives and reflects off our hands as we reach out to those who need special care.
· The light of Christ brings life to our dead souls and reflects off our arms as we embrace those who are different from ourselves or those whom others are afraid or hesitant to embrace.
THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES IN THIS WORLD FOR YOU.
FOLLOW HIM AND BE FILLED WITH THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
SHINE FOR HIM IN ALL YOU DO.
LET THERE BE LIGHT.
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