New Thoughts (05/29/09-06/07/09)
Before exploring this verse, there are a few questions that need to be explored as regards how this is set into the context of John’s gospel. For my part, I am past the questions as to the validity of the first part of this chapter, and I am satisfied that it is indeed valid. However, looking out from this verse and what follows, I have to ask myself how far those Pharisees had retreated, who brought the adulteress here. Or, are we now dealing with a different group of Pharisees? For, no sooner does Jesus speak this message then we read that the Pharisees are back and accusing Him of false witness.
I have to say, that this ensuing attack of theirs seems to me to lend even more credence to the inclusion of the adulteress’ story. Jesus had indirectly shown the duplicity in their own actions, their failure to produce not only viable witnesses to corroborate the sin, but even the proper perpetrators. After all, false witness is not only to be found in making accusations against an innocent. False witness can also come in the form of protecting the guilty by refusing to speak what is known of their crimes. So, that these men would turn around, once the danger of that writing in the dirt had been dispensed with, and accuse Jesus of the same issue is just human nature in action. Projection, I believe the psychologists call it. We will divert our shame by pointing out how You are doing just as we are accused of doing. We’ll turn the opinion of this crowd yet.
Having observed this connection, I would have to say that those Pharisees who had departed upon seeing what Jesus had written had not gone very far. The immediate shock, and the threat inherent in what they saw to be written there, was enough to make them leave off their immediate attack. But, no sooner had they departed then they began to resent what He had just done to them. Why, He had no proof! Just His own scribblings in the sand. They might be true enough, but with no witnesses, no evidence, they really had no cause to fear this man. So, back they came. No, they would not be dealing with the adulteress now. That case had been lost already. Yet, they were comfortable in their own cases, so now they watched and waited to find a case against this one who had just embarrassed them. Again.
They had ‘gone out one by one’ and Jesus was ‘left alone’ (Jn 8:9). Except, immediately John adds, “and the woman.” And these two were, he notes, “in the midst.” In other words, ‘alone’ was hardly alone. The crowd remained. It was simply that the accusers who brought the woman had departed without making viable charge against her. Isn’t it, then, reasonable to suggest that those who had ‘gone out’ had not completely departed the temple courtyard where Jesus was seated, but had simply moved back into the crowds a bit? I.e. – they had withdrawn as accusers and witnesses, but were not very far away at all. They still wanted something they could use against Jesus, and if they could not trap Him by their direct confrontations, then they could certainly sit listening to what He was saying and pounce on whatever weak spot they found in His message.
So, as Jesus speaks, we can assume all the players from the previous scene are still in attendance. The woman may have gone away, we do not know. She may have been too stunned to go. The crowds are assuredly there – those who had come to hear Jesus speak. The Pharisees are clearly there, for they are back to argue with Jesus immediately. His disciples, the twelve, can be assumed present, I think. They are not mentioned specifically, but they are also not noted has having been sent off somewhere else, so presumably, they would be the first ones seated to listen to their Teacher. So, the question I have is this: Who is Jesus primarily addressing with this declaration?
The most obvious answer would be: the crowds, and I don’t know that there’s any great cause to look further. Consider: They have just heard Him send this woman (whom they could all see was guilty – her body language confessed even if there was no official conviction) away Scot free. What were the words of His dismissal? “Go your way, but from now on sin no more” (Jn 8:11). Now hear how He describes His disciples: “My disciples shall not walk in the darkness [of sin], but shall have the light of life.” Remember that the wages of sin is death. The woman who stands there free before them has just escaped that very thing. She now has the light of life within hand’s reach. If she would leave that darkness behind, she will need to become a disciple of this One who is the Light. That’s the offer that’s been made to her. Now, He is extending that offer to all who can hear Him, or to whom His words can be relayed.
The general theory on this passage is that Jesus is drawing upon the imagery of the Feast of Tabernacles, upon the great lamp that would have been set up and burning in the Women’s Courtyard. Was the lamp still there? Assuming that the previous, “Come to Me and drink” (Jn 7:37) was drawn from the imagery of the procession from the Pool of Siloam at the close of that same feast, then we would have to suppose that no, the lamp is gone. But, it’s memory certainly isn’t. Neither is the memory of what that lamp was set out to represent.
Indeed, the whole Feast that had just ended the preceding day was one extended remembrance of the Exodus of Israel. The booths in which all Israel had been dwelling this last week were to keep the people mindful of God’s marvelous provision and guidance through the wilderness for those forty years of wandering. They would recall to mind the wonder that amongst all the people, nobody had worn out so much as a shoe in all that time. How could that be? They would recall to mind that this God they served had managed to feed the millions who were there daily in that wilderness, raining quail and causing manna to arise like dew from the ground.
The procession from the Pool: Why had that been part of the feast? It was to bring to mind how God had provided water from the rock that His people would not thirst in the desert. It was this picture, not directly present but clearly in mind, that Jesus had been building His own declaration upon yesterday. “I am that Rock, the source of the Living Water.” He did not have to speak it directly. The significance of what He did say would suffice.
This time, His claim is more direct: “I AM the Light.” We could attribute that to the simple fact that the image He is drawing upon is less immediate. The lamps were taken down yesterday, even while the people were dismantling their booths. But, they had been there to put all in mind of the Pillar of Fire that had been their guide and protection by night throughout that long wandering. That Pillar was, of course, God, and everybody had known that pretty much from birth. Now, hear what Jesus has just said, and realize that nobody listening to Him in that place was likely to miss the point. “I AM the Light: that Light. I AM the Pillar of Fire that led Israel out of Egypt. I AM that Light of whom the prophets wrote.” In short, though as a good and pious Jew He would never say the word directly, “I AM God.” As I said, nobody there missed His meaning.
I AM, and if you are truly going to follow Me, truly going to make My way your lifestyle, then you will NOT walk in darkness any longer. No more! If you are Mine, you are done with that. If you are Mine, you have the light of life. You know better. You are too wise to fall back into that garbage. You have My own Wisdom guiding you, keeping you. You will have the light of Life, the wisdom to live, the sense to remain on the path I have set you on. You will find it in yourself to “go, but sin no more.”
This brings me to the question: Is this a promise, or a commandment, or just a description? We might find a clue in the syntax. When Jesus speaks of not walking in darkness, the verb is in the subjunctive mood. Given the presence of the preceding ou mee, it strongly speaks to the impossibility of this action ever occurring. By way of contrast, when Jesus says these same shall have the light of life, the verb is in the indicative mood, with the exact opposite case implied: it is certain to come about. Given the future tense of the verb, this becomes a promised outcome, which would tend to leave not walking in darkness as the precondition.
Where does that leave us? Well, There is a promise in this verse, but it is not a promise that darkness shall not cloud our way. The promise is in the result of our following His way. Neither is this truly a commandment. There is no sense of the imperative in what he says about walking in darkness. It is more a simple statement of fact: For such as have truly become His disciples, the very idea of continuing to walk in darkness is an impossibility, an absurdity. This carries the same sense as when Gabriel told Mary that nothing is impossible with God (Lk 1:37). It is as if he had said, “Impossible doesn’t even apply as a concept for God.” Likewise, then, what Jesus is saying in this instance is that it is utterly inconceivable that a disciple of His would walk in darkness. It is, as it were, impossible for them to do so, and do you know why? It is impossible, for the very reason that this light of life that is promised as the future reward is already a present possession. They cannot walk in darkness because they bear within themselves the light, and the darkness cannot comprehend, nor can it overwhelm the light.
So, back to the question: Promise, commandment, or description? I think the short answer may be yes. It is all of the above and more. To those still in darkness, it is half invitation to come to the light and half condemnation of the choice already made. You see, there is something of Joshua’s, “choose you this day” in what Jesus says here. The two choices are laid out, although in stating only the one. On the one hand: follow Me, refuse to continue in darkness, and enjoy the light of life. On the other hand: reject me, continue in darkness, and lose all claim to the light of life. Choose you this day.
This is, as I noted, much the same crisis He has just created in the case of the adulteress. What is done is done, but as of this moment, determine in yourself to sin no more. Don’t go back and just keep doing as you’ve been doing. That way lies death, and you have seen that it is so. Now, you have a choice. Now, you can reject death and choose life, but you must choose.
That same crisis is upon the Pharisees who have, after all, not gone so very far away. They are being handed the challenge. They have the choice of receiving this as one receives the slap of a gauntlet. They can choose to feel the insult of accusation against them. Of course, they’ve already conceded as much in that they stepped away from taking up that first stone. Yes, they would have to concede that there has been sin in their lives, as would any other. But, Jesus, by His preceding actions, has made clear that the problem is not in what you have been. It’s in what you’re going to do about it now. Right now. As R. C. Sproul titles his monthly article: Right Now Counts Forever. That’s where Jesus has placed these men. Choose you this day. Light or darkness? Eternal life or eternal death? You either reject Me or you follow Me. What shall it be, gentlemen? But, the choice must be made now.
What is it, then, that Jesus says of Himself here? We have determined, I believe, that He has clearly associated Himself with the Pillar of Fire, and by that, with God. He has made a clear and unmistakable claim as to His person. He has said far more than simply, “if you would be godly, do as I do.” That was and is the way of the Pharisee, and it was guaranteed to fail. Follow the one whose example looks so good, and you will merely wind up in the ditch with him. No, Jesus is saying something much greater. Follow Me, become My disciple, make My teaching as well as My example the model by which you live your life. Indeed, become so determined to live as I teach that you would gladly die rather than fall short.
In so doing, you will find it impossible to continue living in the darkness of the sinful flesh. This is not to say that you shall never know temptation and testing. Far from it! But, you will no longer find it conceivable to continue wallowing in your sin. As Paul would remind his own converts later, you’ve had more than enough time for that. Now, come out! Like Lazarus, arise from the grave that your sins have prepared for you, and never go back to it. Who would gladly return to their grave, once given a reprieve? It’s unthinkable. Just as unthinkable is the idea of a disciple of Christ going back to a lifestyle of sin. No! They have set their feet upon the path to life. They have been infused with the light of life. Their eyes have been opened to the Truth. Their thoughts have been conditioned by the Truth. Their soul has been thoroughly sensitized to the Truth. However much the flesh may tempt them to return, and yes, even should they stumble and revisit past ways for a moment, they cannot return. The pleasures of the past are no longer pleasant. The shock of recognizing the nearness of irrevocable death has caused all that came before to lose its taste. The Truth within cringes at their dalliance with such things, and that Truth leads them swiftly back to the place of repentance. For they are now in the Light, and the Light will ever expose the darkness. They have been handed Life, against improbable odds, and they have been given to understand what a precious gift that truly is. It will not be let go of lightly. Indeed, it will not be let go of, for Jesus never lets go of their hands.
Let us hear this, then, in conjunction with the shepherd’s psalm: Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I shall fear no evil, for I shall never walk in darkness. In my innermost being shines the Light, and the darkness of this valley cannot comprehend it, cannot put it out. In my innermost being I have not just life, not just bios, but I have the Life. I have zoe, all that is excellent and perfected in God, all that makes life worthy of being called life. No, I am not perfect in myself, but within me I bear the seed of perfection, implanted by the Perfect One. My future is made certain in Him. He has spoken me into existence and He has spoken me out of my darkness into His marvelous Light. Death no longer bears a sting that I can feel, for His Life is within me, the promise assured. I shall one day see Him in the fullness of His true being, and in that moment, I shall, by His loving hand, be made as He is. That is the promise.
For the rest of this study, I shall be focused on this Light that Jesus has declared Himself to be. What is to be heard in that claim, and what would have been understood by those who first heard it? The preliminary investigations I have made in this regard indicate a rich reward awaits if I take the time to find out. As a start, consider the definition of that word phos by which Jesus describes Himself. This is, Zhodiates informs us, particularly used of ‘unquenchable’ light. In other words, it describes such lights as the sun and, by ancient conception, the moon. It is that form of light which always is, and which, so far as the mind can conceive, always shall. In other words, there is a nuance of eternity in the meaning. No candle flame to be lit or snuffed out as one sees fit, this. However, this same light that betokens eternality also stands as the embodiment of ‘delicate subtlety and purity’.
Delicate is hardly a word I would generally associate with God, but here, we must accept that delicate is not describing fragility, but rather a quality of workmanship. In that sense, yes, I can see it applied to my God. In the exercise of His infinite power, He does indeed express a delicate subtlety. There is great nuance to the Creation He has made in His power. There is delicate subtlety in the way He has acted in my own life to draw me to Himself. His will is surely irresistible, yet His application of that will is not felt to be coercive in any sense. It is delicate, the way He renews the mind. It is subtle in the ways it has preserved my life until that moment of awakening to His love.
As to purity, what better word to describe God? He is purity, just as He is love. There is no least potential of evil in Him. He may bring calamity, for this certainly lies in His power, and He is not ashamed to confess to wielding that power. Yet, even in calamity, He remains pure. Even when He has come in wrath, yet He remains love. There is no discoloration of injustice in Him, and all His ways are good and holy and pure.
One final aspect of this light is that light exposes Truth. Light makes manifest. This is a theme we hear Jesus pick up on often. What you have heard in darkness, or in secret, speak in the light, boldly, for all to hear. What deeds men have done in darkness, hoping to hide them from becoming known will be brought into the light, exposed for all to see. The truth of the man, though it be cloaked away behind masks of righteousness, will be made manifest. Hidden things will be made plain. The heart of the man will be made known by the Judge who sees the heart.
Consider that. The unquenchable, eternal Light, expressing His purity with delicacy, subtlety, will so work upon mankind as to not only make Himself manifest for all to see, but also to bring every hidden way of man into that light which He is. There will be no lying to Him, for His light penetrates deepest darkness. There will be no hiding our secret sin from Him, no, nor from one another in that day. Thus it is that we are admonished to let our light so shine as all men shall see it. Thus it is that we are admonished to live out our lives as children of this marvelous light, having set behind our former ways of sin and deception in favor of a life of purity worthy of our Lord.
You know, we see those bumper stickers about that suggest we ought to live in such a way that the pastor won’t have to lie at our funeral. Yes, and we take the serious point from it, and we appreciate the humorous truth of it. But, isn’t it sad that we know it’s true? Isn’t it sadder yet that we think this is humorous? How much better were we to live in such a way that nobody, upon hearing the case on that judgment day, will be shocked to learn what we were really like! How much better to live in such a way that our inner life, our private habits, are of one accord with our outward, public face. Of course, that presupposes that our outward, public face is something to be desired. But, the number who, in their adulthood, seek to put forward a reprehensible face to one and all are few, even in this fallen world.
We are wired to seek acceptance, to want to fit in. Isn’t this exactly why it is an issue for us that bad company corrupts good morals? Isn’t this why as parents we cringe to see the friends our children choose at times? Oh, what is it about our youth that we are so enticed by the dangerous friend? What is it we find cool about those who are adept at evil? No, we don’t think of it that way, do we? We just think they’re getting away with it. We just see that they’ve got more freedom than we do, and we get jealous. It takes time for us to recognize that what they are getting away with is an ignoring of legality, that the freedom they have taken must necessarily mean that somebody else’s rights have been trampled. It takes maturity to see their actions from both sides, to consider the other’s perspective as well as the personal. What it takes, really, is the Light.
You see, once we move from the basics of literal meaning and into the symbolism of light, we find ourselves walking headlong into wisdom. What is wisdom, but intelligence applied? What is intelligence but understanding and experience: knowing what is right and what is wrong, and knowing the clear benefit of choosing the right in all things? Thus, the illumination of Wisdom’s light makes us not simply to learn, but to learn in such a way as to define and establish our morals. We not only know what is right, but we are made wise enough to actually do what is right.
In light of this study, the conversation that transpired at men’s meeting last night was interesting. We have in our number those who are vehemently opposed to works-based salvation. Indeed, to the degree that it is focused solely on this issue of salvation, we have none that would argue. But, for some, it has become such a knee-jerk reaction that the very idea of one trying to address issues of sin by dint of personal effort is just plain wrong. Now, I know these men are not advocating a lifestyle of willful participation in sin. They are not explicitly promoting the once-saved-always-saved fallacy that one who is saved can now do as he pleases with impunity. Yet, they react to messages from Scripture that speak clearly to the point that we are to strive with our sinfulness, that we are to put our energies towards the avoidance of sinful behaviors, not wallow in them waiting for God to come haul us out, as though these must be understood by means of some higher revelation.
When Paul tells the Colossians to consider themselves as dead to immorality, impurity, and so on, he is not telling them to be passive about it (Col 3:5). He is not telling them to pretend they aren’t doing these things, or to keep them out of sight lest they disturb a weaker brother. When he tells them to further deal with their attitudes and their speech, and not to lie to each other (Col 3:8-9), hasn’t he pretty well precluded pretense on the earlier issues? Yes, he has given them a curative in telling them to seek the heavenly things, to seek Christ (Col 3:1), yet we also know full well that Paul had his own struggles with the flesh. Knowing this, we further know that he didn’t simply bide his time waiting for God to deal with his problems. He fought his flesh, battled with himself, did all in his strength to subject the flesh to the spirit. No, he did not promote any such concept as having a capacity to achieve this in his own strength. No, he did not preach any perfection of man in this life, nor did Jesus, nor does any least portion of Scripture. But, he consistently preaches trying, doing, striving, laying hold of Christ and running the race. This is of a piece with the teaching of Jesus, and it is of a peace with the teaching of the whole text of Scripture.
It is there from the very outset. Adam and Eve are not left to passive enjoyment of the blessings of Eden, but are given a meaningful part in the maintenance of that place. They are not told that the sin of eating from the one tree forbidden them was OK because, after all, God knew their weakness all along. They are not told that they can go on as if nothing had happened and He would just make it all work out. No, they were responsible to take action in themselves. They were responsible to deal with the consequences themselves. To the degree that they were capable of doing so. What God promised was to take care of things from that point where human capacity failed. The promise we have in Christ is not that we can go forth and sin with impunity, nor is it that we can play the psychological game of just accepting our sins because, after all, we are powerless to change them. The promise is that when we have given it our all and still found ourselves wanting, when, in spite of our deep and very real desire for purity we find we are back in our sins again, He has provided a way out. He has paid the ultimate penalty for those sins we still struggle with. He has won the victory once for all. Yet, He has found it in our best interest that we continue the struggle, that we continue to hone the muscles of righteousness while we await the day of His manifest return.
All of this is of a piece with what Jesus says in this passage: The one who follows me will not ever walk in darkness. He shall have the light of life. Is it a promise? Not as such, and we know that from our own experience. We know that our toes still dip into the stream of sin entirely too often. We know that our need for repentance was hardly brought to an end on the day of our salvation. If anything, that need had only just begun. Is it, then, a description of the true disciple, setting him apart from the imposter? In some degree, yes. But only in some degree. We must surely understand, both from experience and from the clear testimony of Scripture that we shall not find a man this side of Jesus who has attained unto sinlessness. Even if we measure from the point of conversion forward in a man’s life, and forget the past, we shall not find this. Even if we measure from the point one day prior to that man’s death, we shall not find this. I don’t say it is doubtful. I say it is impossible. We shall not find a man in all of history who has not had need of the gift of God that is found in Jesus. Even Enoch and Elijah of old, though they did not taste death in this life, though they were translated to heaven directly, yet needed the gift of Jesus’ blood. Even they had their body of sins that would require that perfect sacrifice before they could obtain to salvation.
So, if is neither a promise, nor a description of the Christian life, what does Jesus mean here? How should we hear Him? What must be heard here is, in truth, a promise, but of lesser degree then we tend to think. We like absolutes, and there is the sound of absoluteness in this. Never. He shall never walk in the darkness. Note that: it’s the darkness, not darkness per se. It is a specific darkness, just as He is the Light, not just light in a generic or all inclusive sense. It is impossible, then, that the real disciple of Christ, such a one as has truly dedicated himself to the way of the Master, though it be death to his flesh, should find that in the end the second death awaits after all. No! He shall have the light of life. His eternity is settled in Christ, and it is therefore utterly impossible that he should find his final destination in hell.
He may – no, he certainly will – find himself in sin again, daily most likely. He will assuredly find himself deeply conflicted, unable to bridle his fleshly desires, but pained to the depths of his soul by that same fleshly affront to God. He shall know interminable times upon his knees, whether literally or solely in spirit, seeking the forgiveness that is his in Christ, returning once more to his Advocate, knowing that this One he has trusted will ultimately bring an end to the conflict, an end to sin and sin’s baggage, but wishing that it could be now rather than later. It is in man to be impatient for the end, for the process is wearing. It is in God to see the end from the beginning and knowing that end, to be at peace with the present, even if it doesn’t yet resemble that end very much. He knows. And, because He knows, we can know. And because we can know, we can continue to stand, battling our own darker impulses in spite of our weakness. Why? Because we know it pleases Him, because in some small, maybe even insignificant way, it contributes to the work He is doing in us, and we love to work with our Daddy.
So, Jesus, the Light, the Light, declares to us that we shall have the light of life. He is the Light of the whole world. We shall have our own little beam of that light. Though we may yet walk into dark places, though we may suffer a long midnight of the soul, yet we shall not be abandoned by the light of life. We shall bear within us the spark, the flame of His light, and the darkness shall not comprehend it. That is the promise. The darkness will not, cannot snuff out the light He has brought into being in our soul. The Truth that He has imparted to us shall not, cannot, be taken from us. The Wisdom that He imparts to us cannot be destroyed by all the efforts of the atheistic educational forces of modern man. What God has planted, no man shall uproot. What He has imparted, no man and no demon force of hell can cause to depart. We shall have our struggles, but He shall have our victory!
No, it may not feel like it just now. It may feel like everything is falling apart around you, like every visible means of your support is rotting away, falling to dust. It may even be more than just a feeling. Maybe those false props upon which we’ve been depending really are being yanked from our grasp, that we might return to the place of depending on Christ alone. What was it my brother said last night? When it seems like everything is going against you, where will you run to? Will you run back to the things of flesh and darkness that are familiar to you from past habit? Or, will you run headlong to Christ? We know what the right answer is. We know, too, that more often than not we’ll try the wrong answer first. But, the glorious, wondrous truth is that even as we run the wrong way, God remains. He may choose to set such roadblocks in our path that we are restored to our better senses and turn around ‘ere ever we get back to our dark false comforts. He may not. He may allow us a time to wallow in our mess before He restores us. Yet, He remains. He is there. He knows the right time for our restoration, and He knows the right lessons for our maturation. He makes sure both times and lessons are optimal for His children, that His children may become adults, and having become adults, be such as will bring joy to Him rather than sorrow.
Listen to this point that the ISBE makes in regard to light’s significance to man. Even if we look only at the purely natural, “life, joy, activity and all blessings are dependent upon light.” Don’t we find that to be true in ourselves? Here in New England, as the days grow shorter in winter, we become less active, more withdrawn into the cocoon of home. Let there be a power outage, and see just how dependent you are upon light! When darkness of night falls, and there are no lights to counter its effects, what activity is there other than to go to bed? What joy is there in those months of long nights? We all feel the effect of spring’s arrival with its lengthening days. It’s not merely the warmth of the summer months that brings us joy. It’s the light! Just ask yourself which vacation was more joyful, the one when the weather was sunny most days, or the one when it seemed to be overcast and gloomy ever day.
Joy, activity: we see the dependency here. Likewise life. Plants without light will wither and die, and as the plants die, so the animals. And as the animals, so man. Yes, there are those forms which dwell in what seems an absolute darkness. Yet, isn’t it curious that as we come across these creatures of the deep, where the light of the sun does not penetrate in any meaningful way, those creatures have developed lights of their own. Life demands light. What has been said about man and God? If there were no God, man would find it necessary to create one. So it is with even these lesser life forms and light. If there is no light, they find it necessary to create one. You see, there is a grain of truth in that admittedly false declaration about God. Man cannot create God. Neither can he live without Him.
God is Light. The necessity we feel for the one is reflective of our very real need for the Other. Already, then, in this simpler, physical consideration of the case, we find that Light is a fitting metaphor for God. But, this is hardly the end of it. It is but the beginning of what light means as we move into the more symbolic, more metaphysical aspect of the matter.
Some of those deeper meanings are well known to us, reflected in familiar phrases. If somebody was kept in the dark, we understand that they knew nothing about what was going on. If we wish to shed some light on a matter, we are providing additional information and explanation so as to increase understanding of the subject. If the future looks bright, it is because we sense good things ahead. If the times were dark, then it was because of evil done in that period. All of these things reflect an age old understanding of light’s symbolic power. Light represents wisdom, moral goodness, openness and transparency of character. Darkness stands diametrically opposed to these things: hidden and secretive in nature, morally reprehensibility giving good cause to hide things away, ignorance, or worse yet, a deliberate inversion of values.
If, then, we would understand the full symbolic power of light, we do well to look to this One who has just proclaimed, “I AM the Light”. He embodies in His character and in His habit all that is symbolized in light, for He truly is the embodiment of the Light. Of course, in particular, I am concerning myself with the symbolism revealed by Scriptural usage, but again: that symbolism is relatively universal in sense. Isaiah writes a woe against those who have inverted their moral compass. They have declared what is evil to be good, and decry what is good as being evil. They have, he writes, replaced light with darkness and then proclaimed the darkness light (Isa 5:20a). These two clauses provide a fine example of poetic parallelism as we find it throughout the more poetic passages of Scripture.
The connections are set out for us, that we might more fully realize the absurdity of the position of those upon whom woe is declared. Good is equated with light, evil with darkness. Now, we might make excuse for lack of understanding in those who have called something evil good, or called something good evil. But, when we read that they have called something light dark, and then – absurdity of absurdities – have tried to convince everybody that the darkness is light! Well, that’s just crazy talk! Yes, says Isaiah (and through his facilities, God), It is crazy talk. So, too, that one who calls his evil ways good. And those who accept and uphold his opinions are just as devoid of sanity as he is.
That in mind, notice clearly the connection that is established between light (understood to represent wisdom, morality, and such) and life. Jesus, in His proclamation here, has spoken of it, and we know it’s a theme John picked up on. But, we’ll save John’s specific take on things for later. Right now, focus on the Biblical connection between light and life. Indeed, Jesus speaks of the Light which He is as being “the light of life”. Life itself depends upon the presence and influence of light. The light of reason, as the Greeks would have understood it, is but one facet of the thing. Yes, friends, reason is indeed a good thing, blessed and promoted by God. We are not called into a mindless faith, an ignorant superstitious belief in things we don’t understand. We are called to meditate, to concentrate, to really come to grips with what God has caused to be written in His Word, that we can truly understand His character, His desire for mankind, and His commandment to His children.
Now, that connection Jesus speaks of here is no new thing, no flight of imagination that took Him in the passion of the moment. It was a long established connection ere ever He was conceived in Mary’s womb. Go back to His progenitor, David. “With You is the fountain of life. In Your light we see light” (Ps 36:9). Again, we are in the poetic mode. And here we find both of the themes Jesus has been touching on recently. “Come to me, and living waters will flow from you, for I am the fountain of life” (Jn 7:37-38). “I AM the light, the light of life”. But, recognize as well what David is talking about with this business of light. “In Your light we see light.” What does that mean? We are not talking about sunshine here, nor even the light of a torch of some sort. We are not expected to bring the Pillar of Fire to mind, not directly anyway. What David is proclaiming here is that He is the source of true wisdom and true understanding. When we reason in isolation from God’s influence, we are prone to those failings Isaiah is talking about. Unguided by God, we are quite capable of reaching the idiotic conclusion that darkness is light, that evil is good.
Indeed, it’s almost built into our DNA to do that. Why? Because, fallen as we are, we cannot seem to help but proceed towards evil, and if we begin to catch on to the fact that the things we do are evil, we work overtime trying to shield ourselves from that ugly truth. Typically, a man does not wish to think himself evil, certainly not stupid. So, when confronted with his own stupid and evil ways, his tendency is to fabricate a sense of the thing wherein he can deem himself good again. No, no! That was not an evil act! You need to understand the circumstances that led me to it! I’m a victim, I tell you. I couldn’t help myself, I’m just a product of my environment. From there, it proceeds to: Everybody’s doing it. And pretty soon, we reach: If everybody’s doing it, it must be acceptable, and acceptable is good, right? So, we move from a morality founded on fundamental truth to a morality that shifts with the tides of public opinion.
It is thus that we have arrived at this present age, when we turn to scientists to establish a moral framework. These same scientists have long decried that the church has no business involving itself in matters of scientific knowledge. Yet these who have expended no effort whatsoever in understanding even the philosophical underpinnings of morality, let alone the religious, feel themselves somehow qualified to weigh in on the morality of their pursuits! The closest they have to a moral compass is a conception that, “we can and therefore we should.” Over and against such a mindset, Scripture reminds us that, “all things are permissible, but not all things are profitable” (1Co 6:12). In other words, just because I can does not mean that I would be wise to do so.
Knowledge, apart from God, can become a corrupt and dangerous thing. We will see it all around us, if we are but willing to look. The knowledge to terminate a pregnancy, has that been put to good use? The knowledge of weaponry: yes, it has given mankind an edge in providing for his table, but as often as not it is turned to other uses, made an instrument of sin. The examples are endless, for the capacity of fallen man to corrupt even the best of things is endless. But, praise be to God, His capacity to rescue fallen man is also boundless! He ensures that the light of His Truth continues to be felt by man, that the influence of His Truth continues to inform the decisions of man. Against the most bedarkened, most evil of men, He causes His light to shine out. He shines out through the lives of His children, who are in turn spoken of as children of light. For, apart from His Light, there is no life.
Indeed, we can reverse that equation and still have His Truth declared. Apart from His Life, there is no light. The two are inseparable. “In Him was life, and the Life was the Light of men” (Jn 1:4). “Follow Me and you shall have the Light of Life.” God, being Who He Is, causes His Light to shine on both the good and the evil. The sun rises for all mankind, not for the elect alone. But, the darkness cannot comprehend His Light. Though His Truth is all about them, those in darkness cannot, will not understand. Apart from the gift of His Light, they cannot grasp the truth, and will instead fabricate a web of lies to suit their own ends. Anything, but to be forced to acknowledge that Truth! Apart from His Light, they are never made truly alive. Oh, they walk and they breathe for their few years on this earth, but they have been dead from birth and that situation will not change unless and until He chooses to shed His light abroad in their souls. His Light is the Life, and His Life is the Light.
You know, so much of the Church today is wrapped up in proclaiming that God is Love. He is. We know He is. But, too often, that is left as being the whole of the message. I’ve heard it put so strongly as to suggest that this is the only aspect of His essential character that He proclaims with such basic force. That, however, is not the case at all. Indeed, as the ISBE points out, in John’s writing alone we have [at least] three things Jesus is – ergo, three things God is. God is Life (Jn 5:26 – Father and Son have life in themselves), God is Light (1Jn 1:5 – What we heard Him say, we tell you: God is light), and God is Love (1Jn 4:8 – You can’t know God and fail to love, for God is love). In Christ, these three things, these three aspects of God, are perfectly and inseparably combined. They have to be, for He is God Incarnate, and all such aspects of God are of course perfectly and inseparably combined. It is in the nature of essential character that every habit of thought, every moral certainty that influences that character is combined with every other such habit and certainty. When this is not the case, we recognize it to be a psychological disorder, a certain schizophrenia. What is that, after all, but a mind divided?
But, in Christ Jesus, the disciples did not see a schizophrenic. They did not pursue a madman, but a Man: uniquely whole, harmonious, and integrated in His character and His habit. Here was Man as man was created, as man was intended to be. Here, then, was Life, Light and Love in perfect measure, in perfect balance, in perfect concord. You see, life cannot persist outside of the Light. In Him we live, and move, and have being (Ac 17:28). Apart from him, all that we are shall cease to be. Let Him but turn aside from us for a moment, and that life, that motion, that existence is brought to an end. It’s not a matter of whether we believe that to be the case or not. It’s just a fundamental truth. Truth does not bend to our opinion. Truth is not changed by our unbelief. Just as Light is not dimmed by our refusal to acknowledge it. If we set ourselves in the shade of an umbrella, the sun’s light is not lessened by our action, only our local perception of it.
Now, here’s the connection we might miss: Light – that knowledge and wisdom that perceives truth – cannot function apart from Love’s influence. Oh, we can have all manner of facts at our disposal. We may know how to do this and that. We may even know how to do some pretty impressive things, things that would fool all but the most firm of Christians. Yet, we are told, if we have not Love, we have nothing. That light we think is ours will not support life. That life we think we have is still a living death. Without Love, life cannot exist.
So, yes, in Jesus we had a walking, living, breathing example of Love, Light and Life in perfect functioning order. This is the significance of the Logos. It is certainly something those Greeks who heard Him called the Word would grasp. He is the answer to Philosophy’s question. He is the Wisdom man has sought. He is the Reason. He walks wrapped in Light, Love and Life, the embodiment of Wisdom, for He is the manifest, expression of God’s own Intelligence. And, seeing this Jesus, this triunity of Light, Love and Life, the apostles indeed beheld the glory of God. To the degree that we are able to walk in these same three characteristics, we shall reflect His glory and so reveal His glory: never in ourselves, never by our own power, but always as a reflection of the Word, the Wisdom, the Logos of God.
As one looks through the wisdom literature of Scripture, he finds light associated not only with Wisdom, but with Wisdom’s benefits. Consider: Light is sown like see for the righteous. Light brings gladness for the upright (Ps 97:11). Wisdom, not only knowing what should be done but doing what should be done, is connected with righteousness. This makes perfect sense, as righteousness is the character of one who consistently does what is right, what should be done. By way of its poetic parallelism, we are told that gladness is found in righteousness. In other words, gladness is also founded upon Wisdom. We cannot truly be glad when we are wallowing in our sins, because we must hide. We are too busy avoiding any accidental contact with the light that might reveal our sins to curious eyes to actually find any enjoyment in those sins.
But, as we allow the Light in, as we lay hold of and partake of Wisdom, what benefits arise to us! Light itself will arise even in the deepest darkness on behalf of the upright (Ps 112:4). It is so, because God, Who Is Wisdom, is also Gracious, Compassionate, and Righteous. By His own will, His Word lights the path of the righteous (Ps 119:105), yea, even though that path lay through the very Valley of Death! Indeed, wherever that path may take us, the path of righteousness grows light the light of dawn grows to the fullness of broad daylight (Pr 4:18). And then, there is the most difficult thing to come to grips with as concerns our relationship to Wisdom: We have come to know that the teaching, as it is Wisdom’s teaching, is light, and this we gladly accept. But, with it comes the corollary knowledge that reproofs for discipline are the way of life (Pr 6:23).
This is something that is lost on many a Christian today. The hard times are good for us, and probably even better for us than the good times. How full the Scriptures are of warnings to us on this subject! When all is going great, children, realize that your tendency is going to be to forget Me, and think you’ve arrived. You will fall into that trap of thinking you are now self-sufficient, and your love for Me shall wane. If you think you are standing firm, beware lest you find you have fallen! You think yourselves rich, but I tell you that you are poor, destitute. But, for those who remain on Wisdom’s path, whose feet are constantly steering towards the way of righteousness, even the trials, even the worst tests of this life are worked for good by God Who Is Good.
This, friends, is the power that held the martyrs. This is the power that fuels the missionaries. This is the strength that God gives to His children. They are given to understand that however hard their present circumstance seems, whatever battles they must face in the flesh, they are not punishments. They are disciplinary measures. They are training for spiritual fitness. They are sent not to curse and to break the children of God, but to discipline them, train them, strengthen them. You know, in this light we even need to drop our association of discipline with punishment. That’s not the point at all, although our sins must surely draw corrective punishment that we may return to the righteous way. The point of discipline is training.
Anyone who has done military service has undergone the discipline of the military: training and drilling and drilling and training until the response to orders is immediate and accurate. Everyone who has played at some sport with any degree of fervor has undergone the discipline of the sport: training the body to respond as it were without a thought, training the mind to respond with all speed in assessing the other team’s moves. The list could go on endlessly, into every profession and pursuit. Each has its disciplines to learn. Each has its training to endure. Almost always, the training is not entirely pleasant at the time. Yet, the fruits produced by that training are immeasurable! As it is in our physical, earthly pursuits, so it is many times over in our spiritual pursuits. These things are not sent against us to stunt our growth. They are not sent against us to give us a hiding for our failures. They are sent for us, that by them we might grow in the wisdom and understanding that promote righteousness, and thereby enjoy more fully the fruits that righteousness bears in the life of a man.
It is not enough, though, in God’s eyes, for us to be trained in righteousness and to abide in that righteousness He has brought to us. He is not satisfied with a self-satisfied child. Here what He says of His own. “I AM the Lord and I called you in righteousness. I hold your hand to watch over you. I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, to be as a light to the nations” (Isa 42:6). Of course, this is primarily spoken of the Light Himself, but by His later words, that same assignment is passed to us: to stand as lights to the nations. This is no new purpose reserved for the post-Resurrection people of God. It was ever the assignment of the people of God. It’s right there in what we just heard. A light to the nations. Not a light to the singular nation of God’s peculiar people, but to the nations at large; all of them.
It is there again as God more directly addresses His Messiah. Is it too small an honor that You are My Servant? Is it an insufficient reflection of My glory that You shall raise up and restore the tribes of Israel? Why, yes it is! I will also make You a light to the nations, so that My salvation can reach the ends of the earth (Isa 49:6). Global reach! That is the only reach that can reasonably manifest God’s glory. His glory will be diminished by anything less, and He will not suffer His glory to be diminished.
Indeed, when His transforming work has been completed, hear what is promised: You will have no sun or moon anymore. There will be no need for such lesser lights because you will have the Lord as an eternal light and glory (Isa 60:19-20). Do you see, then, what Jesus is claiming when He proclaims, “I AM the Light”? Then, as a last look at the prophetic view of the Light we have found in Christ, look at the confidence of Micah. Oh, my enemy, don’t gloat over me. You see, if I have fallen, yet will I rise, for God is Life. If I must dwell in darkness because of you, yet the Lord Who is Light is my light. If my sins have caused offense against Him, then I will bear the consequences knowing that they are just for He is Justice. Yes, and I know that in time, He Himself will plead my case, He Himself will give me justice even for your injustice against me, for He is Compassionate. He will bring me back into the Light. I will, with my own eyes, see His Righteousness, for He Is Mercy (Mic 7:8-9). And in that moment that you see His Righteousness, Micah, you will know that you have been made like Him, and the days of your failings, your sins which drew His just punishment, are over. There shall be no more cause for mourning for the Sun of Righteousness shines in full, and never shall it set.
Yes, and that promise is also echoed in what Jesus has proclaimed in this passage we are studying. This morning’s translation to read was God’s Word, where the translation concludes with these words: “Whoever follows me will have a life filled with light and will never live in the dark.” We will never live in the dark, because however dark the enemy may make it around us, however deep a hole our own sins may dig us into, yet the Light does not forsake us. He will cause His light to shine in our darkness, and the darkness, though every demon in hell were to be behind it, forcing it down upon our head, would still not, could not possibly overwhelm the Light. We may dwell in dark places, yet we shall never live in that darkness. Our lives are kept with Him in heavenly places, and whatever the present holds, whatever lays before us between now and the time we are brought to that home He has prepared for us, we know this with unshakable certitude: We will have a light-filled life, because He who holds us is the Love, the Light and the Life!
Glory be the One True and Triune God who has seen fit to bless us with this great promise! Glory be to the One True and Triune God who has conquered our enemies before us, and our sins within us, that He might make of us a people unto Himself. Glory be to the One True and Triune God who has, by His own will and choice, made us to be vessels fit to bear His glory; that He has determined in Himself to polish us until we reflect His glory; that He has promised to refashion us until we are able to shine in ourselves with His glory, the ultimate fiber optics of heaven, transmitting in our being the Light of His glory without loss in strength, clarity, purity, or coherence! Thank You, Father! Than You, Jesus! Thank You, Holy Spirit! Holy Three in One, thank You! Yes, and by Your Wisdom guide me, in Your power hold me, that I may be found ready in the day of Your returning.
Moving forward into the New Testament, it should not surprise in the least to find the Apostles connecting with that Light which the Old Testament sets forth. Matthew, who is the most inclined to point out the connections of new with old, records Jesus’ words from the earlier sermon. “You are the light of this world. Let yourselves be seen! Show that light in your works. People will see the light in you, and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:14-16). Of course it should be so! He is the Father of lights (Jas 1:17). Neither is this some new assignment for Christians alone. This was the purpose of God’s people all along: to reveal His Light to the world. That Israel had refused that mission was just one more part of what Jesus was sent to make right. He has come as “a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of God’s people Israel” (Lk 2:32). Those people were supposed to have brought the light of revelation to the Gentiles themselves, but had instead grown proud of their heritage, and horded it as something to be carefully stashed away, lest the Gentiles take some of it for themselves.
I have to say: don’t be surprised if we find God has to do this yet again, picking up the work His children were supposed to be doing. We have a penchant for turning inward, for focusing on our own precious salvation (and it truly is precious) to the exclusion of reaching out. I am no great fan of programs and outreach initiatives and so on, because they are not what God has prescribed, really. There are those He calls to Himself to send out on His own mission, that mission being the work He prepared in advance for them to do. But, we always seem to want to expand that to wrap around the entire body of believers. Oh! If He called one to that task, He must have called us all. After all, He is no respecter of persons. But, that is not reason, that is just emotion. That is not the light of truth, it is the smoke and mirrors of manipulation.
We wonder why all our programs never seem to work out. We wonder why, with all the effort we put into outreach, nothing happens. Frankly, I suspect the problem lies in that it is almost invariably our effort. We do not, as a rule, look to God and seek to know how He would like the job done. We take it upon ourselves. We look around at the other churches that are growing, and seek to discover for ourselves the secret of their growth. We don’t really bother too much to see if this is the sort of church God would like to see growing, or whether He even desires to see any church expand to such a scale. We have, in essence, stopped asking God and started asking man what works, and what appears to work as we see things is what we try. Only, it’s God who brings the increase, don’t you see? If He hasn’t really been invited to lead the effort, why are we surprised by the meager returns? Meanwhile, much as God has said to the one who keeps insisting he doesn’t know what God expects of him, so He says to the church. To the former, He says, “I have told you, o man, what is required. Do what is just, love what is kind, walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8). In like fashion, He says to the church, “I have told you, o church, what is required. Preach what is true, do what is right, seek first My kingdom and its purposes.” But, we’re busy trying to grow, trying to expand our storehouses. We’re busy looking at business models, as if the world can or should tell the church how to do its job. That’s worked so well before, hasn’t it? That’s how the church became for a time the kingmaker of the nations, and the worldly power the church felt in that time was hardly beneficial for the spiritual health of the church. Business principles are hardly likely to improve the spiritual health of the church either. Financial health is not reflective of spiritual health. The strength of the church, in reality, lies neither in the number she can seat, nor in the number she can send. It lies in the insistence upon doing things as God pleases, not as pleases man.
Returning to this matter of Light: John’s Gospel shows him to have certain associations with light that are perhaps stronger than we see elsewhere. Of course, John turns out to have been one of the more visionary, prophetically oriented apostles, so his being more attuned to the symbolism in those things surrounding Jesus the Christ ought not be surprising to us. John is the one who introduces us to the Logos. He is the one to whom the Revelation was imparted. While one cannot be certain of this, I would not find it surprising to learn that this Gospel was written after the apocalyptic visions that close our Bible were. Of course, having received such material from God, John would tend to be more closely attentive of the symbolic nature of those things he had witnessed earlier under Jesus’ direct ministry. It is the informing of his personal experience, then, that leads him to more thoroughly appreciate the deeper significance of the claims Jesus made and the associations He made between Himself and the cultic ritual of Israel’s ancient religion. It is that deep, almost mystical sense, that leads him to write his gospel. After all, several had already laid out the historical framework of that ministry, and they had done a good job of it. John knew that. Yet, he felt compelled to write it as he perceived it, not as a matter of history, but as a matter of revelation.
John’s is something of a revelatory gospel. As I said, having been the receptacle for such a vision as the Revelation was certain to make some changes in the man. It could be argued that the events he experienced out there on Patmos prepared him in unique fashion to counter the damaging influences of Gnosticism. They wanted higher revelation? He had it in spades! They wanted things too deep to understand? He had seen them. He had lived them. More importantly, as his writings show: he knew how to explain them. The higher knowledge that John had received from God was not something to hide away, not some coin of power to barter with. It was a knowledge given that he might impart it. John was not only wise enough to teach what he had learned to his own local congregation, he also recognized that his own years, though he be the last apostle standing, were still bound to come to a close. He realized that what he taught, what he understood as the others had not, needed to be added to the record for the future church. As perhaps no other among the authors of the New Testament did, I suspect John had a clear understanding of the importance his writings would hold for the church to come. The apostles might not live forever in this world, but their words could. He who so uniquely expressed the Son as the Word surely understood the power of the word!
So, we come into John’s gospel recognizing that he has purposed to fill in certain gaps in the record, and to explain certain points rather than simply note their occurrence. It is not enough for him to simply note that Jesus taught this or that. It is not enough for him to explain by degree the politics of religious life in Jerusalem at the time. He wants his readers to drink deeply of the significance, to capture the power in those scenes such as the one before us. He is not so much explaining Jewish culture here. In fact, he appears to assume a fairly solid understanding of that culture. But, he is careful to accent the association of cultural background and heavenly message.
In this passage, it does not satisfy John to note that at some point Jesus had made this proclamation. He wants it in its setting, so that his readers can pick up on the significance of that setting. In the same way, he has carefully set that, “come, and drink of Me,” in the imagery of the Feast of Tabernacles, so that all who read his record of these things would see the picture of what was around Jesus at that moment, the associations that those who first heard Him would have made in an instant. Or, at least, if they were not themselves of Jewish heritage and intimate with the details of that feast, they would know fellow believers who were and who would explain.
So, let us see the unfolding of the Light as John displays Him for us. We have touched already on that introduction John gives to his record, particularly as it concerns the association of light and life. But, let’s look at it more fully.
Jn 1:1-9 [NASB]
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 came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
Look at that opening statement! The Word, the Express Intelligence of God, is eternal, is Creator (and that, of all things without exclusion). He is Life apart from which no being lives, and the life that He imparts is that which gives the light of reason and righteousness to mankind. Be very clear: John didn’t get that when they first met, and he probably still didn’t get that completely even at the Resurrection. But he got it now! All of that description of Jesus is his way of preparing the reader for everything else he is about to say. It’s a worthy introduction, by way of saying, “THIS, gentlemen, is the God I serve, and Whom I you serve.”
Now follows the charge against mankind, and a particular concern with making sure those who still tried to push the claim of Messiah on behalf of John the Baptist shall make no inroads amongst the true believers. This Light, this source of Life and Wisdom, shone in the very midst of our darkness! And, don’t you think that you weren’t in darkness. Oh, sad Israel, you were as much in the dark as the Gentiles you so despised! See, here was Light and the darkness couldn’t understand Him. Oh, yes, there were those who recognized Who He was, but they were few, and their acknowledgements of Him were drown out by the majority of benighted humanity. But, understand this: They could not drown Him out! They couldn’t understand Him, but neither could they overwhelm Him and destroy Him. Oh, if you just jump to the end of the story, it may look like they did, but no! They thought they had Him, and yet, He came back. He outlived their worst, and rose victorious! The darkness, for all it tried, could not envelop and extinguish the Light.
Now, then, this John that some of you make so much of. Oh, to be sure, he was sent from God. He was sent to bear witness to the One I am telling you of. He came to tell God’s people that the Light was come, that they might believe not in John, but in the Light. John was not the light. He told you this himself, but some of you have insisted on pretending it is otherwise. No, he was not the light. He came, being sent of God, to bear witness to the Light. You see, there was (and is) the True Light. When the True Light comes into the world, it enlightens every man.
That last is an absolute slap in the face of the Gnostics. This is where John, with the true revelation of God, is absolutely superior to these imposters, just as Jesus, the true Messiah, is absolutely superior to this faux Messiah that John’s misguided remnant put forth. The Gnostics wanted a light of knowledge reserved to the chosen few. Jesus, though, is the True Light. His knowledge and wisdom are for every man, for anybody who cares to benefit from Him. Just as God causes His sun to shine on good and evil alike, so the Wisdom, the Logos, is given for all. This, of course, is not to say that all partake of His wisdom equally. No, the darkness doesn’t comprehend that light. Those who are yet insistent upon their sinful ways don’t get it, perhaps never will. But, it is there! It is shining all around them, though they refuse to see it. It’s not that the enlightened are somehow superior as the Gnostics would have you believe. It’s simply that God in His gracious mercy, has made them aware of the Light that is all around.
John builds on that point later (Jn 3:19-21). It is not that you are so special because you see the Light. It is a matter of judgment upon those who do not. Why? Because, Light has come and men preferred their darkness. They did not want their evil deed exposed, so they refused to go anywhere near that light. But, the Light is there whether they will approach it or not. Those whose practice is to act truthfully and in godly fashion are glad to approach the Light and be known for their goodness. Do you hear the echoes of that city on a hill message? They do not come to the light to be glorified in themselves. They know better. They remember the darkness that used to be their abode. No! They come to the light that the Light may be glorified the more for what He has wrought in them!
Oh, you foolish Gnostics! God’s wisdom is not sent to puff up the proud. It is sent freely and liberally to one and all. You have no cause to boast in your knowledge, for by your actions you show your knowledge to be no real knowledge at all. You make your supposed wisdom a coin to horde away for yourself, and will not share it with any man except you may profit from that sharing. But, that is not wisdom. That’s greed. That’s perfidy, a corrupting of wisdom’s light to produce further darkness within which you try to hide your true nature. But, even your prettified darkness cannot truly block out the Light.
These are the things John has set forth to prepare the reader for what Jesus says here in Chapter 8. “I AM the Light.” I AM the Wisdom that can rescue the most misspent youth. I AM the righteousness that alone makes life worthy of its name. Yes, and I come revealed to all. I have not taught in secret, but have spoken the Truth to any who cared to listen. See, I am not just the light of the Jews. I am not God solely in Israel, nor solely in those who choose to believe in Me. I AM! Where there is life, it is because I give it. Where there is wisdom, it must reflect Me, for I AM Wisdom.
Jesus continues on this theme. “While I am in the world, I am the world’s light” (Jn 9:5). Does this mean that since He has ascended into heaven, He is so no longer? Only in a sense. He remains the light of this world, but He is no longer manifestly present. Indeed, right there at the beginning, He had made arrangements for the time of His departure. “You are the light of the world”, He taught. “Through your good deeds, make God known.”
You know, I simply cannot emphasize this enough, and if it is a justification of my own way rather than an exposition of His, then, Lord, correct me according to Your Light. But, what I notice is that He did not tell us we would light the world by trying to be like then, nor did He say we would do it by trying to be not like them. Indeed, He speaks nothing of projects, nothing of proselytizing whatsoever. Your light is not found in programs. Your light is not found in mass media, nor in performances that make your talents known. Your light is found in faithfully pursuing what is good. Doing good works; that’s what He says will manifest His Light in us. That is what will make the world see. Now, that doesn’t mean we must labor for our salvation. Not at all! In fact, it is just that fear-driven concern that leads us into the dead end of program-based faith.
What has the Bible told us about those good works? They are of no merit when it comes to salvation (Ro 3:20), yet salvation, if it be real, could not possibly be devoid of them (Jas 2:26). They are an expression of love for our God, not fear of His reprisals should we desist. And, here’s the most marvelous bit of it: He sets us up! He has laid out those good works that we are to do, put them in our path, every necessary ingredient prepared ahead of time (Eph 2:10). We don’t earn anything by this. We simply accomplish what we were created in Christ Jesus to accomplish. Note that well: It’s how we were created in Christ Jesus. It’s the effect of the Light having shone in our darkness. It is not the natural way of the unrepentant.
Of course, we know that there are many who are counted unbelievers whose works would seem to outshine most who are in the Church. No, there’s no seem about it. They do outshine most who are in the Church. Good is not to be denied simply because the one doing the good does that good not out of faith but out of pride. Likewise, Truth is undiminished by the mouth that speaks it forth, however erroneous and rebellious that mouth may be. There is nothing in that to change what I am saying, though. We are called to do those things that are set before us to do. If God so chooses to have the unbeliever likewise accomplish His good purpose, that is no cause for doubt in us. It should, however, be a spur to greater faithfulness. It should pain us to be admonished for our language by an unbeliever. It should pain us to see one who hates God doing more to promote His ways than we do ourselves.
But even this is not cause for programs and self-flagellation. It is cause to resort more fully to Wisdom, to seek Him more often, more earnestly. It is cause to be more conscientious in recognizing the opportunities He sets in our path, and to be thankful that He so moves that even these unbelievers cannot but shine His Light into the world. Is this not simply the evidence that He truly does work all things for the good of His own?
So, Jesus has proclaimed, “While I am in the world, I am the world’s light.” What we should connect with this, though, is the message from the Mount. “You are the light of the world.” When I AM has returned to His throne, it is left to you to carry on. You are in the world as He is not. Your are in but not of, as He was in but never of. You have been blessed to carry His Light, to shine forth His Light. You may or may not be called to preach the Word. You may or may not be called as a leader amongst His people. You may or may not be called to go out and evangelize. But, there is one thing certain: You are most assuredly called to walk in the Light, to behave as one who has nothing to hide and who knows where he is going. You are most assuredly called to allow His Light to plan your footsteps, and you can be absolutely certain that whatever opportunity for good works He has set in your path, you are expected to do them.
See, those who walk in the Light do not stumble. That is the characteristic of those who walk in darkness because they have no light (Jn 11:9-10). Where is that light? It is within them, or it is not there at all. Is Jesus proposing some perfection of character here on earth? Is He saying that those who really, really, really believe in Him will live a life absolutely free of sin? If He is, then He is calling Himself a liar. Since that is not likely to be the case, I think we can answer with a clear no. Hear a later statement He has for us. “I have come as the Light so that all who believe in Me will not remain in darkness” (Jn 12:46). They will not remain. They will not dwell in it, abide in it. Oh, to be sure, we will have our moments. We will stumble. We will wander, for we are stubborn children, all. But, we won’t stay there. Like the prodigal son, we will awake one day and remember. We will remember the joy of being in the light. We will take notice of the sorrowful darkness around us and we will find our hearts once more turned towards home. Returning, repentant, to our Father of Lights, we are assured that He will in no wise reject us. He came so that we would not remain in our darkness, in our sins, in our stupidity.
So, Jesus admonishes His followers with this: The Light is with you just a bit longer. I must also accomplish the good work for which I was born into this world. In the meantime, you must walk while the Light is still here. Don’t let the darkness overtake you! You know full well that the one who keeps walking when it’s dark doesn’t even know where he’s going anymore. You still have the Light. While you do, believe the Light. You have an opportunity as none before you nor any after you shall have. I AM is here! Believe in Him! Others will have to find the faith to believe in Him having never seen Him, never walked beside Him and listened to Him. Believe while He is before you yet (for some of you do not). It is belief – faith – that shall make of you sons of the Light (Jn 12:35-36). It’s not what you will do when I am gone. It’s what you believe, whether I am present or whether I am returned to My throne.
Your good works, apart from Me, would be nothing but filthy rags anyway, and you know it. The corruption of the flesh cannot but spread itself to all that it touches. Is that not why you were given all those regulations to deal with leprosy? That disease is precisely of a piece with your fallen nature. It requires something greater than yourself to cleanse that disease. I AM greater! I AM Righteous, and I can remove the stains of your fallen ways. I can not only halt the spread of your disease of sin, I can reverse it. I can cure it. But, your works will not bring the cure, the cure will free you to your works.
Now, as Jesus declared that the Light was departing and darkness falling, Paul declares the new dawn. “Night is almost over! Day is dawning! Therefore, brothers, we should be the more diligent to cease from every deed of darkness, and to clothe ourselves fully in the armor of light” (Ro 13:12). Don’t you see, Church? The god of this world has blinded the unbeliever. Were it not so, they would see the light of the Gospel. Were it not so, they could not fail to note the glory of the Christ in His children. Were it not so, they could not fail to recognize God’s image in each one of you (2Co 4:4).
Now, here the heart of a true preacher: “I do not preach about myself. I’m not here to promote my story or my glory. I am here to tell you about one thing, and one thing only: the Christ Who is God’s image, the Christ who is Jesus, and Jesus, the Christ, I shall preach as Lord over all. As for ourselves, I can only count myself a slave to His Lordship and a servant to you” (2Co 4:5).
Then, comes the message. Here is the Gospel in one line. “God said that Light would shine out in the darkness, and Christ is the Light Who has shone in our very hearts, imparting the light of knowledge as concerns the glory of God as we look into the face of Christ” (2Co 4:6). To the Jew, if he could accept that this Christ was truly God, it must be blasphemy again to hear Paul say, “Hey! We can look into His face, and we can see His face, and yet we live!” Yet, is this not much of a piece with Isaiah’s shocked calling? “I see the Lord high and lifted up!” “Woe is me, for I am a dead man!” But, the coal touched his lips, and he was cleansed before the Lord. That was but a coal from the altar in heaven, and it sufficed! We have the very Light of heaven not just touched to our lips, but abiding within us, infusing Himself into the warp and woof of our character! How much more, then, is it fitting that we know we can look to Him, serve Him, love Him, and yet remain unconsumed by His fire!
Knowing, then, that we bear the fire of heaven in our bosom, we should hear to cry of Paul’s heart, the concern of the faithful, when he admonishes us: “Don’t join yourself to unbelievers. How could you? How can there be partnership between righteousness and lawlessness? How can light and darkness share fellowship?” (2Co 6:14). You see, you can’t mix light and darkness. Either the light goes out and all is dark, or the light remains and darkness is swept aside. They cannot coexist. Neither can you coexist with the reprobate life, neither your own, nor those with whom you are closely associated. Be not fooled! Bad company corrupts good morals. But for Christ abiding in you, you would be right back with them in the prison camp of sin. But for Christ, you would never have left. But now! Now, you have the light. Don’t shutter it! Don’t let it gutter within you (as if this were possible!) but rather, let it shine like a beacon to the lost. Go forth and make disciples! And if you must, use your words. But, far better if they see Me in your life, in your actions, in your love. Far better.
How they will marvel, for you used to be with them in darkness, but now you are light, and – should I sovereignly choose to remove their blindness – they cannot miss it. You are light in the Lord, so walk like it! If you are unsure how to do that, then here; these are the fruits of the light: There is goodness, there is righteousness, and there is truth (Eph 5:8-9). This is the triune character of Light’s children. These will declare the Light that is in you far louder than the preacher. These will make your status clear far more than your bumper stickers, your tee-shirts, your scrupulously world-free music collection. Indeed, apart from these things, all your outward show remains absolutely, utterly meaningless and worse than useless.
Well, it seems as though I ought to reach a conclusion here, and this is the conclusion I reach: You are the light because He is the Light, just as you live because He is the Life, and dare I say, you have come to love because He is the Love. Such light as we shine is His. Such wisdom as we impart, such truth as we teach: these, too, are His. We are called to this: to live as children of light, bearing the fruit of goodness, of righteousness and of truth, for these, too, are His. Who, however evil they may be, will reject goodness done them? Would that we could say the same of righteousness and truth, but the evidence will not allow it.
Can we imagine the growth that shall spring from such fruit? Oh, my! If apple seeds produce apple trees, and pumpkin seeds grow pumpkins, what shall the seeds of Light’s fruit grow? A forest of light! Is this not even what Bishop was speaking of today? We don’t know what will come of the spark that is within us. We don’t know what will come of the spark in that one next to us. Who are we to naysay that one’s purpose? Who are we to reject our own? Let each man commit himself to doing those good deeds God has prepared for him. Let us not insist that everybody else must do our good work. Let us not complain that our work is beneath us. We were made for this!
God! That we might see the day. That we might see that time when Your Light has so invaded the surrounding darkness that men are once again saved even apart from preaching. No, I do not propose to abandon the standards of grace. No, I do not propose to altar Your ways. But, I know, my God, that it depends not on the preacher, nor does it depend on the preaching. It does not depend on the worship, nor upon the musicians producing that worship. It depends not upon us at all. Not in the least. Unless it is You at work, my Lord, the work is vanity and wind. Unless it is Your Light that shines abroad in the darkness, that darkness persists however many spotlights we may bring to bear. So, I thank You that You give me a part to play, however small, however large. I thank You that You condescend to allow us a part in the work that is really Yours and Yours alone. Oh, the joy of coming home to You to see the forest of Light that has sprung up from the insignificant acts of our lives because it was Your seed in the place You chose to plant!
And that, my God, my Jesus, is enough for any man!
