A Sermonette by Adam Miller
Read: John 8:12-38
Early on, when my wife and I were just dating, I invited her to join me in one of my favorite outdoor activities: hiking. I didn’t just choose a short little day hike on flat ground. I wanted to test her resolve and resilience by planning a hike up Mount Lafayette in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I did all of the research and determined that it would take us 10 hours. I packed a lunch, gathered my gear, and prepared for the big day.
Of course, we got a late start. We didn’t get started until 11:00 AM. The hike, itself, went well. We made it to the top and were rewarded with a gorgeous view of God’s creation. My wife wanted to stay there and enjoy the scenery, we had certainly worked hard enough to get there, but I told her, “We’ve got to go or else we are going to get stuck on the mountain when the sun goes down.” Sure enough, as we were making our way down, the sun started to set. I was prepared. I had brought a flashlight. Notice the singular use of the article.
My wife is Brazillian. English isn’t her first language. When she gets nervous, she forgets her english vocabulary. So there we are, walking through the dark forest with one flashlight between us, and my wife is panicking. She keeps saying, “Lanterna! Lanterna!” I, of course, have no clue what she’s trying to say, so we’re just standing there, struggling to communicate, fueling each other’s anxieties. Eventually I figured it out: ‘Lanterna’…’Lantern’…’Flashlight.’ She wanted to have control of the light.
It all worked out. We made it back to the car in one piece. She even agreed to marry me after that, but only under the condition that I never take her hiking like that again.
When Jesus said that He was the Light of the World, the people were confused. Jesus is the true light which gives light to everyone, but people did not recognize Him. in fact, they rejected Him. But to those of us who have seen the light and believe in Jesus, we have been given a great privilege (John 1:9-13). Chapters 7-9 describe for us the differences between those who were able to see the light and those who rejected it.
Piercing the Darkness
The Light of the World is a great comfort to us who have placed our faith in Jesus. It sets us free from the darkness. We no longer have to fear the shadows. The light gives us illumination to see the world as it truly is and understand ourselves as recipients of God’s mercy and grace. It gives us direction and guides our path so that we might follow after Jesus.
But where the light gives comfort for the believer, it has the opposite effect on unbelievers. Those who have rejected Jesus are burned by the light. They prefer darkness because the light exposes their sin.
You can see this in the response that the Pharisees have to Jesus’ claims. They have rejected Jesus without even listening to Him. John makes note of this when he references Nicodemus saying, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does” (John 7:51)? Still, the Pharisees refuse to examine the light, instead attacking Nicodemus for offering Him any defense. Note: This is why Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, under the cover of darkness, to question Jesus in Chapter 3.
The Pillar of Light
Jesus is referencing a Jewish tradition at the Feast of Booths where the people of Israel gather around Jerusalem, camp out in tents, and reenact their experience in the wilderness wanderings. During the Festival of Water, they remember how Moses provided them with water from the rock. This is when Jesus declares, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38). If you’re reading through the Gospel of John, a lightbulb should be going off (Pun intended). This is reminding us of the Samaritan woman at the well who Jesus had offered ‘living water.’ She had believed in Him, while Nicodemus was still on the fence.
When Jesus says that He is the Light of the World, He is likely referring to the Festival of Lights when the people would remember how the pillar of fire had led their ancestors out of Egypt (Exodus 13). This was the presence of God, and Jesus is claiming to be that same light.
Dying in Darkness
Jesus’ statement is a chilling warning. He is the Light of the World and those who reject the light will die in their sins. The Pharisees don’t want their sins exposed. They see Jesus’ claims as a personal attack against them. “Who are you to judge us?” they argue.
Jesus didn’t come to judge the world. God is the ultimate judge. He is holy and cannot tolerate sin. The light reveals the wrath of God upon everyone who has broken His law. Closing our eyes to the truth does not change reality. It doesn’t free us from the penalty we must pay.
Jesus came to be the light that would bring us hope. The truth might be offensive, but it doesn’t condemn us. We are just as guilty in the dark as we are in the light. The light simply reveals the crime and shows us our need for a savior. Jesus explains the solution to our sin problem, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he” (John 8:28). Jesus accepted the punishment for our sins and bore the wrath of God so that we might be forgiven.
We don’t like to be confronted by our sin, but Jesus is not trying to embarrass us. Like a doctor revealing a terminal illness, Jesus is warning us that our sin is killing us. But He also has a solution. If we trust in Him, God will forgive us from our sins, and we can live forever in the light without fear, guilt, or shame.
Adam Miller is the president and host of Songtime Radio and serves as the pastor of South Chatham Community Church. This article is a condensed version of one of his sermons.