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March 18 -- John 8:12-30

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” –John 8:12 (NIV)

Jesus calls Himself the “Light of the world” and says that those who follow Him will “never walk in darkness” (v. 12). He illuminates the truth—the realities of God and the world. We are not capable of seeing the truth without Him. If we believe in and follow Him, we will see everything as it really is—our sin, the world’s brokenness, and God’s grace and love. If we refuse to believe in Him, we are left with only “human standards” (v. 15), which constantly shift according to the whims of culture and personal preference and, therefore, leave us in darkness, incapable of knowing God.

The Pharisees challenged Jesus, saying He could not appear as His own witness to what He says. (Rabbis were supposed to support their teachings with the work of rabbis who had come before, and the courts required the testimony of two witnesses to pronounce something as truth.) Jesus responded by pointing out that He Himself is one witness and His Father is another. His Father sent Him and had already testified through the miracles Jesus had performed. The Pharisees did not understand what He meant, and Jesus said that this was because they did not know Him. If they did, they would also know His Father. They were still in darkness.

Because they were spiritually blind, the Pharisees could not see the danger of rejecting Jesus. Jesus told them that they could not go where He was going (v. 21) and warned them that if they did not believe in Him, they would “die in their sins” (v. 24). But the Pharisees remained confused. They were convinced that they knew more than Jesus did because of their formal education and training (see John 7:15). They believed they kept the Law better than Jesus did because He healed on the Sabbath, and they didn’t believe the Messiah could possibly come out of Galilee (John 7:52). So, they dismissed Jesus without trying to understand Him.

Jesus had been telling the Pharisees from the beginning that He is the Messiah. He told people everything His Father told Him to say. Still, the Pharisees chose the darkness over Jesus’ light. Jesus said they would know who He is after they had “lifted” Him up (v. 28). After they lifted Him up on the cross, they would see confirming miracles—the darkness covering the land during the Crucifixion, the temple curtain torn in two at His death, and finally His Resurrection after three days. Yet, even after all of this, many of them would stubbornly refuse to believe.

The Pharisees could not see things accurately because they were corrupted by their own sin, especially the sin of pride. Without Jesus, we are corrupted by sin, too, so we have distorted vision as well. Only God can see everything accurately, and God the Son came to be our Light and show us the way.

Consider: How has Jesus been my Light? What kinds of darkness has He illuminated for me?

Talk to Jesus about the darkness He has illuminated for you. Thank Him and express your love for Him. Ask Him if there is currently any sin in your life that is clouding your vision. If there is, confess it, ask His forgiveness, and seek His help in turning from it. Then sit in silence for a while and sense His love for and delight in you.

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My name is Melissa Anderson. I'm a spiritual director and ordained pastor who loves God, people, and words. You can read more about me by clicking the button below.

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