John preached this morning from John 8:1-12, looking at the subject of walking in the light and using the word itself to highlight points about that light: it is Living, Illuminating, Growing, Holy and Testing.
The scene which ends with Jesus proclaiming He is the light of the world begins with scribes and Pharisees dragging a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. They were trying to catch Jesus out and were not really interested in the woman herself or even in the law (for if they had been, the adulterer would also have been brought, as prescribed by the law.) Jesus, the only sinless One present, did not condemn the woman but instead reminded people of the light He brings into the darkness.
Living Light
Those who follow Jesus will have the light of life. In order for us to flourish, we need light and illumination. The light illuminates and illustrates the way we should go (see John 14:6-9) and shows us the way. It is a reflection of God’s presence and power.
Illuminating Light
We each have an individual choice to follow Jesus and His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Sometimes we will need to look down to our feet, for the terrain will be rough; on other occasions, we will need to look up to see the path we must take. In the mining industry, the only way a miner survives in the darkness is to have an individual lamp on his helmet. We need the light of Christ to illuminate our path in exactly the same way that the miner needs a lamp!
Growing Light
1 John 1:5-9 reminds us that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all; moreover, it shows us that if we claim to know God, we need to walk in the light and therefore have fellowship with God and with one another. We need ongoing cleansing from our sin and can know God’s forgiveness, refreshing and renewing in our lives. As we grow, we will become fruitful. (John 15:1-2)
Holy Light
The forgiveness and cleansing we receive from God enables us to live holy lives, reflecting God’s holiness. (1 Pet 1:15-16) Holiness is not the same as self-righteousness, but is to do with our relationship with God, with each other and with the world. Isaiah’s vision of God’s holiness (Is 6:1-7) is described in terms of light, for the seraphim covered their faces from the brightness of God’s glory and holiness. Moses’s face shone when he had spent time with God (Ex 34:29) and since God is light, our faces should reflect this light. It’s a bit like the Ready Brek glow in the advert – visible!
Testing Light
Continuing the theme of adverts, John mentioned the ‘Daz window test’, where all washing had to be held up against a window and bright sunlight to test if it really was clean! Jesus is the Light of the world, but in Matt 5:14-16, He made the astonishing statement that we are the light of the world too and that as others look on us, they will see the source of that light. We are to reflect God’s light to others, just as Elijah’s cloak was passed on to Elisha. Jesus did not condemn the woman, but offered her forgiveness and a new way of life. Similarly, we are to be agents of grace and compassion towards other people, not condemning them or excluding them, but reflecting God’s radiance to them.