The Claims of Jesus Christ
3 - The Light of the World
The claim we are thinking about this time is found in John 9 verse 5 where He says, “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” Jesus Christ, who is God Himself made known in the form of a man, is the “Light of the World.”
Our minds go back to the first chapter of this Gospel where John tells us that all things were made by the Word of God and that that Word is none other than Jesus. He was the creator of all things including the physical light that enables us to see and that illuminates our world. But it is not physical light that we are thinking about as we look at Jesus’ claim to be “The Light of the World.” We can think of light in other ways. We can think of it as the light of understanding, or the light of truth, or the light that reveals things. This is a light that dispels spiritual darkness.
Have you ever thought how dreadful it would be if there were nothing but darkness? I often think it must be very miserable to live through an Arctic winter where there is hardly any daylight for three months or more. It is still worse, though, to realise that moral, spiritual and often mental darkness envelopes humanity. There is no darkness worse than the darkness that comes from not knowing God, and the darkness of sin that blights the human race.
What, then, was the reason for Jesus making this claim about Himself that He is “The Light of the World?” Jesus and his disciples had come face to face with a man who had been born blind. The disciples wanted to know who was to blame for the man’s blindness. They said, “Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (verse 2). Jesus’ reply must have startled them. He said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (verses 3 to 5).
The disciples, like many in their day, assumed that circumstances like that of the blind man were due to some serious sin, that it was a sign of God’s judgement on them. In his reply Jesus rebuked that way of thinking and gave his disciples, and us, a lesson about God’s sovereignty. God had allowed this situation so that his grace and love and power could be displayed through Christ for all to see. It is also a lesson about taking every opportunity to do God’s work in our world, for a time is coming when this will not be possible.
Notice that Jesus said, “We must do the work of him who sent me.” An important part of Jesus’ work while He was in the world was to be “The Light of the World.” And that is the duty of every Christian believer. But what does all this mean in actual fact? What does it mean to us that Jesus is “The Light of the World”?
The first thing about light is that it reveals. Shine a torch into a dark room and you begin to see things; let more light in and you see more. Let the sunshine in and the dust and dirt become evident. Something very similar happens when the “Light of the world” shines into our lives. We realise how dark we are, and how little we really understand and know about God, his character and all that He wants to do for us. It was to show us the truth concerning God that Jesus came into this world; to reveal God to us.
By nature we are spiritually in the dark; we have no real purpose in life; we don’t know where we are going. But it goes further than this. When we look at the perfect life of the Lord Jesus, that light begins to show us how unclean, sinful, evil and selfish are our lives. Our desires are impure; our attitudes wrong. We can be full of hatred, bitterness, jealousy and resentment. What a contrast to his sinless, selfless life of love for all.
Do you remember what Peter said to Jesus on one occasion? “Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5 verse 8). We begin to feel like that when Christ’s light shines on us. We realise that we are too unclean to come into the presence of God who is utterly holy. We want to hide ourselves with shame. Yes, light reveals, and when Jesus, by His spirit, begins to shine into our lives, we begin to see just how sinful and unclean we are.
John in his first letter says that, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, and we confess our sins to God, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. This is the glorious light of the Gospel, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners by his death on the cross of Calvary. By that death and by faith in Him we are brought into the true light of life.
Light, as well as showing where we are wrong, brings something positive. It is light that brings life and growth. Beautiful flowers, delightful fruits, leafy trees and healthy human beings all need light. The life of the soul needs light too. We cannot grow in our Christian life without the light that Jesus brings. Only as we walk in the light of Jesus can we be kept clean in this sinful world. There are many diseases that attack flowers, plants, animals and men. In the same way there are things that attack our spiritual life, and we can only keep clean and healthy by walking in the light of Jesus. Light also brings warmth and cheer, and as we walk in the light of Christ the love of God is poured into our lives.
We see and feel the warmth of God’s love as we read his promises in the Bible. Think of this one from Jeremiah 31 verse 3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.” Or again, the words of Jesus in John 14 verse 16, “I will pray the Father and He will give you another comforter to be with you for ever.” And this one from Hebrews 13 verse 5, “I will never fail you, nor forsake you.” Promises like these, and there are many of them, bring warmth and comfort to us.