I Am The Light

I Am the Light

Arise, shine, for your light has come.

Isaiah 60:1, NIV

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:12

The city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.

Revelation 21:23-24

There’s a big difference in the impact of a match that is lit in the middle of the day and one lit in the dark. In the darkness, the flame is bright and its light is unavoidable, piercing through the shadows.

In Jesus’ day, on six special nights during the Festival of Shelters, candles in four giant candleholders in the Temple court were set aflame. The candles illuminated the night sky all around Jerusalem. People danced through the night, holding burning torches in their hands, singing, and celebrating the way God led his people throughout history. In particular, they were remembering how, in Moses’ day, God gave the Israelites a pillar of fire by night. This light guided the Israelites through the darkness of the desert as they journeyed to the Promised Land.

Jesus used this dramatic backdrop to make an astounding claim. With the candles burning bright, Jesus said for all the people to hear: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12). Throughout the Old Testament the promise of light was connected to the coming of the Messiah who would set things right in this dark world. And now Jesus was saying to them, The Light is here—I am the Light you’ve been looking for.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Have you ever shone a flashlight in the nighttime? How about in the daytime? What is the difference?

In what ways was there spiritual darkness during Jesus’ time? What are some ways our world today is spiritually dark?

Try to imagine the scene of the festival with all the burning torches lighting up the night sky. Why do you think Jesus chose this particular time to shout out, “I am the light of the world”?