The Gospel of John shines a spotlight on the audacity of Jesus by presenting to us the famous “I Am” sayings of Jesus. Seven times in that Gospel, Jesus boldly takes the divine name in one hand, takes one of our greatest needs in the other hand, smushes them together, and attaches them to himself. In doing so, he claims to be God, and he claims to be the answer to everything we lack. We are empty, and he says he is the bread of life. We need care and protection, and he says he is the good shepherd and the gate. We are lost and clueless and dying, and he says he is the way, the truth, and the life. We are stumbling around in the dark, and look what Jesus says:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.”  – John 8:12a

This statement is one of those “liar, lunatic, or Lord” moments C. S. Lewis talked about. Who would have the nerve to make such a claim? Light is so fundamental to the universe that the whole party started with God saying, “Let there be light.” Our solar system spins around the big fusion-powered light at its center. Light fuels the oxygen you are currently inhaling (thank you, photosynthesizing plants). Light makes it possible for you to see the face of a person you love, and it pushes back the shadows that fill you with fear. Light is so central that the Old Testament repeatedly tells us that God is light (see, for example, Psalm 27:1, Isaiah 60:19, and Micah 7:8). Jesus has the nerve to announce that he himself is the shiniest light there is.

Jesus’ words about light sparkle even brighter when we recognize the significance of the time and place at which he spoke them. John gives us the context if we look closely. He says Jesus spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put (8:20) – that is, in the court of women. He’s speaking during the Festival of Tabernacles, and specifically on the last and greatest day of the festival (7:2, 7:37). The Festival of Tabernacles remembered God’s presence with his people in their wilderness wandering on the way from Egypt to the promised land. A key feature of the celebration was a ceremony called the illumination of the temple. Four massive oil lamps were set up – some extra-Biblical accounts say they were 75 feet tall. Light from those lamps lit up every courtyard in the city during the festival. That massive, brilliant light was to remind people of the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites on their journey – fire that represented the very presence and glory of God.

Can you guess where those giant lamps were – the lamps representing God’s glory? They were in the court of women. The same place Jesus was standing when he said, “I am the light of the world.”

Enlightening, huh? But it gets even better. On the last night of the festival (remember that’s when Jesus was talking), the giant oil lamps were left unlit. So picture Jesus standing in front of four 75-foot tall dark oil lamps saying, “I am the light of the world.”

Why were the lamps left dark on the last night of the festival? The darkness represented the people’s longing for the glory of God to return. At the dedication of Solomon’s temple, that glory had descended on the temple. It had remained there as a reminder of God’s presence with his people. Generations later, the prophet Ezekiel had warned that if God’s people continued to live in disobedience, the glory would depart. Then in Ezekiel 10 and 11, he shared a vision he had of the glory of God departing the temple. For generations after Ezekiel, the people had been waiting for the glory to return. The giant, dark lamps declared, “God, we are waiting for you to come back – waiting for the light of your glory to return.”

Jesus stood amid those darkened lamps and said, “Hey, guys, the glory is back! I AM the flame of God’s glory. I am the light of the world.”

Jesus made quite the audacious claim about himself! He followed it immediately by clarifying why his identity as the light matters to you:

“Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12b

Jesus said that if you walk with him, you’ll always have light, because you’ll have him.

He might not illuminate your entire path all at once. Today you might not be able to see the part of the path that you will walk next year, or even next Thursday. But keep following Jesus, the light, and when you get to next Thursday, he’ll be there with you, shiny as can be, to scatter the shadows. He is the light of life. He is the light of the world.

Want to explore further?

1. Read each of the 23 verses in John in which Jesus used the phrase “I AM” (4:26; 6:20, 35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12, 18, 24, 28, 58; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 13:19; 14:6; 15:1, 5; 18:5, 6, 8)

2. Use a Bible app or biblegateway.com to search for all occurrences of the word “light” in the Bible.

3. Spend a moment asking Jesus to shine brightly so that you can see him clearly, and so that you can see everything else in light of him.