Tuesday, October 20
The first words spoken by God in the Bible are found in Genesis 1:3, “Let there be light.” Throughout the Scriptures, light is used as an image of life, truth, and joy. Here are just a few examples:
Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?”
Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”
Isaiah 9:2, The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
Notice that these are all statements of how you can find the light. David, Solomon and Isaiah are saying, “Come out of the darkness and into the light. Come to God, and find life, truth and joy.” But in John 8:12, Jesus has the audacity to claim that He is the light that the Scriptures promised.
That’s not the only reason His claim was controversial. In the previous chapter, we learn that Jesus made this statement in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot. This was one of the three big annual celebrations of Judaism. Every Fall (in our month of September), Israelites would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There, they would build booths or shelters out of tree branches, palm leaves, or whatever they could find, and sleep in them during the festival. They remembered the time of the Exodus, when their ancestors lived in tents in the Sinai desert. Every night in the temple, a huge candelabra would be lit. The light would be seen all over the city. That light symbolized the glory of God, which the Exodus generation experienced as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night.
When Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem, that glory cloud showed up again, filling the temple so full, the priests couldn’t see to offer their sacrifices. It was God’s way of saying, “I will dwell here and be your God.” Centuries later, when Israel turned away from God for the last time and lost their nation, Ezekiel had a vision in which the glory of God left the temple. It was no longer a place where God’s presence dwelt. So when the Israelites lit those candles every year at Sukkot, it was to remember the way God had guided them. But it was also in hope that His glory-cloud would return to guide, protect, and deliver them, as He had so many times in the past.
Guess where Jesus is standing when He calls Himself the light of the world? Right in front of the treasury, near the area where the candles were lit. This unschooled Galilean rabbi was saying, “I am the light that guided your forefathers. I am the glory of God, returned at last to save you.” Now do you see why they wanted to arrest Him?
“Lord Jesus, you are the glory of God in human form. You are my light and my salvation. Thank you for being courageous enough to say so, even though you knew it would get you into trouble. Teach me the same boldness to speak the truth in love. In your holy name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
