John 8: 12: “Again
Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
As
with last week’s “I am the Bread of Life” saying, it is very important to
understand the context of Jesus’ saying, “I am the light of the world.” Jesus makes this claim, while attending the
celebration of Feast of the Sukkot (or, “Booths”) at the Temple in
Jerusalem. This is a very important
religious holy day within the Jewish faith.
Along with the feasts of Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot
(Pentecost), Sukkot is one of three “pilgrimage”
holy days, in which the Jewish faithful who lived outside of Jerusalem were
encouraged to journey to Jerusalem to celebrate this holy day at the Temple.
The
Sukkot was a holy day of celebration and gratitude to God for the fall
harvest. But, it was more. During this festival, the faithful remembered
with gratitude how God had not abandoned them in the Sinai wilderness,
following their miraculous escape from Egyptian slavery. As part of the celebration, each family would
build a “booth,” or temporary dwelling in which they lived for the seven days
of the Sukkot festival. Sleeping and
eating in the temporary booth reminded the faithful that their forefathers
lived in similar dwellings during their 40-year pilgrimage in the harsh, desert
wilderness, before entering the Promised Land.
Living outdoors in the temporary booths also underscored God’s gracious
provision for their forefathers.
Light
is a powerful image within both the Jewish and Christian faith traditions. In the first Creation story contained in
Genesis 1, Light is God’s first creative act, before anything else. In the story of Israel’s escape from Egypt,
God uses a burning bush to capture Moses’ attention and then to recruit him to
lead his people out of Egypt (Exodus 3:1 – 4:17). During their 40-year sojourn in the
wilderness, the Israelites are guided by a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:
21-22). In Proverbs 8:22, light is
depicted as Wisdom. And, in the Gospel
of John, Jesus is described as the Light: “In him [Jesus] was life, and the life was
the light of all people. The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1: 4-5).
So,
light is a central metaphor for Divine guidance. The Festival of Sukkot was a very joyous
holiday. According to Biblical scholars,
on the opening night of the Feast, four large lampstands were lighted
in the Temple’s “Court of the Women.”
After the lampstands had been lit, people would sing and dance, holding
their own torches, providing even more light.
This evening became known as the night of the “Grand Illumination” because
the entire city of Jerusalem was brightly illuminated by the lampstands and
torches.
It
was in the context of the “Grand Illumination” that Jesus makes his claim, “I
am the light of the world.” Again, as
with the first saying—“I am the Bread of Life”—so also Jesus’ claim must be
interpreted within the broader context of the salvation history of the earlier
Hebrews. While they were wandering in
the desert wilderness, God provided the early Hebrews with a pillar of light to
guide them at night. Now, God provides
the eternal light of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son and our Redeemer, to guide us
as we journey through life and as we seek to be faithful followers of Christ.
Come, join us this
Sunday, June 19th, at Christ United Methodist Church, as we continue our study
of the “I am…” sayings of Jesus, exploring what it means to be guided by Jesus
as the “Light of the World.” Christ
United Methodist Church is located at 4530 A Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our classic worship services are at 8:30 and
11:00 on Sunday mornings. This week, I
will continue to offer my short-term study of these “I am…” sayings, between
the two worship services at 9:45. We
will use Rob Fuquay’s The God We Can Know
as our resource.
Everyone is
welcome and accepted because God loves us all.
Schedule of
“I am…” sayings
June 26th – “I am the Good Shepherd” (Beth Menhusen
preaching)
July 10th – “Knowing the Great ‘I Am’”
July 17th – “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”
July 24th – “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (8:30
service only)
July 31st –“I am the True Vine” (Pastor Bob Neben preaching)
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