Light of The World
The magnificence of the sun makes every child want to stare at it. Now, we all know that the intense light of the sun just doesn’t allow us to stare for long. During eclipses when the sun is partially hidden, the media overloads us with warnings not to stare because the sunlight that remains is enough to burn the imprint on retinal nerves. Light is intense.
From the beginning of time, we understood that it took light for plants to produce fruit. Long ago, men learned that light could be reflected, and used glass and mirrors to redirect light. It didn’t take man long to figure out that light, when harnessed, produced intense energy. As children, we were delighted when we got to use a magnifying glass to focus sunlight to start a tiny fire in dry grass as a science experiment. Fast forward to today. Lasers, intensely focused light beams, are used for the most intricate of surgeries on eyes, cancers, and many other illnesses.
Is it any wonder that Jesus used light as a metaphor for His presence? He tells us, “…I am the light of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). The piercing light of Jesus Christ illuminates our life. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, like staring at the sun, his image is imprinted on us. The light of the world can excise even the worst sinful habits with greater precision than the best laser surgery. Spending time in his presence will purify us.
In Ephesians 5:8, we are instructed to walk as children of the light. Philippians 2:13-15 sums it up by saying if we walk blameless, without murmuring and disputing, we can shine as lights in the world in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation. Like mirrors, we have no light properties of our own. But, we can spread the light of Jesus in this world if we walk in the light.
-TH-