While I am in the world, I am the
light of the world (John 9:5).
Wow! That’s a mouthful seen by many to be a silly, self-centred claim for attention.
Consequently, Jesus’ bold identity statement bears further analysis.
He could easily have said that He enlightens,
and with that assessment many of His contemporary critics would acknowledge
some measure of agreement.
That His teachings about turning the other cheek and loving neighbors,
were little ways in which we could each banish relational darkness.
His moral standards – submitting to rightful authority, loving children, upholding the permanence of marriage – were considered enlightened
for His time and place.
Or, Jesus could have held Himself out as a unique example of heroism in
the face of impending threat, speaking truth to Roman power, sacrificing His
life so that others could escape. He could have said He was an enlightened
example.
But lets be clear: that’s not what Jesus claimed.
Rather, His audacious assertion is that, in some way, He is Himself
light.
And He has eliminated
the envelope of darkness for those who embrace Him by repentance and faith.
The light shines
in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).
Now, let’s ratchet up our thinking about the concept of Jesus as Light.
In the deeply profound prologue to his Gospel, John the Apostle makes a
daringly jaw-dropping assertion. In him was life, and that life was the
light of men (John 1:4).
What does that even mean in a pluralistic,
multicultural world, where individual rights and values trump all else, and where
inclusion is society’s highest value (unless of course, one defines inclusion
in a way that is considered off-script)?
How is it at all conceivable to think that
Jesus provides light to all persons?
Sure, some embrace Christ’s Gospel submitting to Him as Lord and Saviour.
But others passively dismiss the Gospel as
being a product of another era, of a simpler culture, and of a distant and
remote place.
And, some with passionate contempt,
vehemently reject Jesus and His claims to deity and future judgment.
So how are we to understand Christ – in some way – imparting His unique light to all people??
Justin Martyr was a sub-apostolic father meaning that he
was a Christian leader in the 3rd or 4th generation after Christ. A philosopher
and theologian, he was martyred in 165 AD.
Justin made this astonishing declaration: every human
achievement is the product of the light of Christ.
Because Jesus is the eternal Word/Logos, He is the
source of all human reason and all human knowledge.
As King of the Cosmos, Jesus impacts human culture in
ways far beyond our ability to perceive. His love for His creation extends to
His bestowing life-enhancing gifts on every person. And He has done so
irrespective of how they have responded to Him.
Whether the recipient of these gifts of light are
Christian theists or angry atheists, the Lord Jesus has created a world where
His light would benefit every person through the beauty of art and music;
through the technical ingenuity of so evident in our era; through the
achievements of medical science to which most of us have greatly benefitted.
Takeaway: All light – intellectual, artistic, relational, and spiritual – originates in Christ. In him was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:4).
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