“I AM the light of the world,” Jesus declares. He continues, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Our English doesn’t do a good job of translation here. The word “follows” in the Greek indicates that this is a continual following. The following is whole-hearted, all in dedication not a casual, once in a while calling oneself a Christian. John reflects this in his letter, “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7 NIV)
Jesus’ declaration that He is the Light upsets the unbelieving leaders. He needs witnesses to verify that what he says is true. In an oft overlooked “I AM” saying, Jesus says, “I AM a witness and my Father is the other witness.” “Bah!” they say. They continue to argue with Jesus coming to the point where they say that their Father is God but they don’t know who Jesus’ father is. In a twist, Jesus starts to end this discussion with the statement that they claim to know God as their Father but they really don’t. On the other hand, their father (ancestor) Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus.
Wait a second! How could Abraham have seen Jesus? Abraham lived 2000 years before Jesus! Jesus wasn’t even 50. They caught him in a lie! Jesus replies, ‘“Before Abraham was born, I AM.” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.’ Jesus in just two words declared himself to be God. I AM is the name God gave Moses to identify Himself to the people of Israel. I AM is a holy and sacred name. I AM is God. Jesus is God! Jesus is the savior of the world, the one to lead us out of bondage to sin into the promise land, to life eternal.
The question is: Will you walk in the light?
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. -John 3:19 NIV
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. -John 1:9-13
