I AM the Light of the World - Lent Mid-week Three - March 16, 2022 - Text: John 8:12-20 (esp. v. 12)

When God called Moses and sent him to deliver His people, the Children of Israel from their bondage of slavery in Egypt, “13Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’ 14God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”’” (Exodus 3:13-14). This year during the season of Lent through to Easter morning we are exploring the “I AM” words of Jesus, especially as John expounds on God’s telling Moses that His name is “I AM.”  Today we will be looking at Jesus as He declares Himself to be “I AM the Light of the World.”
 

Again, as we have been doing, we begin with God’s name as He tells Moses, His name is “I AM.” His name declares Him to be God from eternity, living outside of time, in the eternal present. As Jesus declares Himself to be the Light of the world so He says He too is “I AM,” in other words He proclaims His divinity, from Exodus.
 

And again let me reiterate that Jesus is true God in the eternal present. Jesus is not a God who was as He has no beginning. He is not a God is to be as He has no tomorrow, at least not in the same sense of time which He created for us, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Rather He is God who is I AM such that He lives in the eternal present thus all things with Him are concurrent and outside of time as you and I sense time.
 

In our text for today Jesus declares once again that He is God, I AM, and as God He also declares He is the Light of the world. In Genesis God tells us that before creation there was only darkness and chaos. Just as cold is absence of heat, so darkness is absence of light. Light means life and darkness means death. Light brings life, indeed, the sun shines and the grass grows, the flowers bloom, the world brightens. Dark means sleep even the sleep of death.
 

Jesus is God in flesh. He is the Light of the world. He is the antithesis of darkness, which leads to eternal death, hell. Sin is darkness. As one, usually, seeks the dark to hide one’s sin so darkness is away from light and the exposure of such sin. Satan, the father of lies, roams around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Satan hides in the shadows, lurking in the darkness, seeking opportunities to tempt and lure away from the Light.
 

As one attempts to hide in the darkness so when the Light shines it exposes sin. Light brightens up exposing what is hidden so that it is seen. What was once hidden in darkness is exposed when the Light shines on it, but as the Light of the world Jesus exposes the sins of the world. Thus, the Pharisees rejected Jesus claim to be the Light of the world even to being God, the great I AM, Himself. The Pharisees were more interested in their own positions of power and authority rather than submit themselves to God and His will. They only saw Jesus from their own human point of view. They only saw Jesus in His humanity. They thus rejected Jesus divinity and the true nature of His being.
 

Light shines in the darkness and exposes sin. Light also serves as a guide. Jesus is a guide. Indeed, we speak of Jesus as an example, but certainly He is more than just an example. If Jesus were only an example then we would fail miserably because we cannot be the people He would have us to be, indeed, we cannot be like Jesus. As a guide, Jesus is an example, but even more, He fulfilled the example He set for us in our place. As our guide He leads us perfectly, though we follow imperfectly, to be the people He would have us to be.
 

Jesus is the Light of the world. He is also the Light of Life. As we said, Light exposes sin and danger. Light exposes those trying to hide their sin even their unbelief. Light exposes flaws, chips, mars, damage, the muck and dirt of our lives. As the Light of the world, Jesus also exposes even our evil thoughts, intentions, words and actions. Jesus is the Light of the world, as the Law exposes our sin so that we might be moved to confess our sins so that we might be given His forgiveness, so that He might lavish His Gospel on us.
 

Darkness brings death. Light brings life and growth. The Light of Jesus, the words of the Gospel of God’s Word brings and even gives faith, forgiveness, life and salvation. Jesus’ Words do what they say and give the gifts they speak. When Jesus shines the Light of His Word of Life on us, we have life. His Word gives life. Indeed, as we are reminded of the means of grace our Lord gives to us and the power of His Word through those means so we are reminded of all the good gifts and blessings our Lord so desires to lavish on to us. As He gives us life at conception, so He gives us new life through the waters of Holy Baptism as He speaks His name on us through the mouth of the pastor and puts water on us through the hands of the pastor. As He hears our words of confession of sin so, again through the mouth of the pastor Jesus speaks His Word of forgiveness on us and we know we are forgiven. As we hear His Word read and proclaimed we know that we are given the gifts His Word speaks. As we come to His table, as we eat the bread and His body and drink the wine and His blood, as the pastor so speaks, “take and eat, take and drink, the body of Christ, the blood of Christ,” so He becomes a physical part of us. Jesus’ life becomes our life. Jesus’ death become our death. Jesus’ resurrection becomes our resurrection. And Jesus’ eternal life becomes our eternal life.
 

Light and life go together. Light shines in the darkness and brings life. Just as a plant needs light to grow and flourish, so we need light, the Light to shine in our lives to bring us life, to help us grow and flourish, to strengthen and keep us in faith until Christ comes again.
 

What does this mean? “12Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Jesus is, as He declares, true God. He was not created, but always has been. He was with the Father and the Holy Spirit at the creation of the world. He created all things perfect and holy. He is true God conceived by the Holy Spirit, thus born in perfection.
 

Jesus is also true man, born of the human woman, the Virgin Mary. He was born as a human in order that He might do for us what we are unable to do. He was born as a human in order to be our substitute. Remember, the price for sin was set in the Garden of Eden, human life for human sin. Because we are conceived and born in sin and because the price for our sin is death, thus from the moment of conception our bodies are dying. If not for the promise of a Savior and if not for faith in Jesus as our Savior we would also die a second death, hell.
 

Jesus is God in flesh. He lived the perfect obedient life demanded of us. Indeed, Jesus came to be Israel, that is He came to do what the whole nation of Israel could not do, be obedient to God. Jesus came to be us, to do for us what we are unable to do, be obedient and be perfect. After living a perfect life, obeying all of God’s Laws perfectly, after fulfilling all of God’s promises perfectly He then took our sins, all our sins, our sins of thought, word and deed, our sins of commission and omission, the sins we have committed and the sins we have yet to commit. He took all our sins and the sins of all people of all places of all times on Himself and He suffered. He suffered hell for us in our place and He died.
 

But we know the rest of the history. Jesus did not stay dead, but He rose from the dead. He rose victorious over sin, death and the devil and He gives us eternal salvation. Indeed, He gives us faith to believe. He gives us forgiveness earned and paid for by Himself. He gives us what He deserves, eternal life in heaven.
 

Jesus is the Light of the World. Jesus is and gives life, life in this world, life in the world to come, even eternal life. Today Jesus continues to give light. He is the light that guides us out of the darkness of sin and unbelief in this world to faith, forgiveness and life.
 

As we continue in this Lenten Season may the Word of God and the power of the Word of God continue to convict and convince us that Jesus is the great I AM, true God from eternity and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus is the one promised in Eden. Jesus is the Light of the world and in Him and in Him alone is life, faith forgiveness and life, even eternal life. So that we respond with joy and say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.