I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of yourself; Your witness is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

- John 8:12-20

Jesus has been at the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. There is a great deal of controversy that surrounds Him, and the leadership are now after Him. In yesterday's reading, He returned to the temple to teach. A woman was brought to Him, caught in adultery, He was told. "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" But Jesus wrote something on the ground, and He said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." He continued to write again, and the men began to drop their stones, first the eldest, and then all the way to the last. Finally, He said, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." As we have observed, John's Gospel will tie in the images that Jesus uses for Himself often with the events of the festivals at which He speaks in Jerusalem in the temple. His words are tied, also, to the events in Israel's spiritual history that are commemorated by the festivals. Here, my study bible notes: "During the Feast of Tabernacles, torches were lit in the temple court, and singing and dancing continued each night. In this context Jesus is the One who gives the light of life. In the New Testament God is light (1 John 1:5); the followers of Jesus are the light (Matt. 5:14); and believers shine as lights in the world (Phil. 2:15). In these and other references in John, God is the source of this uncreated, life-giving light." We shine with His reflected light; God is the source of life. Here, the I AM in the Greek is another "reflection" of the I AM in the Old Testament, the words given to Moses as the name of God. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the time when Israel was in the wilderness, and was led by the light given by God, in a fiery pillar. Jesus here clearly declares Himself, a source of that very light, the living light dwelling among them. His is the light of life.

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of yourself; Your witness is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me." My study bible says, "In the face of resistance and disbelief Jesus continues to proclaim His relationship with the Father. The Pharisees either were unable to understand Jesus' words or were simply astonished that Jesus was claiming God as His own Father." We return to themes of relationship and authority. There has already been dispute about "where He is from" and "where He is going." John's Gospel emphasizes for us again the relationship between Father and Son, that Jesus is "sent" and will "return." Jesus has also previously spoken, in this encounter at the festival, of judging righteous judgment. Here He emphasizes again that judgment comes of the Father; His union with the Father is what makes His judgment true.

Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. Jesus speaks of the union of Father and Son, sharing the same nature. He is fully declaring His divine nature. My study bible says, "Because the Son and the Father share the same nature, one cannot be known apart from the other. St. John Chrysostom writes; 'Indeed, if He were not of the same nature as the Father, he would not have spoken as He did.'" His hour will be the time of glorification on the Cross.

There is so much in today's reading, it is hard to "pull apart" the different concepts Jesus and John's Gospel give to us. But let us focus on the point Jesus shares about His identity: "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." We think again of the pillar of fire leading the Israelites in the darkness on the journey out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land. What is this light? How does Christ give us this light? How does it shine in your life, and through your life into the world, as He has asked of His disciples? In Matthew's Gospel, during the Sermon on the Mount, after teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." When we cherish His light we seek within ourselves, then we become reflections of that light into the world. Grace has been likened, in the Eastern Church, to the rays of the sun. That reflected light, as from a lamp, may flow into our world, and through us, through what we do, so that we may glorify the Father in heaven. We are not the sun, nor the source of that light. But He is the light of life that shines for us in the darkness, and shows us the way through the darkness. John's Gospel begins with these very words, and here Jesus affirms them: In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Today let us take these words to our heart, seek His light there, and follow where it leads us. Let us remember always to seek this light, and follow where it leads. It may not be easy, but it is the way to shine before men, so that we too may glorify Our Father and share in His work of faith. Let us remember that He has gone before us, shone Himself to the world, and done the hard work of sacrifice so that we may follow.