I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness

 

 Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.   And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.   I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

 

- John 12:44-50 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke and departed, and was hidden from them.  But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:  "Lord, who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" Therefore they could not believe, because Isiah said again:  "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them."  These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.  Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.   

 

 Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.   And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.   I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."  As He has done so often in John's Gospel, Jesus ties everything about Himself, His identity, His mission, and His ministry to the Father.   If we believe in Him, we believe in the Father who sent Him.  Unequivocally, He tells them that to see Him is to see the Father.   In our recent readings, Jesus has spoken of Himself as the light; Here that light into the world is clearly tied to the Father as well.  

"And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."   My study Bible explains that Christ does not judge with favoritism or partiality.  It notes that He has spoken the words of life, words of love, forgiveness, repentance, virtue, and mercy.  His words will be the unbending standard by which all people are judged on the last day.  

In John's sixth chapter, Jesus teaches, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).  Here, in tying even the words He speaks to the commands of the Father, He says that the word He speaks will be the judge, for the Father's command is everlasting life.  Again, this is an echo of something earlier in the Gospel, a statement from St. Peter which Jesus also attributes to an understanding coming from the Father:  "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).  Ultimately, Jesus speaks of authority.  This includes His own authority as given by the Father, but also the authority in the words He teaches and gives to us, for they also come directly from the Father.  They are the commands He has been given by the Father, and they are commands given though Him to us.  In this way, these authoritative words and teachings may act as our judge, the standard by which we're measured.  Let us note that His emphasis is on our receipt of these words, on our faith.  It is not a standard that tells us that our lives are measured by the outcome of how closely we have managed to follow, but rather by our faith.  This is about the hearts and minds of those who receive, not by how perfectly we always manage to measure up -- but by our effort and sincerity, or so it seems to me.  We have the example of St. Peter, who denied Christ three times while He was in trial at the home of the high priest (Matthew 26:69-75, Luke 22:54-62).  This was his failing, but we know also of the forgiveness given to him and his subsequent life of service to Christ and the Church as well as his standing among the other apostles.  We are all disciples on a learning curve, and so we must carefully consider Christ's words as given from One whose chief identity is one of love and compassion.  This is about faithfulness, a kind of loyalty and love in the heart -- one characterized by receiving the words of Christ as those powerful with "everlasting life," with authority, that contain the power of redemption and resurrection for all of us.  He knows us as imperfect beings, living in a world of darkness as He says, but those who deeply need His word that is a light to us.  For we are not judged harshly, but with compassion and love, and so much depends upon our own capacity for the same.  Once again, as we have so often noted, we are offered a choice.  Do we accept His word or do we not?  Can we take it in and seek to live it in faith?  Can we take it to heart?  It is the light through the darkness of a world which remains violent and full of conflict, in which we struggle to live the life He teaches.  Where is your light to guide you, and how deeply do your cherish the flame He gives us (Matthew 5:14-16, 2 Peter 1:16-21)?  For this is the way of everlasting life.