Daily Devotions

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Jim Richman.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.”

Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.”

Then they said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. John 8:12-20

Light and darkness, in the time of Jesus, was understood to be what time of day it was. To attach meaning to the words “light” and “dark” had to be confusing to the people Jesus taught.

When Jesus is talking and teaching about the light of the world, he is trying to explain his position, to make a drastic comparison between what God had sent him to accomplish and what the Pharisees understood about being in the light.

Jesus said, “…whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life, Jesus was searching for a way to make the people see that God had sent his son to create a new way. To be a part of this new way, in the light, human beings had to love and respect one another.

This new way of life Jesus taught would be a guide to follow, but you had to have the faith and understanding in Jesus first.

Another question that Jesus had to explain is, where is your father? The Pharisees asked this to disgrace Jesus, so they said, “do you have a witness to prove that God is your father and that he sent you?” Jesus reminds them that to know the father is to know Him.

Jesus’ task is difficult, he again had to make a point that God had sent him to change the world so that all of mankind would be able to see the light Jesus taught.

Let us pray: Jesus, in today’s world we strive to live in Gods light and spirit, but often fall. So many choose darkness by living in despair, sin, and don’t see any light. God let us be the light, let us carry your message of hope to the world, and be with us. Amen.

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