John 8

The Light Of The World

I am the light of the world. John 8:12.

I am going to ask you a question. Which do you like best light or darkness? I expect most of you will answer “light.” And do you know that, if the flowers could speak, and you asked them that question, they would give the same answer. They would say, “Yes, little comrades, we like the light too. We always turn towards it, and we could not live without it.”

Now, once upon a time, the world was in darkness. I don't mean to say that the sun was not shining it was blazing down just as brightly as it does today but the people who lived in it were in darkness; their lives were dark, and their souls were dark, because they did not know God or understand Him. Sometimes God sent His prophets to tell them about Himself, but these prophets were just like stars in the night sky they only showed up the darkness and gave little gleams of light; for still the people did not understand. Then one day God sent His Son into the world, and when He came the darkness vanished away. He was like the rising sun, driving away the night. And He has gone on shining ever since. Never again will there be darkness, for He is the Light of the World.

You know that when the light comes it shows up many things which we could not see in the dark, and so when Jesus came He made plain many things which before were dark. Now I want you to think about some of the things which Jesus shows us.

And first of all He shows us God. Once, long, long ago, man walked with God in the Garden of Eden, but then sin came; and after that man looked, on God as a great and terrible Being shrouded in clouds and thick darkness. But it was sin that hid God from him, that kept him from seeing God aright. Then Jesus, the Son of God, came down to earth. He loved men, He pitied them, He healed them, He forgave them, He drew them to Him. He showed them what God was full of love and pity and forgiveness. He told them that He and His Father were one, that he that had seen Him had seen the Father, because they were one in nature and purpose and desire.

In the second place Jesus shows us sin. Before He came to earth there were some men men like King David who saw that sin was a very dark thing. But it was not till Jesus came that men really saw how terribly black it was. He showed this to them in two ways. He showed it by living a white, sinless life; and He showed it by His death. It required the sacrifice of the perfect Son of God to wash away sin's stain.

Then again, Jesus shows us the path of life. There are many pitfalls in our path, many stumbling-blocks.

There are thorn hedges which tear and wound us, and there are side roads which lead us astray. If we had to walk in the dark we should be sure to come to grief. But Jesus is willing to light up the way so that we can get safely past all these dangers. If we ask Him, He will shine on our path to guide us.

Lastly, Jesus shows us our duty to each other. Before Jesus came most people thought that might was right, and that the weak should go to the wall. But Jesus showed us a better way. He taught us to love one another, to pity the weak, and help the helpless, and forgive the erring.

Now I wonder if you have noticed one special thing about the sun it shines for everybody. It shines for the king in his palace; it shines for the poor man in his cottage. It shines for big people and little people, for sick people and well people, for good people and bad people. A candle lights up a few yards, a street lamp lights up a few dozen yards, and a lighthouse a few miles. But the sun shines for everybody, and even when his face is hidden by clouds we still know he is shining by the daylight around us.

And the Light of the World is just like that. He shines for everybody for everybody who will let Him in. He means that we should all be enlightened; but some people prefer to sit in the dark. And why do they prefer the dark? Jesus tells us the reason. He says, “Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Do you remember how Adam and Eve hid themselves from God when they knew they had done wrong? They were afraid to face Him.

And now I am going to ask you again the question with which I began. Which do you like best light or darkness? There is one way that you can shut out the light of the sun by putting shutters on your windows; and there is one way that you can shut out the Light of the World by putting shutters on the windows of your soul. What would you think if you came across someone who liked to live in total darkness in a shuttered house? Would you not think them very odd and stupid? And don't you think the people who put shutters on the windows of their soul are even more odd and more stupid? Are your shutters up, or are they folded away?

Once upon a time a beautiful palace of ice was built for a Russian prince. In the daytime it looked very grand and stately, but it was so cold and cheerless that no one cared to enter it. When night came on, a boy with a lighted candle went through the door, and immediately the whole place was filled with warmth and gladness. The palace seemed to have caught the sheen of the pearly gates of Heaven.

And, boys and girls, that is what our lives may be if we let the Light of the World shine in upon them. They may become radiant, and beautiful, and warm, and glad.