St. John 8:12-20: "12 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."'13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, 'You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.' 14 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. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.' 19 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.' 20 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."
This pericope follows after the narrative of the woman who had committed adultery and the Pharisees, desiring to stone her, asked our Lord Jesus what He would do with her, since she had been caught in the act of adultery and there was no way for anyone to deny that she was guilty. To this our Lord replied, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." And one by one, convicted in their conscience, they left from the oldest to the youngest. No one condemning her, our Lord declares her forgiven, saying, "Go, and sin no more."
From the Evangelist St. John, it would seem that today's narrative followed immediately after this event, therefore, our Lord Jesus, having declared the absolution, declares that He is the Light of the world. Notice that our Lord does not say, "the Light of the Angels," or, "the Light of the Heavens." But he says, "I AM the Light of the World," that is, mankind. He is our Light. The Light that dispels the darkness of sin and death. In this simple statement of our Lord, He proclaims Himself to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man. For all can plainly see that He is a man. There may have even been those present who doubted that He could indeed forgive the sins of the woman, for only God can forgive sins. But He declares His divinity by saying, "I AM." The Christological heresies which deny our Lord's divinity cannot stand up to this statement, for He does not say, "In Me is the Light of the World", as if He was granted some special divine powers from God, but was really only a man. No, He says, "I AM the Light of the World."
With the words, "I AM," He declares his divinity, and proclaims that He is the same God that appeared to Moses in the bush that was on fire, but didn't burn. In this declaration, He also proclaims that He is the one who has power of sin and death, and all the powers of darkness. And He promises us something very wonderful. Those who follow Him, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, that is, eternal life. Meaning, now, in this life, we follow Him by faith, hearing His promises, and rejoicing in His gifts, but in eternity, we will see for all eternity the truth of those words which we now see only by faith.
May God strengthen your faith to live in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that in this light, you may enjoy throughout your earthly life, the forgiveness of your sins, and in that forgiveness may you enjoy all the gifts it brings.
God be with you,
Deacon Dulas
