Read: John 8:1-12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.” (v. 12)
While we were staying together at a retreat center on the Oregon Coast, my friend went walking on the beach at sunset and stayed too long. Wandering up and down in the dark, she could not find the trail to get back. When I realized she was missing, I went out and stood at the edge of the beach, waving a light so my friend could find her way.
In the story that leads up to Jesus naming himself Light of the World, many people seem to have lost their way. Not only has the woman caught in adultery sinned, but so have the religious leaders, by using the woman to try to trap Jesus without being honest about their own hearts. Everyone in this passage seems to be stumbling around in the dark. But Jesus is the light of the world. Since all this took place “early in the morning” (v. 2), we can imagine the first rays of sunlight breaking over the temple as he reveals this name for himself. Jesus calls everyone in the story to “go, and from now on sin no more” (v. 11) by following him into the light of perfect love.
Sometimes, we aren’t even aware of our own sin. It’s like we’re wandering in the dark and can’t even see that we’ve lost our way. In these times, it is because he loves us that Jesus, the Light of the World, reveals the way we ought to go.
As you pray, ask God to reveal any areas in your life where you have lost the way.
About the Author
Sarah Sanderson is the author of The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate. She lives with her husband and their four teenage children in Oregon.
