At the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus said, “I am
the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but
will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
What did Jesus mean by that? In what way is
Jesus the light of the world? And what does it mean to walk in darkness?
Light and Darkness in
the New Testament
In the New Testament, “light” symbolizes
spiritual illumination, and “darkness” symbolizes ignorance, evil, and
spiritual blindness.
Jesus said, “Light has come into the world, but
men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who
does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his
deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so
that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God”
(John 3:19-21).
Jesus is an example of true enlightenment. He
received His spiritual light from God, not from meditation. Those who love
truth and pursue it are quick to accept the light. Those who love evil, hate
the light of Jesus because they dislike having their evil lifestyle exposed for
what it is.
Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus said to
his disciples, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer.
Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks
in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while
you have it, so that you may become sons of light” (John 12:35-36). Then, Jesus
said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me
should stay in darkness” (John 12:46).
The point is, Jesus would soon be leaving his
followers, and He urged them to walk with Him in the light while they could.
After He was gone, the Holy Spirit would come into them, and they would become
lights shining in the midst of darkness (Philippians 2:14-15). In His sermon on
the mount, Jesus told His followers, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew
5:14). Now, He is challenging us to “walk in the light as he is in the light”
(1 John 1:7a).
Paul said something similar to the Ephesians,
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as
children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do
with the fruitless deeds of darkness” (Ephesians 5:8-11).
Jesus, the Enlightened
Teacher
As a teacher, Jesus was a source of light. He
taught on the roads, by the seaside, in houses, in synagogues, and in the
temple. Jesus is addressed as “Teacher” thirty-one times in the gospels.
Jesus, the master teacher, fulfilled the
prophecies of Isaiah who wrote, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse
[the father of David]; from his roots, a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of
the Lord will rest on him–the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit
of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord”
(Isaiah 11:1-3). The Spirit of God came upon Jesus and gave Him wisdom, understanding,
counsel, power, knowledge, and reverence–all signs of enlightenment.
As a teacher of morality, Jesus remains
unmatched. He demonstrated the truths He taught by the way He lived and died.
He was the embodiment of truth. He, alone, could truthfully say, “I am . . .
the truth” (John 14:6). Throughout His life, Jesus maintained His integrity and
taught by example. He was the light of the world.
Jesus’ Methods of
Teaching
In addition to teaching by example, Jesus used
various methods of teaching to enlighten others.
1) He asked penetrating questions that caused
people to think, to search their hearts, and to discover things within
themselves they had never seen before. His questions led to enlightenment.
2) Jesus used short, memorable proverbs that
gave insights into human nature and divine truth. These proverbs enlightened His
followers and influenced their behavior.
3) Jesus taught in parables using things
well-known to His listeners as object lessons. He drew illustrations from
birds, flowers, salt, light, water, old and new clothing, bread dough, old
wine-skins, mustard seeds, fig trees, wedding feasts, farming, fishing,
shepherding, and building houses on a solid foundation. Jesus spoke in parables
to reveal truth to His followers and to conceal the truth from those who were
trying to entrap Him.
4) To receptive listeners, Jesus also taught
truth and shed light in straightforward teaching.
Enlightenment on True
Greatness
Jesus revealed that worldly standards are often
upside down. The world thinks that a great person is someone who has power and
authority over others, or someone who is rich and famous.
One day, a dispute arose among Jesus’ disciples
as to which one of them was the greatest. Jesus said to them, “You know that
the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your
slave” (Matthew 20:25-27).
Jesus reveals to us that true greatness
consists not of power, or military might, or autocratic authority, but of
humble service. To illustrate this truth, Jesus washed His apostles’ feet. He
said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). True greatness is loving people and
humbly serving them.
Enlightenment on True
Riches
Untold millions of people in the world today
dream of getting rich. They spend most of their time making money and spending
it. Their goal in life is to build up their bank account and a big retirement
fund. They think that a new car, a new house, a new boat, a new wardrobe, or a
new thrill will make them happy. But they eventually learn that wealth alone
does not satisfy. Many of the world’s richest people have died in misery.
Jesus saw through the folly of chasing material
wealth. He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). “What good will it be for a man if he gains
the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”(Matthew 16:26). Our material wealth
will do us no good when we die. We can’t take it with us when we die.
A man said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother
to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Watch out! Be on your guard
against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of
his possessions” (Luke 12:13,15).
Then, Jesus told a story to illustrate the
point. The ground of a rich farmer produced a huge crop –so big his barns would
not hold it. Instead of sharing his abundance with the poor, he decided to tear
down his old barns and build larger ones. He said to himself, “You have plenty
of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be
merry” (Luke 12:19).
But God said to him, “You fool! This very night
your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared
for yourself?” (Luke 12:20).
Earthly riches can be snatched away in a moment
–by a flood, tornado, hurricane or typhoon, a tsunami, economic depression, or
by death. What then? Have we invested in eternity? Our treasure in heaven will
not perish. It can neither be stolen nor destroyed. Enlightened people lay-up
treasures in heaven.
Enlightenment on the
Primacy of Love
A lawyer stood up to test Jesus. He said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Jesus replied,
“What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The lawyer answered, “Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus
replied, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live” (Luke
10:26-28). In an effort to justify himself, the lawyer asked, “And who is my
neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).
In response, Jesus told a story about a man who
was traveling between Jerusalem and Jericho when a band of robbers stripped
him, beat him, and left him half dead. A priest and a Levite happened to be
traveling on the same road, and both of them passed by on the other side to
avoid having to deal with the wounded man.
But a Samaritan came by, saw the man, and had
pity on him. He bandaged his wounds and poured oil and wine on them. Then he
put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn. There, he took care of
him through the night. The next morning, he gave two silver coins to the
innkeeper and said, “Look after him, and when I return, I will reimburse you
for any extra expense you may have” (Luke 10:30-35).
Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which of these three
do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of
robbers?” The lawyer replied, “The one
who had mercy on him.” Jesus said, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).
Notice that it was a Samaritan (a man despised
by the Jews) who was a good neighbor. Jesus was shedding light on the virtue of
showing compassion for strangers and helping those in need regardless of their
race, religion, or nationality. The question is not, “Who is my neighbor?” The
real question is, “How can I love my neighbor as myself?”
Jesus said to his apostles, “By this all men
will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). To
walk in the light is to walk in the love of God (1 John 1:7; 2:9).
Enlightenment on the
Importance of Forgiveness
It is human nature to resent people who insult
us and do us harm. The natural tendency is to hold grudges and to take
vengeance. But if we do not forgive, we become slaves to our own emotions.
Negative emotions eat on us inside. They cause ulcers and other psychosomatic
illnesses. But forgiveness sets us free.
Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many
times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus replied, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew
18:21-22).
Then Jesus told a story about a king who wanted
to settle accounts with his servants. One of his servants owed him millions of
dollars and was not able to pay him. The king decided to sell the servant and
his family to settle the debt.
The servant fell on his knees before the king
and begged, “Be patient with me, and I will pay back everything.” The master
took pity on his servant and canceled the debt.
Afterward, the servant went out and found a
fellow-servant who owed him a few dollars. Grabbing him by the throat, he said,
“Pay back what you owe me.”The fellow-servant begged, “Be patient with me, and
I will pay you back.” But the unforgiving servant refused and had the man put
in prison until he could pay the debt.
When the king heard about this, he summoned the
servant and said, “You wicked servant. I canceled all that debt of yours
because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant
just as I had on you?” In anger, the king reinstated the servant’s debt and
punished him severely (Matthew 18:23-34).
Forgiveness is one of Jesus’ primary themes. In
his Sermon on the Mount, he said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against
you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). Forgiveness involves giving up the right to
be angry and resentful. Others will treat us badly, and we will need to forgive
them in order to practice the golden rule (Matthew 7:12). We, ourselves, will
inadvertently offend others, and we will need their forgiveness.
Think what a difference it would make if all of
us would forgive those who dishonor us –if we loved our enemies, did good to
those who hate us, and prayed for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:27-28).
While Jesus was hanging on the cross, he
prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke
23:34). Jesus shed light on the importance of forgiveness.
A Call for Change
There are many barriers to spiritual growth and
enlightenment. Pride, self-righteousness, complacency, selfishness, resentment,
bitterness, lust, greed, dishonesty, addictions, and hopelessness all prevent
us from seeing the light.
These negative qualities must be unlearned
before we can walk in the light. There must be a change of nature and
disposition –a change that begins when we are born again of water and the
Spirit (John 3:3-5) –a change that continues as we allow the Spirit of God to
transform us into the likeness of Jesus, the light of the world (2 Corinthians
3:18).
