“Jesus spoke to them once more, saying: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of Life »” (John 8, 12). To put you in context a little, these were the words that Jesus said to the Pharisees after having defended the adulterous woman, whom they considered worthy of being stoned. Have you ever wondered what the expression “light of the world” actually means? Then we invite you to discover in the Word of God what these words of Jesus and others Biblical passages of the New Testament that show us Jesus as the light of life
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What does it mean to be the light of the world?
Glow up
Without light, there is no life. We see this in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, when “God said: ‘Let there be light.’ And the light existed (Genesis 1:3). Precisely, it was just after this that the Lord began the work of creating heaven and earth. Similarly, as human beings we need light to work effectively and see if what we do is good or bad. In this regard, the Gospel of John bears witness to Jesus as “the true light that, coming into this world, enlightens every man. (John 1:9).
set an example
In the next verse, Jesus said: “(…) Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness (…)” (John 8:12), giving us to understand that being a light not only means being a model or a person to follow, but also showing the way. In fact, Jesus promises all those who follow his example of life that they will not be overcome by the darkness of this world.
To give life
This Bible verse ends with a promise: “(…) will have the light of Life” (John 8:12). Being the light is also being able to communicate life to those who follow us. When we believe that Jesus is the light of the world, He communicates true life to us. But what exactly is this true life? For it is eternal life, that is, life in communion with God forever.
Biblical passages that present Jesus as the Light of the world
John 1
“In her was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not perceive it. A man sent by God appeared, named John. He came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not light, but the witness of the light. The Word was the true light that, coming into this world, illuminates every man” (John 1:4-9).
John 3
“He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe, he is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. In this consists the judgment: the light has come into the world, and men preferred darkness to light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3: 18-19).
John 8
“Jesus spoke to them once more, saying: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of Life ».” (John 8:12).
John 9
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5).
2 Corinthians 4
“Because the same God who said: “Let light shine in the midst of darkness”, is the one who made his light shine in our hearts so that the knowledge of the glory of God, reflected in the face of Christ, shines forth. (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Ephesians 5
“Because everything that is revealed is light. That is why it is said: Wake up, you who sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you” (Ephesians 5:14).
You are the light of the world!
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus spoke to his listeners saying, “You are the light of the world. You can’t hide a city on top of a mountain.” (Matthew 5:14). In this way, Jesus says that all who listen to him and believe in his word are the light of the world. In this regard, the apostle Paul emphasizes this point by reminding Christians: “formerly you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8). Therefore, today it is up to us to believe in the words of Jesus and put them into practice, so that our light shines in this dark world.
Gospel Audio Reflection – Pontifical Mission Societies
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