Challenged Add some light to where you are sitting. Pull the curtains, or light a candle. Thank God for being your light (Psalm 27:1) John 8:12-20 God among us It’s possible that this passage follows straight on from 7:53 during the Feast of Tabernacles or Shelters. Jesus refers to himself as the light of the world, reminding people of the Exodus when God led his people through the desert with pillars of cloud and light. And John echoes this in 1:14 when he claims that Jesus, who lived among us – or ‘tabernacled’, according to Young’s Literal Translation – was, in fact, the creator God, pitching his tent on earth. But the Pharisees don’t accept this. They aren’t willing to recognise Jesus, and the debate about testimony and witness does nothing to change their minds. I have some sympathy with their argument: after all, if you were to call on an invisible witness in court, you could have problems. But they were supposed to be God-fearers. Surely the Father’s words would have been the ultimate witness for them? Not so. They looked down on Jesus, because he was an uneducated northerner who challenged what they stood for – surely God couldn’t be like that? At the end of the day, however, Jesus had such authority and appeal that the Temple guards were prepared to disobey their orders to arrest him (7:46) – and the Light of the world lived to shine through another day. Weather permitting, sit outside for a bit this evening, under the stars, and mull over what it means to ‘have the light of life’. Have a glorious day!
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:28:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015