The Names of Jesus - Elmer Towns

Immediately following that incident, Jesus announced, “I am the light of the world” (John
8:12). That simple statement was rich in meaning in the context in which it occurs in this Gospel.
Jesus uttered it in the court of the women, where He had been teaching. At that place were
located the four golden candelabra, each with four golden bowls. As part of the previous week's
celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, these bowls had been filled with oil and lighted.
Contemporary observers affirmed that the light was so brilliant as to illuminate the entire city of
Jerusalem. Those who gathered around Jesus that morning would no doubt still remember the
spectacle of the night before.
By calling Himself “the light of the world, “ Jesus may have been alluding to the
cloud/pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness. The ceremonial illumination of a
temple was a reminder to the people of that cloud/pillar. Most Jews would have considered that
phenomenon a theophany, a manifestation of God Himself. If Jesus was thinking of this
background, then His claim to be the Light of the World is a clear title to deity.
Jesus may also have been referring to the rising of the sun. He had begun teaching very
early in the morning-that is, just before sunrise (John 8:2). By the time Jesus made this claim, the
sun would be bursting over the horizon. Because of the mountainous terrain, the sunrise in
Palestine is sudden and spectacular. Within an hour, the degree of light changes from the darkest
hour of the night to the brilliance of the day. It was this unique sunrise which caused David to
compare the sun to “a bridegroom coming out of his chamber” (Psalm 19:5).
Another possible context for better understanding Jesus' statement about the light of the
world is that of the Old Testament prophecies which associate the coming of the Messiah with
light. On the preceding day, Nicodemus' colleagues in the Sanhedrin had mildly rebuked him
with the statement, “Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet” (John 7:52). It may
be that Jesus called Himself “the light of the world” in order to remind these Jewish leaders of
very important prophecies they seemed to have forgotten (Isaiah 9:1; 42:6; 49:6; 60:1-3; Malachi
4:2). These prophecies concerning the light specifically named Galilee as the place in which the
light would particularly shine.
One other context clarifies the sense in which Jesus is uniquely the Light of the World.
Jesus is the light that repels the sinner who will not repent of his sin but that attracts those sinners
who will. In the confrontation prior to this statement, Jesus spoke so as to bring conviction to the
self-righteous Jewish leaders who had sought to exploit the woman caught in the act of adultery.
The word John uses in this context for “convicted” is elegchomenoi, literally meaning “to bring
to the light and expose” (John 8:9). It describes the act of holding a letter to a lamp so as to see
what was inside. Jesus was the Light of the World in the sense that He could hold up men's lives
to the light to expose the sin hidden deep within. When He convicts of sin and men are not
willing to repent, they cannot remain in His presence. Many people today are trying to run from
God because they are convicted of some sin for which they will not repent.
Jesus is the Light of the World, and one of the primary functions of light is to shine so as
to reveal what was otherwise hidden. Christ shines to reveal Himself (John 8:12-20), the Father
(John 8:21-27), and the cross (John 8:28-30). He not only exposes the hidden sin in man but
shows him how the sin problem can be ultimately resolved. He is the light in a world of moral
darkness.