LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Light is one of John’s favourite metaphors for the purity, holiness, and judgement of God. In John chapter 1 he says ‘In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not... Thatwas the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world’, vv. 4, 5, and 9. Elsewhere, he affirms that ‘God is light, and in him is no darkness at all’, 1 John 1.5. In John chapter 8 the religious enemies of the Lord Jesus once again try to discredit Him. They bring before Him an adulteress, and bid Him deal with her. Would He enforce the Law by decreeing her execution? Or would He set aside the dictates of the commandment in favour of mercy?

In unequalled brilliance, the Lord Jesus showed Himself to be ‘the light of the world’ by showing mercy, while upholding the law. He made no attempt, as the legalistic Pharisees often did, to find a loophole in the commandment. Nor did He explain away the righteous standard of the law. He agreed that the woman could justly be executed for her crime. Nevertheless, He exposed the hypocrisy of her accusers by reminding them that they had all violated God’s holy standards and were likewise deserving of death. ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her’, John 8. 7, reminds us that the perfect God has the ultimate right to judge. As the barbs of conscience struck home to these men, they each drifted away in shame. Sadly, we do not read of any of them repenting of their duplicity and seeking the Lord. The woman in turn found that the sinless Lord, who had every right to condemn her, mercifully set her free with the injunction to ‘sin no more’. There were no accusers to bear witness against her.

Having illustrated His perfect knowledge and holiness in His handling of this difficult situation, the Lord Jesus proceeds to offer Himself as the Light of the world who will enable men to ‘not walk in darkness, but … have the light of life’, v. 12. He offers us freedom from slavery to sin and the liberty to serve God as we ought. Sadly, chapter 12 makes it clear that many were heedless of this invitation, John 12. 35-43.