Chris\'s Biblical Statement I Am the Light

¶ … Chris's biblical statement "I am the light of the world." Specifically, it will describe the events that surround the "I am" statement, how the "I am" statement relates to the revelation of God in the Old Testament, and how the statement reveals the deity of Christ. The semantics of the Bible are awesome. Since it was written in ancient tongues, they can be translated in many ways, and so it is with this passage where John repeats Christ's words, "I am the light of the world." Light can mean many things to many people, but here, light really means love, and Christ is a reflection of God's love of all the people of Earth.

A am" also has many contextual meanings in the Bible, and together, these words affirm Christ as a deity and the Son of God. Thus, Christ not only affirms his own place and purpose on Earth, he affirms there is a God, and that he is indeed the Son and messenger of a higher being.

In St. John 8:12, Jesus proclaims his purpose on Earth, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'"

Thus, he announces that he is the Son of God, and that he is a spiritual leader for those who choose to follow him. In addition, he was reminding others of their sins, and that none of us is without sin. Theologian Elmer Towns notes, "As light, Christ was reminding these hardened scribe and Pharisees of their own history of sin, illuminating their very conscience, and exposing them."

This statement by Christ is a culmination of the famous Biblical scene of the adulterous woman who is about to be stoned by her accusers, when Christ utters, "He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

In addition to not condemning the woman for her sin, Jesus is also warning the Jews around him that those who choose not to follow him will "die in their sins."

Christ's light was an all-encompassing light, as he illustrates in this passage. His light is the light of love and compassion, but his followers had to earn their right to the light by following his teachings, including the teaching of forgiveness and recognizing sin. These would be the true Children of God, and the keepers of the faith who would continue their work after Christ's death, spreading Christianity around the world. In another translation, light is the opposite of darkness and blindness. Christ affirms he will lead his followers out of the darkness, and cure their "spiritual blindness."

Light has many meanings in this passage, and reaffirms many statements that came earlier in the Old Testament, too.

Later in St. John, Jesus again reminds his listeners that he has been sent by God as his messenger. Throughout St. John, Christ's purpose and intent is quite clear, and he continually asserts his place as a deity - the Son of God. His phrases and his words create no question that he is a messenger, a leader, and a representative of a higher being.

In addition to Christ's statement of sin and absolution in St. John, he also quite firmly establishes his relationship to God with the continued phrase "I am" that he utilizes only so emphatically in St. John than in any other Book in the Bible. In ancient Hellenistic languages, "I am" signifies the deity, as this historian notes,

The I AM is, as noted earlier, a Hellenistic-Judaic symbol for deity. The point of its use here is to provide a qualitative identification of Jesus with God. Through this symbol, John is expressing in his own way what Christianity has affirmed from the beginning, that to confront Jesus is to confront the power of God.

This also affirms that Christ's work on Earth is the work of his Father, and those who follow his teachings will know his Father's love. In addition, Jesus introduces himself so strongly to the people around him only in St. John. Another historian notes, "That is, Jesus' exalted status is not part of Jesus' public teaching in Mark. It is not part of his message. The contrast to John is stark, where Jesus regularly proclaims his identity."

Thus, Christ affirms his own mission, but also affirms the existence of a higher being who watches over the world and His people, and guides them throughout their lives if they will accept him. He does this most strongly in St. John, which adds to his mystique, and begins his search for followers and believers. He will not affirm his relationship so strongly at any other time, even as he faces persecution and death. His "I am" statements form the foundation of his work for his Father on Earth, and create an aura of peace and understanding around him that cannot be shaken.

In the Old Testament, God reveals he has sent Sons of God to Earth, and that they will lead a new race of men who will follow his teachings. They were to act as his messengers on Earth, and carry Him in their hearts. Thus, he sets the stage for Jesus Christ early in the Old Testament, as early as Genesis. Jesus reaffirms his relationship (he knows God) to God through these passages in St. John, and he again confirms what came before in the Old Testament. One writer states, "The knowledge or the 'knowing' in these passages refers to the knowledge of God, himself, not the knowledge of doctrine about God."

He is the prophesied Messiah, and though his reign on Earth will be brief, he will rise again and lead those who believe in him and his Father to their ultimate reward in Heaven (another reference to light, as Heaven is almost always referred to as eternal life and by a bright white light). Here, Christ affirms his relationship to God and the revelations in the Old Testament that announce his eventual coming to Earth. Thus, this one small passage in St. John carries essential meaning to Christ's own life and message, and gives essential meaning to God and his Word.