When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The timing of this section of discourse between Jesus and His opponents is immediately following verse 7:52 and is either on the afternoon of the Last Day of the Feast or immediately following the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Talmud states that on every night of the festive week the Court of the Women was brilliantly illuminated by the blazing candelabra which could be seen from far around Jerusalem, and the night was spent in joyous celebration. This was called “the joy of the Feast” and pointed ahead to the days of the Messiah when the heathen world would be harvested into God’s Kingdom. The light of the candelabra was symbolic of the pillar of fire by night which guided the Israelites through the wilderness to the Promised Land. As we shall discover in verse 20, Jesus was at this time teaching in the Court of the Women, the place where the candelabra had previously been giving their light. The statement of Jesus that he was the light of the world would have had great impact upon the hearers who had become briefly accustomed to the blazing night lights which at this point had ceased.
“I am” is an emphatic statement with possible overtones of claims of deity.
“the light” = throughout scripture, God has been associated with being the light of men (Psalms 27:1, Isaiah 60:19, 1John 1:5). The term light was especially associated with the Messiah. Note Dan 2:22 which was considered to be referring to the Messiah. Also, the Midrash tells that while windows are usually made wide within and narrow on the outside, the windows in the Temple of Solomon were made just the opposite to allow the light from within the sanctuary to lighten everything without. (Edersheim II, 166) That section goes on to say that God would kindle for the nations “the Great Light” in Messianic times, which referred to the Messiah, Himself. Note also the words of old Simeon when he beheld the infant Christ and he called baby Jesus “a light to lighten the Gentiles.” (Luke 2:25-32) The Pharisees could not help but pick up on the Messianic claims of Jesus by His use of words.
Psalms 27:1 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Isaiah 60:19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
Daniel 2:22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
Luke 2:25-32 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
Jesus had previously called His followers “the light of the world” (Mat 5:14). We who are His followers are collectively the light of the world, but the illumination we give is derived solely from Jesus and is but a reflection of Him. He is the only source of light for the world and His followers have lit their candles by His flame.
Mat 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Light is not a natural human possession and can only come from Christ. It is not a thing which Jesus gives to us and we can now keep to ourselves and hold. Light is inseparable from its source. An object lesson: turn on a flashlight and attempt to capture the light which proceeds from it. The only was to possess that light is to possess its source. So it is with Jesus. To have the light which Jesus gives is to have Jesus Himself. We can have no light apart from a relationship with Jesus, the source of all light.
“of the world” = Does this mean that all men receive the light of Jesus? No, only “whoever follows me.” But, on the other hand, this light is not for any restricted group of people such as the Jews, but is available for the whole world.
“follows” = present tense = “keeps on following.” Morris states, “Jesus is speaking of whole-hearted discipleship, not of casual adherence.” (438)
“will have” = something which is gained in the future and kept thereafter. Jesus did not say, “shall briefly get.” This light will permanently transform the receiver.
“light of life” = the light does not just affect part of our lives, but the whole.
The Feast of Tabernacles was a celebration of remembrance for the time the Israelites had fled Egypt and wandered in the desert. The candelabra represented the pillar of fire that led them by night the entire time they wandered. The pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud were not just what led them, but were also the visible manifestation of the Presence of God to His people.
It seems that the pillar was both cloud and fire (Ex 14:24); the cloud enveloped and hid the fire by day and the fire brightly outshone the cloud by night. They both guided God’s people (Ex 13:21-22) and God’s Presence in the cloud would descend to the door of the tabernacle to speak to Moses (Ex 33:9-11).
Ex 14:24 During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.
Ex 13:21-22 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
Ex 33:9-11 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshipped, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
The leading of His people by the pillar of fire and cloud is a type of the revelation of God to his people today. God’s greatest revelation of Himself and His will is Jesus (John 14:9). The second greatest is His written Word (2 Tim 3:15-16). God also gives us individual revelation by making His word come alive to us (Rom 10:17) and through His Holy Spirit “speaking” to us (John 16:13).
John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
2 Timothy 3:15-16 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
The pillar was also a type of the guidance of God for His people, which is applicable to us today. God leads us in the decisions we make throughout our lives, just as He did the Israelites in the desert. Note that to be guided by the pillar, (1) His people had to be close enough to the pillar to see it so they could follow it. We must also be close enough to Jesus to hear what direction He wants us to go. (2) But they couldn’t get too close (Joshua 3:4). If we are following too closely, that means we think we already know which direction God is going to lead. We need to be patient enough to let Him lead. Be careful to not run before you are sent (Isaiah 40:31). (3) You have to keep your eyes on the pillar. If you get distracted by watching other things, you may lose sight of where He is leading. (Heb 12:2)
Joshua 3:4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
As mentioned, the pillar of cloud/fire was the visible manifestation of the Presence of God. His Presence came to dwell in the Temple, back in the Holy of Holies, between the wings of the cherubim above the mercy seat. The Jews called this the Shechinah glory of God. Shechinah means “resting place” or “dwelling place.” By the time of Jesus the glory had departed (“Ichabod” 1 Sam 4:21) and, in fact, there was absolutely nothing in the Holy of Holies except for last year’s dried blood on the floor in the approximate area of where the mercy seat should have been. However, God’s glory, His Shechinah Presence, was coming in another form of which the cloud and the fire were just a type. His Shechinah was manifested in His Son (Luke 2:9, John 1:14). His flesh is the cloud which covers and temporarily hides the (fire) Glory of God. Jesus is the light of the world because all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him (Col 2:9).
1 Samuel 4:21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.
Luke 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Col 2:9 For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
God fulfills both aspects of the pillars to us at the same time. When He reveals something to us, it is the tangible manifestation of His Presence. We KNOW He has been there and spoken to us, even though the world doesn’t. Why? Because without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)
At the time of the wilderness wandering, the pillar of fire was outside in the night sky for all to see. Now, the light of life has come to dwell within each and every person who has given their lives to Christ and accepted His free gift of salvation. He doesn’t just guide us by His light anymore, but now He fills us with His brightness.
It is interesting to note that the pillar of fire manifested itself in completely different ways to those who were God’s people and those who weren’t (Ex 14:20). Jesus, the light of the world, is either a stumbling block or a sure foundation. He is either the One who gives light or the One who blinds (John 9:39). How He appears to you and what He does for you depends completely upon you. Your choice determines whether He is your light of life or will be your judge who sends you to eternal death. The most important question you will ever need to answer is what have you done with Jesus?
Ex 14:20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other; so neither went near the other all night long.
John 9:39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”