Follow Jesus
“Again Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
One of the scariest things I have ever experienced was touring an abandoned mineshaft in New Mexico while on a Boy Scout trip. As our guide led us further into the mountain, we left the blazing 105 degree heat of the desert and entered into a 52 degree cold, dark cave. After several minutes of walking, we finally reached the back of the cave and as soon as we all gathered, the guide turned off all of the lights! It was so dark that you could hold your hand up in front of your face and still not be able to see it. The guide then began to tell us about miners who had to work in total darkness when their lamps went out. Then, he told us that we were standing on a platform that covered a shaft that went 200 feet straight down!! After a few minutes, they turned the lights back on and suddenly everything made sense again. We were able to find our bearings and were so thankful for the light that had shone into the darkness of the cave.
In this passage, Jesus refers to Himself as “the light of the world” who shines the light of God’s love into the dark places of the world. CS Lewis has a great quote that reads, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
There is an important phrase in this verse that needs to be highlighted and that phrase is, “Whoever follows me…” This phrase is important because it tells us that Jesus walks into the darkness AHEAD of his children. He shines His light into the darkness and because of Him we can see everything else more clearly. The simple call is to follow Jesus.