Monday Morning Devotion - Light of the World
This is week TWO in our seven-part devotion series, brought to you by Pastor Ricky Jacob, our Lutheran Indian Ministries Associate Pastor serving the Winnebago people of Nebraska.
When Moses spoke to God, he asked for God’s name. And God replied, “I am that which I am.”
This seven-part devotion series will reflect on Jesus’ “I am” statements in the Gospel.
Skip to a specific week:
Bread of Life
Light of the World
Door of the Sheep
Good Shepherd
Resurrection and Light
Way, Truth, & Life
The Vine
This week's "I am" statement is: I am the Light of the World
Can you imagine a world without light?
Maybe you’ve travelled to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky to take one of the tours there, or it could have been any other cave for that matter. Invariably, the guide gets you to some place, along the way, and the lights go out. Suddenly, you are surrounded by total, pitch black, darkness.
You might be tempted to scream, or yell, “Turn the lights back on!” Or maybe you feel most comfortable being in the dark.
Some people prefer the dark since their deeds are evil. They do not want their wicked actions exposed to the light of day. Darkness, in this way, is equated with sin, wickedness, and, ultimately, death. This brings us to a question posed by Jesus’ disciples; it is a question from those who think bad things happen only because of a past offense, or who think, “What goes around, comes around.” Sometimes this is the case, but not always.
Our Bible story for today has a different reason as to why, sometimes, bad things can happen:
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:1-5)
In Jesus, the Son of God, there is no darkness, no evil. The man, born blind, through no fault of his own or his parents, was miraculously healed so that the Light of God, revealed in Christ Jesus, can be manifest.
Jesus shines His light for the world, for you who dwell in darkness, so that you, by grace, through faith, can see Him as He truly is, your loving Savior.
I close with these words:
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)