John 8:12   
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
Jesus spoke these words during the festival of tabernacles, which was a seven-day holiday at the end of the harvest. It was one of three pilgrimage festivals, so Jerusalem would have been heaving with people. On the first evening of the festival there was a ceremony called ‘the illumination of the temple’ which took place in the court of the women. Four great candelabra were placed in the centre of the court and, when darkness came, they were lit. It is said that the light from them was so great that every courtyard in the city was illuminated by their brilliance. It must have been quite a sight! This was a powerful backdrop to Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world. In the Old Testament, time and again God is identified as being light; there is no doubt that in this bold statement Jesus was claiming to be the Son of God.
The great candelabra were no doubt impressive, but however amazing a candle might be, there comes a time when it runs out. Jesus offers himself as the light that will never go out. Whatever difficulties and challenges we face he will continue to shine his light. All that is needed is for us to follow him and ensure that we keep our eyes fixed upon him because, the truth is, the darkness is never far away. At any moment if we head out into the dark we are likely to stumble and fall.
I have had very little experience of darkness in this country, but when I lived in a small village in India I often experienced deep darkness. Throughout the year it got dark at about 6 o’clock in the evening. The Indian family with whom I lived rarely ventured out after dark; they knew that it was too dangerous. However, from time to time, I needed to go out. I well remember running across our compound fearful of the snakes and huge country rats that were lurking all around. It was very scary. It was all so very different in the daylight when I could walk around with confidence. And that’s exactly what Jesus offers to us. We don’t need to fear the darkness when we allow his light to shine in our lives.
Question: In what specific ways are you conscious of the need for Jesus’ light in your life?
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, light of the world, help me to follow you more and more closely each day. Amen  

Released on 24 Jul 2022