Light that we can't live without

Who do you think you are? - a series by Paul Holifield looking at Jesus in his own words

‘IF it weren't for electricity, we'd all be watching television by candlelight,' observed American comedian George Gobel.

Joking apart, it is difficult to imagine life without electricity. We rely on it so much in our daily lives that we don't even think about it. We flick on a switch and there it is - available, all day and night.

When the electricity supply temporarily fails, it seems as though the world is about to end. Transport grinds to a halt, sources of entertainment vanish and work stops as equipment fails. How did people ever live without it?

It is thanks to men such as Thomas Edison that electricity is easily available to so many people in the Western world. He created the first safe and economic system for distributing it when he established the first public power station.

One of Edison's reasons for wanting to make electricity widely available was to encourage people to use one of his inventions - the incandescent light bulb. For that one invention the American deserves the lion's share of the credit for lighting up the world.

However, it was Jesus who claimed to be ‘the light of the world'. But what did he mean? Why would Jesus claim such a thing?

Jesus made his an­nouncement during the Feast of Tabernacles. In this Jewish festival a ceremony took place in which several large candles were lit in the Temple precinct.

As the people were enjoying the light from the candles, Jesus took the opportunity to use this act to illustrate his teaching.

What he said must have been a shock for his listeners. He said: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life' (John 8:12 New International Version).

We live in a dark, decaying and dying world. Countries go to war. Families fall out. Individuals hurt each other. But God does not want us to resign ourselves to a dark future. In Jesus he has given us an answer to the darkness. If we turn our attention to him, he will shed a whole new light on our lives.

Those who do put their trust in him wonder: How did we ever live without him!

War Cry 16 January 2010 - TSA UK