Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Monday of the 5th Week of Lent, Cycle C - March 14, 2016


Monday of the 5th Week of Lent
March 14, 2016    6:30am

 

The context of today’s gospel is that Jesus is in Jerusalem.
Apparently it is the Feast of Tabernacles.
That feast remembered God’s care for the Israelites when they were in the wilderness after leaving Egypt.
The Feast was connected with a passage from the prophet Zechariah who foretold that “there will be one continuous day... for in the evening there will be light.”
The prophecy of light even in the evening or darkness was a way of expressing God’s care for his people until the end of times.
Because of this prophecy, on the Feast of Tabernacles they would light many oil lamps in the temple.
This symbolically made the temple a source of light for all people.

So Jesus is in Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles.
He is aware of the lights or lamps in the temple and their symbolism.
And he says: “I am the light of the world.” 
He is saying that he replaces the light of the temple.
In fact, he replaces the temple itself.
He is “the light of the world.”
He is now God’s presence in the world.

Jesus then says, “Those who follow me will have the light of life.”
This expression – “the light of life” – can mean two things.
It can mean the light that comes from the source of life.
Or it can mean the light that gives life.
In this passage it seems to mean both.
Jesus is the light that comes from the source of life – the light that comes from God himself.
And Jesus is the light that gives life.
A flower cannot blossom without sunlight.
The sunlight gives life to the flower.
In the same, we cannot flower without the light that comes from Jesus.
He, the light, gives us life.

So, there is rich background and meaning to these beautiful verses this morning.