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.
