Day 16: Jesus Is the Light of the World

Day 16: Jesus is the Light of the World

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, shine the Light of Jesus into our hearts. Illumine our darkness, both in our hearts and on our way. Like the rising sun, dawn gently in us till the full light of day takes over every part. As Psalm 19 says about the sun, may Your increasing light in us be like a strong man running Your race within us. To the glory of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Primary Scriptures:

John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.”

John 9:5: As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

This is the second of seven "I AM" statements Jesus made in the Gospel of John. Through each one of the "I AM" declarations, Jesus offers Himself as the answer to our deepest needs. By calling Himself the Bread of Life, He reveals that He is the One, the only One, who can satisfy our spiritual hunger. In using the name "The Light of the World," He makes it abundantly clear that He is the only One who can dispel our spiritual darkness.

Light is a common theme throughout the Bible. When the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep (Genesis 1:2), light was the first of all things that The Word of God spoke into existence. "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). That Word was Jesus and that Light was Jesus (John 1:1-5). This creative word was an extension and visual reproduction of who God Himself is. This historic, physical event has its metaphoric, spiritual counterpart. The same God who commanded light to shine out of darkness made His light to shine in our hearts to give us “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (II Corinthians 4:6). The only way for the dark, formless void within our hearts to be transformed is for God to speak into us the light of Christ. It is fully and completely a miraculous work of God in the inner spiritual world, as was the original creation of the outer physical world. God must speak His regenerative, creative, light-generating Word into our hearts.

Light is the beginning of the creative acts of God, both in the physical and in the spiritual. This is the starting point of life. All the rest of creation is dependent on light. Light enables life. This understanding of the physical world helps us understand why John said, "In Him was life and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). Without the Light of Christ within our spirit, there can be no life. The Light of Christ generates Life within.

The Light of Christ within us then begins to transform our inner landscape. Have you ever gotten up in the dark of night and watched the landscape ever-so-gradually change from deep darkness to hazy gray? At that point everything is still black and white, not enough light for color. Almost imperceptibly as you continue to watch, the sky brightens as the sun edges its way toward the horizon, sending out its first morning beams of light. Once fuzzy, indistinct objects come into sharp focus; colors begin to emerge, soft at first, then bold and vivid, in myriad array. The sun rises to command the day, marching higher and higher to the full light of noonday (Psalm 19:4a-6).

What a gloriously accurate physical picture of the inner world of our Spirit when the Light of Christ is within us! Light has come, but at first our understanding of God and His ways and our inner convictions are so indistinct, so fuzzy. But Christ, the Morning Star (that is, the sun), the Light of the World, continues to "rise in our hearts" (II Peter 1:19) until He fully commands the day within us. As this spiritual dawn occurs, our lives do not become duller and more tepid, as the enemy would have us believe. Far from it! On the contrary, life becomes more vivid, more distinct, more colorful and exciting. Let us be done with a dull, lifeless view of Christianity! The Light of Christ rising within enables us to see more clearly; it gives us surer understanding of a worldview that is true and accurate.

Jesus made His first declaration that He was the Light of the World the day after the Feast of Tabernacles. This feast above all the others had significance for the world not just for Israel. From the first day of the feast to the last, the priests were to sacrifice seventy bulls in all. Bulls were the offering used for the head of the nation, for the leaders. At that time there were seventy nations on earth, one bull for each of the world's nations. Israel had been called by God to be the priest or mediator for the nations, to proclaim the light of God's truth to the world.

Each day of the feast the people would parade around the altar in the outer court of the temple waving a bundle of the three distinct kinds of branches mentioned in Leviticus 23:40 along with the fruit from a citron tree. Directing them toward each of the four points of the compass, they would pray for the rule of God over the whole earth. The prophets foretold of the future reign of the Messiah when the nations of the earth would be required to come worship the Lord during the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-17).

Before the feast began, four tall candelabra were built and set up facing the four points of the compass, radiating light toward the north, south, east, and west. Men climbed ladders to reach the tops of these lamps and kept them burning throughout the eight days of the feast. As the temple was on the top of the hill in Jerusalem, these lights illuminated the city and could be seen from a great distance. The people, coming from the four corners of the earth up the hill to the temple mount also carried torches and lamps. Altogether it was a brilliant display of light and a poignant picture of their God-ordained role in world affairs: Israel was to shed the light of God in a dark world for all to see.

Keep in mind that this festival had worldwide symbolism throughout the eight days. At the end of the eight days, the blazing lights were extinguished and taken down. We might think of it like the day after all the Christmas lights and decorations are taken down and packed away, and the house and even the city in which we live returns to dull normal with no bright, colorful illuminating lights. That very next day, with the huge lamps now gone, Jesus takes the opportunity to go once again to the temple court and proclaim Himself to be the Light of the World. The brilliance of those special festival lights were extinguished, but they were only symbolic of the true Light that was to come into the world: Here He is.

Most interestingly, these four bright menorahs were set up in the court of the women. Jesus disclosed the revelation that He was the Light of the World in the court of the women. Every Sabbath the evening meal began with the mothers lighting the candles, for God had promised that the redemption of the world would come through the woman (Genesis 3:15). Every Jewish holiday began in this way. How significant that the festive lights for the week-long holiday in which mediation was made for the nations of the world were set up in the court of the women!

This announcement, "I am the light of the world," came right after Jesus had rescued a woman caught in adultery. The religious leaders, who cared nothing for the woman and even less for justice and righteousness, were simply using her and the situation to try to trip Jesus up and thereby find an occasion to accuse Him that they might have an excuse to put Him to death. With one simple statement Jesus exposed and cut through their hypocrisy: "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." After her accusers had all left, Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more" (John 8:1-12). What an interesting scenario! Jesus was the only One without sin, the only One who could have justly condemned her, yet He extends mercy. Then He tells the gathered crowd, "I am the Light of the World. Follow Me and you won't walk in darkness." Follow Him into the Light of mercy rather than the darkness of condemnation and a critical, judgmental, hypocritical spirit—for a critical, judgmental spirit can never be anything other than hypocritical, as none of us is without sin. Follow Him into the Light of grace that redeems sinful humanity and enables them to "sin no more."

He is calling us to a whole different way of thinking and relating. It's the way of Light. Follow. It will lead you out of the darkness of unforgiveness, bitterness, revenge, anger, hatred . . . and so many other dark, hypocritical places that lurk in our souls. We can't go there without Him, without His Light.

In referring to Himself as the Light of the World, Jesus uses the metaphor of light in another way as well. Shortly before His coming crucifixion, He tells the people that the Light would be with them only a little while longer and that they should "walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  Here Jesus puts His finger on another basic need we all have. Light is needed to enable us to see where we're going. We need guidance. This world is a dark place and all the ideologies and philosophies floating around are like thick clouds masking even the little light of truth that might filter through. The fog is so thick, we can't find our way. Jesus steps into our lives and confidently says, "Follow Me. I am the Light of the World. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." He lights our way. He clears the fog. At times we may not be able to see more than a step or two ahead, but if we follow close behind Him, His light will illumine our path. As Psalm 119 says, “[His] Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). Jesus is that Word.

The Bible uses the contrast of light and darkness quite often throughout both Old and New Testament. Sinful or wicked deeds are likened to darkness; and good, loving deeds, deeds that lift oppression and extend compassion, are synonymous with light. Any injustice is an activity of darkness, whereas the dispensing of justice is reflective of the shedding of light. All foolishness—every foolish idea, philosophy, worldview, and foolish decision—characterizes darkness; for every foolish thought and deed is based on a lie, and the father of lies is the archenemy of God. All thoughts and deeds based on wisdom display trust in what God has revealed and are attributes of light.

“God is Light,” John wrote in his first letter, and in Him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). Each attribute of God radiates Light; they have no darkness in them, nothing to mar or diminish the glittering perfection of His character. By comparing each individual quality of God to light, the sum total of God's attributes constitutes a Light so brilliant, so glorious as to be blinding and unapproachable (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:2-3, I Timothy 6:13-16). The sun in our noonday sky, as brilliant and blinding as it is, is a mere shadow of the reality found in Christ, the Light of the World.

When Christ revealed His true glory to three of His disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew tells us that His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). When John was given The Revelation and saw the risen, exalted, glorified Christ, he describes His countenance as "the sun shining in its strength" (Revelation 1:16). We begin to understand then why John would fall at His feet as though dead (Revelation 1:17).

This metaphor of light versus darkness gives us an inkling of who we are versus who God is. Scripture is clear that we are full of darkness; our hearts are sin saturated, far beyond our ability to even comprehend (Jeremiah 17:9). Have you ever been far enough away from city lights on a cloudy, moonless night in a darkness so complete that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face? Every shuffling step is scary and treacherous. Nothing takes shape before your eyes; you are wrapped in a great void, yet you know you are not in a void. Let that picture of darkness sink into your soul. That is the truest picture of our spiritual condition, of who we really are. You don't like that picture? You think there is some ray of light within you? At least a few twinkling stars? Then you have not yet come to terms with the truth of what God sees and with what He has revealed in His holy Word. Who, indeed, can fully comprehend the completeness of the darkness within our own souls? As Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Even the idea that we have some ray of light within ourselves is itself the specter of that darkness. It reveals how thoroughly we have absorbed the Lie. Did mankind ever have light within himself? Even before the Fall? No! He received his light from the Creator of Light. In His light we see light, the psalmist says (Psalm 36:9). Like the moon, we are merely reflectors of His glory. Without the sun the moon would be but a dark, sightless mass. But with face sunward, though it is but a dim reflection of the radiant, blazing glory of the sun, it is, nevertheless beautiful.

Contrastingly, God is wholly Light, "in Him there is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). Could there be a greater discrepancy? Oh, how great is our need for Him! Jesus is that Light, sent from God to dispel our darkness, to meet the magnitude of our need (John 1:5, 9). As we walk in His light, our darkness begins to dissipate. We begin to see things as they really are. In fact, it is only in the light of the sun that shadows are cast. The Light of God reveals the Truth—about ourselves, first of all. Like a toddler we begin to walk in the Truth. As the sun rises, the shadows shorten. We learn dependence on Him, they way He designed for us to live, rather than trusting our own ideas and resources. We practice the Truth. Our old way of darkness is a lie; His ways of Truth are Light (I John 1:6, 8; Romans 1:25). With face turned toward the sun, the shadows are behind us, and we press forward, reaching upward for all God has for in Christ till we stand in the full light of day, all shadows gone.

God's Light is wonder enough, but there is an even greater wonder. In His Light we not only see light but we also become light. He imparts His Light to us that we might become as He is! Jesus not only said that He is the Light of the World, but He also said that we who believe in Him are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). God never clutches onto anything as we do, but He longs to impart to us all that He is, to make us like Himself. This is why the Lie in the Garden, so subtly set forth in the questions of the temptation to Eve, was so diabolical. Satan made her think God was withholding something from her, that she was not created in God’s image; but if she would trust Satan’s lie that she would not die, he could give her more and make her like God. The temptation was a complete reversal of the truth of God’s character.

When I first wrote this, the past few nights had been crisp and clear with a full moon, before beginning to wane. One night I was heading to bed quite late and realized how bright out it was. I went to the front bedrooms to look out the broad picture windows. I couldn't see the moon at first, so I followed the direction of the shadows of the trees on the snow. Leaning down to look way up beyond the eaves of the house, I saw the moon high in the sky. Silent. Still. Peaceful—like we sing in our lovely Christmas carols. Its beams caught the crystals in the snow, setting them sparkling like thousands of clear-white glimmering diamonds. Lovely. Its brilliance even awakened me in the night as it made its way across the sky to shine full into the window above my bed. In the darkness of this sin-cursed earth, that is what His Light works within us. And, imperfect as we are, He uses us to shed a soft, gentle light to a needy, hurting world.

As we continue to learn of Him, to walk in His ways, our sins are cleansed; we start to see each other differently and treat each other differently. People are no longer objects we stumble over in our darkness, hindrances that block our way. We have fellowship with one another (I John 1:7). We come out of darkness...

...into the light of Love.

Imagine groping your way blindly through the oppressive darkness of an underground cavern with no headlamp, no flashlight, not even a match to guide you. Then suddenly you spy a beam of light ahead. You stumble onward toward the light and emerge into the dazzling brightness of a snowscape at midday, from pitch blackness to brilliance that hurts the eyes. This is the Love of God.

Love is the main point. Little wonder that John equates the Love of God with the Light of God (I John 2:9-11). Love is the sparkling jewel at the center of Unapproachable Light that refracts the rays into a myriad of life-enhancing colors. Love is what saves our souls from darkness. God is Love. And this is how we know what Love truly is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us (I John 4:7-11). He bridged the gap between our darkness and His Light. Grace is a facet of the jewel of Love that only the curse of sin could show us. His is a Love that moves toward those who hurt Him and hate Him and revile Him. His Love lays down His life, not just for His friends but even for His enemies (Romans 5:8), which each of us is in our sin. His is a Love so foreign, so incomprehensible that it will take an eternity to wrap our minds around it (Ephesians 2:7).

It is also no wonder that several times in the Old Testament, particularly in Isaiah, light is used as a prophetic metaphor of the coming Messiah, this One who would lay down His life for the world. The Love of God, the Grace of God, the Justice of God, the Truth of God radiated from Him. "Those sitting in darkness have seen a great Light!" (Isaiah 9:2). He has been given as Light to the Gentiles, to bring out those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:6-7), that He should bring salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). Isaiah, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes most eloquently: "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising" (Isaiah 60:1-3). The Light of God dawned when Jesus stepped out of heaven onto this planet.

Oh, may the glory of Christ rise over us, be upon us and within us. This marvelous radiance of Love is the great work of Light He has spoken in our hearts. He is the Light of Life. Let us not fool ourselves into thinking that we can have His Light apart from His Love. Oh, no! Anything apart from love is darkness. To love is to walk in the Light (I John 2:9-11). "He who does not love does not know God, for God IS Love" (I John 4:8). His Truth, His Justice never come apart from His Love. They are inseparable. This is why Jesus could say to His disciples on the night before He died, "This is how men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). "Beloved, If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (I John 4:11).

I woke up early one morning to go downstairs to write. Three weeks or more had slid by, and the western Washington rains had long since washed all our snow away. As I got out of bed, I glanced out the darkened window and saw again shimmering whiteness blanketing the pasture, covering the porch roof, and gracing every sweeping bough of the evergreen just beyond the house. It had snowed in the night and was still gently, silently falling, the drifting flakes catching the light of the one street lamp illuminating our long driveway. Light and snow, the two metaphors used in the Bible for the appearance of Jesus at His transfiguration. Mark describes Jesus in this way: "His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them" (Mark 9:3).

Shortly after I sat down at my desk, the lights blinked once, twice, three times, and then all was darkness. Pitch black. No light even for the snow to reflect off of. I groped for a flashlight then found some candles. Their light cast a glow on every surrounding object, setting the shadows dancing. The flickering flames distracted me; their movements never stop. I did not gaze at the charred, blackened, ugly wicks but at the living flames. They are enchanting, mesmerizing. So Christ has come—to set aflame with living wonder the charred ruins of our lives.

I sat there for nearly two hours, typing away, gazing at candle flames, amazed at the wonder of Christ, unaware of the morning sun's gradual ascent. Then I lifted my eyes. The morning light, still pale gray, was enough to catch my breath away. Every bare, black limb was heavy laden with white wonder. And my eyes blurred with gratitude and joy. Oh, the glory, the wonder of Christ!

A small infant wrapped in simple homespun cloth and laid in a feeding trough for sheep: This is the illumination of God, the power source of true Life. Ponder Him. When we consider the vast distance of His condescension in order to reach us, then no amount of humbling we may need to do before one another is too low. As the light of God's love in the face and deeds of Jesus dawns upon us, no task of service to "the least of these" or even to one who has been your greatest offender is too troublesome. Follow Him into the Light.

Family Worship:

Discuss how we use these different kinds of light and why: the sun, a lamp, a flashlight, a candle. In what ways is Christ like all four of these? Which one of the four is the light of the world? What does this tell you about how bright Christ Jesus is? Which one of the four is needed for life on earth? Talk about the ways the sun enables life to exist: it enables plants to grow, the seas to teem with life, etc. Discuss also the darkness of our own hearts and our need for Christ, the Light of the World to shine within us.

Pray around your family circle, asking Christ to shine more brightly in you and in your relationships with one another. Pray for His Truth and His Grace to penetrate every aspect of your hearts and home.

Jesus Christ: the Light of the World, the Light of Life.

Other Related Scriptures:

Genesis 1:3-4: Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

Exodus 13:21: And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.

Exodus 14:19-20: And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Job 12:22: He [the Lord] uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light.

Psalm 4:6: There are many who say, "Who will show us any good?" Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

Psalm 18:28: For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

Psalm 27:1: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 36:8-9: They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

Psalm 89:15: Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.

Psalm 97:11: Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

Psalm 104:1-2: Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

Psalm 119:130: The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Proverbs 4:18: But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

Isaiah 2:5: O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 42:6-7, 16: "I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep you and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. . . . I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them."

Isaiah 49:5-6: And now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and My God shall be My strength), indeed He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 60:1-3, 19-20: Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.  

Daniel 2:20-22: Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.

Micah 7:8-9: Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.

Habakkuk 3:3-4: God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, and there His power was hidden.

Zechariah 14:7: It shall be one day which is known to the Lord—neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light.

Matthew 4:13-16: And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned." (quoted from Isaiah 9:1-2)

Matthew 5:14-16: You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 17:1-2: Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Mark 9:2-3: Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

Luke 1:76-79: "And you, child [John], will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Luke 2:27-32: So he [Simeon] came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."

John 1:4-9: In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of the Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

John 3:19-21: "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

John 9:5: "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

John 12:35-36: Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

Acts 9:3-5: As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

Acts 26:13-15: "At midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'"

Acts 26:17-18, 22-23: "'I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' . . . Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

I Corinthians 4:5: Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God.

II Corinthians 4:6-7: For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Ephesians 5:8-14: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

I Thessalonians 5:5: You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

I Timothy 6:11-16: But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

II Timothy 1:8-10: Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

James 1:17-18: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

I Peter 2:9-10: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

II Peter 1:19: And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

I John 1:5-7: This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

I John 2:8-11: Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Revelation 1:12-17: Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.

Revelation 21:23-25: The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).