JESUS THE LIGHT

“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 8:12 NKJV).

There are some wonderful truths about the Lord Jesus in this verse. Our focus, however, is on the truth found in the phrase, “I am the light of the world.” Among the truths taught in this statement are that the Lord Jesus is God, the Lord Jesus is Messiah, and the Lord Jesus is Savior.

The Lord Jesus is God - The two words “I AM” are very important as they are related to the great “I AM” revelation of Yahweh that was given to Moses in the “back of the desert.” “I AM” is the abbreviation of the name “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14) which is the chief name of God given to Israel in the Old Testament. It is known as the Tetragrammaton. Therefore, the “I AM” in our verse speaks of the Deity of the Lord Jesus. Throughout the New Testament, these two words are associated with Lord Jesus and gives us a testimony of His Deity of Christ.

The Lord Jesus is Messiah - “Light” is a symbol of the Messiah and declares the Lord Jesus’ office of Messiah. In his prophecy regarding the coming Messiah, Isaiah declared, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isa. 9:2). When the Lord Jesus came to earth the first time, He brought this light (cf. Matt. 4:13-16). But the people rejected the Light. When the Lord Jesus comes again to earth, the people will not reject the Light; and He will rule from Jerusalem and bring light to the world.

The Lord Jesus is Savior - “Light” also says the Lord Jesus is the Savior. The prophet Malachi said, “But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Mal. 4:2). And regarding the New Jerusalem, the apostle John states, “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” (Rev. 21:23) The “Lamb” here is “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Savior.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Christ is the true light of the world; it is through Him alone that true wisdom is imparted to the mind!”

Jonathan Edwards (1703 - 1758)

American Revivalist Preacher, Philosopher, and Theologian

Word Study

Falsely called

In 1 Tim. 6:20 we read, “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge” (NKJV).

“Falsely called” is the Greek word pseudṓnymos (ψευδώνυμος = psyoo-do'-noo-mos). It is made up of two words: “pseudes” which means lying, false, and “onoma” which means a name. Literally, the word means falsely called or falsely named (or designated). The idea is under a false name. Although the expression occurs in classical writings, it does not appear in the Septuagint. Further, the word pseudṓnymos only occurs here in the New Testament and is included in a caution from the apostle Paul to his young protégé Timothy about the false teachers in his midst (1 Tim. 1:3,7; cf. 4:1-3; 6:3). Those opposing Timothy supposedly had “knowledge;” however, the apostle Paul said it was “falsely called” knowledge.

Did You Know…

According to Mark 1:21 and John 6:59, the Lord Jesus preached at the Synagogue in Capernaum whose ruins were rediscovered and identified in 1838, near the Sea of Galilee. The discovery sheds light on the ministry of the Lord Jesus.

Bible Quiz

After speaking with his donkey God opened the eyes of Balaam. What did he see?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What type of animal was sacrificed at the Temple as part of the purification rite of Mary? “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:24).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

The God of Shem will be the Son of Shem (Gen. 9:26-27; cf. Luke 3:23-36)

"And he said: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant” (Gen. 9:26-27 NJKV).

In context, Shem was Noah’s second-born son (cf. Gen. 9:24; 10:21), but wherever the three sons are listed, Shem’s name is first (cf. Gen. 5:32; 6:10; 9:18; 10:1; 1 Chron. 1:4). According to our verses, Noah clearly associates Shem with Jehovah and says He is the God of Shem, the implication being that Shem had an intimate, personal relationship with the LORD. With regard to the fulfillment, in Luke 3:23-36, we read, “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli… the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech…” This is an amazing prophecy – the God of Shem being the Son of Shem.

Did You Know – Christian History

Schmalkald League Protected Lutherans - When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg, the Christian world was irrevocably changed. The Roman Church and its champion, Emperor Charles V, did not recognize this fact at first. Backed by the pope, Charles V met the Lutherans at Augsburg, demanding they return to the Roman Church. The Lutherans held their own in debate and presented him with the Augsburg Confession, a document which state their fundamental statement of faith.

Charles V was determined to reunify his empire by eradicating Lutheranism from Germany. On November 19th, 1530, he issued a decree demanding that the Protestant princes return to the Roman fold. He gave them until April 15th to submit, or face war.

Recognizing their danger, leaders of several German Protestant states met in the little town of Schmalkalden, in Saxony, Germany two days before Christmas. Stating their grievances, they agreed on December 31, 1530, to form a League to resist the Roman Emperor if he tried to compel them to abandon the Reformation. The leaders immediately wrote to other nations, asking them to join the league or at least offer it their assistance. They received favorable answers. A treaty was formally signed on February 27, 1531.

Emperor Charles suddenly found himself in a vulnerable position. Not only had the Schmalkaldic League arisen to resist his armies, but the Turks were again threatening Europe from the East. France, too, was stirring against him. Thanks to these external threats, the emperor found it necessary to accommodate the German princes. He granted them free exercise of their religion until a church council or national diet could decide religious issues. This uneasy truce kept Charles from attacking the Lutherans for sixteen years. But in 1546 things changed: disagreements among the Schmalkald leaders, the treachery of Prince Maurice, and the Protestants’ military incompetence gave the emperor as complete a victory as he could have hoped for. He imposed an “interim” creed upon Germany, one which made only a few small concessions to the Lutherans.

But as bad as the situation was for the Protestants, it did not last long. Alarmed at the emperor’s successes, other powers rose against him. Rome fumed that the emperor had no right to draft a creed; in their opinion, that was the prerogative of the church. In 1552, Prince Maurice, fighting again on behalf of the Protestants, won significant victories and compelled Charles to sign the treaty of Passau which restored Protestant rights. Although short-lived and seemingly unsuccessful though the Schmalkaldic League was, it served its purpose. To Protestants it seemed God’s Providence had upheld their cause.

A Little Humor

A man goes to confession and says to the priest, “Forgive me Father, but I’ve become a thief. It’s compulsive, I just can’t help myself.” The priest tells him to pray to God for forgiveness and to be cured and adds, “If you’re not cured in a week, come back to see me again and bring me a new television.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“No day is dark when the Son is present!”