John 1:4 NIV
[4] In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
John 10:10 NIV
[10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Nowadays there is a very serious debate going on about the concept of life. When does it begin? Is it okay to terminate a life if that life is either not viable or an inconvenience? When does it end? Can a life be terminated if it’s quality has decreased to the point where it seems to no longer be worth anything?
These discussions have at their heart the fundamental value of a human being, and the cruel and heartless idea that the lower the quality of life, the less someone deserves to be alive, because the value they can provide to society is diminished.
Quality of life, though, is highly subjective.
When I was a boy, before social media was even a thing, younger lads used to look up to their older peers, who could pass for eighteen years old, buy alcohol at an off licence, who knew where to score drugs and seemed to be having a great time sleeping around.
They seemed to have a high quality of life.
But when you spoke to them, their downbeat tones and expletive filled answers quickly led you to understand what they thought of the quality of their lives.
Nowadays, life is viewed through a filter. A camera filter, to be precise. It is a highly edited, highly editorialised, view of other people’s lives, purely designed to make us envious so we will subscribe to their content and purchase from their sponsors. The ‘high quality’ lives of influencers designed to influence us are one hundred percent artificial.
We only see the PR. We never see the reality.
Every one of us is searching for a good life. A quality life. A worthwhile life.
And Jesus came to bring it to us.
That might sound like a strange thing to say. I have to say that Christians are often the worst representatives of a good, full life.
But the Biblical reality is that Jesus said this:
John 10:10 NIV
[10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
And by ‘life to the full’, I don’t mean the ‘party hearty’, ‘strike a pose’, ‘throw yourself off a cliff top or out of a helicopter’ life.
No, I mean a meaningful life. A substantial life.
A life truly worth living.
But how does He do this?
John explains it here.
Firstly, we see the very concept of Life.
The Hebrew word for ‘life’ doesn’t just mean ‘alive’.
When I was a student, the grunge band Pearl Jam broke out of Seattle with their huge hit, the somewhat dirge-like ‘Alive’, where the singer Eddie Vedder recounts hearing from his mother that the man he thought was his father was actually his step-father, and his real father was dead.
He meant the song as a reflection on the pain he felt as a boy.
The lyrics reflect this pain:
‘Is something wrong?’ she said
Of course there is!
‘You’re still alive!’ she said
But do I deserve to be?
Is that the question?
And if so, who answers?
Who answers?
He meant it as a dirge. However, the crowds that came to hear them play took up the simple refrain of the song, ‘Oh, I’m still alive’ as an act of defiance against all the hurt and the pain they were facing. They found it inspiring.
Yet the life talked about here, and that Jesus offers us, is much, much more than that.
It is not the life of a victim or a survivor. It is not the life of a person affected by life. It the life of a person affecting life, changing life.
The Greek word for ‘life’ here, and in John 10:10, is ‘zoe’, which means a full, abundant, vigorous life.
A life truly worth living.
But there is a twist: a twist to which our modern world must pay attention.
John does not just say that Jesus came to bring us life, he also says in this verse that Jesus is the life.
Jesus Himself goes on to explain it in a later verse:
John 14:6 NIV
[6] Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
What this means is that Jesus is the archetype for life lived right. If we live like Jesus, we live life the way it was meant to be lived: meaningfully, purposefully, joyfully, and just plain fully.
But take a look at Jesus’ life and compare it to the lives of those who have an incredible, and at times unnecessary, influence on our lives.
He came to teach us how to live life right. Do they?
He came to live blamelessly among us. Do they?
He came to teach us to care about other people, especially those who are vulnerable. Do they?
He came to sacrifice Himself for our salvation. Do they?
So if you want to live life right, don’t follow the lifestyle bloggers and vloggers and influencers. They don’t know the whole truth. They don’t know everything.
No. Follow Jesus, because He is the life.
As well as the life, we also see that He is The Light.
You might recall that ‘light’ is the first word spoken in the universe. This word helped bring order to chaos and help dispel the disquieting darkness over the earth.
Light is a very important concept in Christianity, particularly in John’s writing. He uses it as a picture of honesty, integrity, clarity and lucidity – the willingness to accept who we are, what we have done, and what God has done about it:
1 John 1:5-10 NIV
[5] This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. [8] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Jesus is the light of the world, something John records Jesus as saying twice:
John 8:12 NIV
[12] When Jesus spoke again to the people, 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 9:4-5 NIV
[4] As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. [5] While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When doctors want to see what is going on in your digestive system, they may ask you to swallow a substance called barium, which shows up clearly on an x-ray and will enable them to see what is going on. This type of substance is called a ‘contrast substance’: it’s something that shows brightly on an x-ray and allows doctors to reach an accurate diagnosis.
What Jesus is talking about here is Himself as a light that acts as a contrast substance to show all the light and dark places in the world, enabling us to clearly see right from wrong and make good decisions.
But not everyone wants that.
John 3:19-21 NIV
[19] This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. [20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. [21] But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Those who have something to hide, or who want the ‘freedom’ to have something to hide, deplore the light and want it to be extinguished. They see no gain from having the light shone on their nefarious activities.
But those who have nothing to hide – or who want to have nothing to hide – come into the light so their deeds can be seen for what they are.
We also see that famous verse in Matthew, during the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
[14] “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
This light is clearly a reflected light. It is the reflected light of honesty, integrity, clarity and lucidity that we receive from Jesus. He wants us to live in the light with Him, so that others will see His glory and want to live in that same light too.
Because where there is light, there is hope. But where there is darkness, there is only fear and suspicion.
So we see that Jesus is the life and the light. But who benefits from this? Who are The Lit-Up?
The answer is blindingly simple:
People.
Ordinary, everyday people.
People who are not exceptional. People who are just like everyone else.
People who are sinners:
1 Timothy 1:15-16 NIV
[15] Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. [16] But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.
People who are lost.
Luke 19:10 NIV
[10] For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
People who live in darkness:
Matthew 4:16 NIV
[16] the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
In short: us. Every single human being.
Think about it for a second.
Let’s say you have a torch. You would not wander round a well-lit room with your torch on, would you? That would be pointless and a waste of both the battery and the bulb.
Torches are made for darkness.
In the same way, Jesus’ light is made to be shone in a dark world. Not everyone will accept it, but still, it must shine.
There was a time, a number of years ago, when we were travelling through London Heathrow airport to catch a flight. They had an automated gate that used facial recognition to ensure that you were the legitimate bearer of your boarding pass. My wife went ahead. She scanned her boarding pass, let the camera scan her face and passed through the gate without any problems.
My daughter and I tried to pass simultaneously through two different gates. We got stuck.
A quick glance at the screens showed us why. The computers in the gates had confused us. Her gate was expecting a balding, middle-aged man; mine was expecting a petite teenage girl.
There are many people who mistake Jesus for someone else. They expect Him to be someone He is not, to do things He did not come to do. In Jesus’ day, they expected their Messiah to overthrow the Romans. In our day, many people expect Him to make them rich, or at least comfortable.
That is not why He came. That was not His mission.
That is not who He is.
He came to bring us life in all it’s fullness, but that does not automatically mean a rich, comfortable life. Well-lived lives are not always easy.
He came as the light, to bring us joy and hope, but also honesty, integrity, clarity and lucidity. He did not come to pander to our lies or to help us cover up our sin. He came as the truth, not to redefine truth to suit us. Coming into that light is not always easy or comfortable. Often it is a disturbing experience to see ourselves as we are.
But when we receive Him, accept Him as our Saviour, hear His voice and follow Him, that is when real life begins.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and I often fall short of Your glory. Coming into Your light is sometimes painful, but I know that is where real life begins. Help me to follow You there. Amen.
Questions
1. In what ways is Jesus the life? Why is this important?
2. What does it mean for Jesus to be the light? Why is this sometimes hard for us?
3. Why is real life lived in Jesus’ light? What difference does it make? Are you living in this light?
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