Imagine turning on the light in a dark room. You flip the switch, the darkness vanishes, and light fills the room.
There’s no argument, no debate, not even time to think about what might happen. Suddenly the photons of light fill the room at the speed of 186,000 miles per second and the darkness vanishes.
Light carries an intrinsic authority over darkness. So, when Jesus says, “I am the light of the world,” He means He came to dispel the darkness in the world and the darkness in our lives.
That’s what happened at the synagogue in Capernaum.
The scribes and teachers of the law would stand up and say, “Well, Rabbi Hillel said this, and Rabbi Shammai said that, and according to an ancient commentary volume four, line six...”
They were constantly quoting higher authorities to give their words weight. They were echoing truth, but they didn't create it nor did they own it.
When Jesus walked into the synagogue at Capernaum on that Sabbath morning, the people experienced a spiritual “light” they’d never seen before.
“They were amazed at this teaching, because his words had authority.”
— Mark 1: 22, Luke 4: 32
Without quoting any famous rabbi or commentary, Jesus spoke the Word, because He is the Word. But there are actually three Words of God. Jesus is the living Word because he is God.
The Bible is the written Word because it contains the Words of God, and if you and I read or hear and live by the Word of God, there is a sense in which we’ll become a practical expression of the Word of God for the people who live with and around us.
Then, suddenly, without any warning, a demon-possessed man shouted, and Jesus simply tells him to, “Be quiet.”
Now remember, Jesus is the light of the world with power over the darkness in the world. And the people said: “What is this word? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
— Luke 4: 36
So, right now, today, we can, if we want, allow the Word of God to fill our lives with light, dispel the darkness, and transform our lives into a practical expression of the Word of God.
Amen and amen!
Charles “Buddy” Whatley is a retired United Methodist pastor serving Dawson Street Methodist Church in Thomasville, Ga. With wife, Mary Ella, they are missionaries to the Navajo Reservation.
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