The Light of the World

Revelation and Experience of the Creator God and Covenant God of Moses’ Ancestors, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for the first time speaking his name to a human as, “I AM” - Sign of Burning Bush word picture of self-sustaining,

Illumination of Moses Identity & Vocation - Man who had a messy identity to put it kindly - born of enslaved Israelites, raised as Egyptian royalty, killed an Egyptian in Defense of Israelite, but was scorned by the Israelites, so he fled into the desert, met and married Zipporah and joined the nomadic tribe of her Father Jethro. Slave to Prince to Shepherd. Goes from aimlessly wandering shepherd of sheep to resolved sent shepherd of Israel - “bring people out of Egypt to this mountain” where they too will have an experience of me and a new identity - from slaves to a kingdom of priests.

But it all began, curiously, with a pair of shoes left in the sand...

C2: I Am Series

I’m not sure there’s any of us here who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity for a Burning Bush.

Statement directly from God about who is and what he’s like and a Statement directly from God about our own identity and vocation, “Who am I? What am I meant to be doing with my life?

As a pastor these are the majority of questions I encounter, “Who is God? What’s he like? Who am I? What am I meant to be doing with my life?

Some sign, burning bush or otherwise, drive the point home and serve as a historical anchor point of that Holy Ground Statement.

And this is what John’s Gospel presents us with, not just once but seven times over.

Seven Signs of John’s Gospel as Seven Burning Bushes that are Paired with Seven “I Am” Statements - Bread of Life, Light of the World, Way, Truth, Life, Resurrection and the Life.

Series - I AM - Burning Bush moments, Holy Ground series.

Jesus identifies himself as the embodiment as the God of the Burning Bush, of Israel - phrases that unpack his identity

In each of them, John records them to serve as an illumination of our identity and vocation, by the end of the book, the reader like Moses would have gone from wilderness wander to Determined Disciple

C3: Prayer & Passage

Turn in your Bible’s to John 9 join me in standing if you would.

Pray / Read

M2: The Light

C1: Light in Religious / Spiritual Imagery

It’s hard to think of a more universal and fundamental symbol to the human experience and spirituality than Light.

We speak of illumination and enlightenment as divine guidance, ultimate reality, awareness to goodness, related morality or purity.

It’s fused with the Sun as a symbol of cosmic, life-giving energy, creative force, and that which casts out Darkness - whether that’s evil forces, behavior, thoughts or darkness of ignorance of foolishness.

Light: Love, Peace, Life / Darkness: Hate, Chaos, Death - Talk of a shining example, beacon of peace and murky character, dark side

Entry point into whatever comes after death, “going into the light” / Temple with candles / Inner Light / Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

Even in secular or atheist context, language is used as a metaphor for progress of humanism and waking up from deception of belief in god(s).

Overall, Light is the unifying metaphor throughout history, representing illumination, protection, awareness, warmth, source of life.

C2: Light in Israel’s Story

Just as true for the family of Jesus, Jewish People, those shaped by Hebrew Scriptures.

In Genesis, the first recorded words of the Creator God were "Let there be light," Light linked with God’s creative power.

When God appeared to Moses, light represented God's presence and holiness, seen in the form of a brightly burning bush.

The pillar of fire guided the Israelites out of slavery and through the wilderness at night, or upon their return to Mt. Sinai find the God waiting for them and the mountain blazing and Moses' face after being in his presence, his face shines.

In the Tabernacle and later the Temple, the lamp stand, or menorah, like a burning bush, God’s presence in that place to his people. .

Psalms, Song/Prayer book of Israel - 150 Chapter Web of Light symbolism, just a few...

Righteousness and Justice shine and rise like the Sun (Psalm 37) - Ability to see what is right, what’s wrong

Salvation and Life Pss 27; 36; 56)

Blessing as the Light of God’s Face (Psalm 46) -

Safety as God is my light, whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27) - See what’s around us, not left in fear

Truth and your Light, let them lead me (Psalm 43)

revelation / self awareness

Gladness and Light dawn for righteous, upright in heart (Psalm 97)

Guidance of Scriptures as “a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119) - We can’t see where we’re going

In contrast, darkness represented sin, injustice, lies, deception, sorrow, judgment, confusion, exile, Satan, and death.

One of the common metaphors for the awaited Day of the Lord, Messianic age, and Eternal Life was a world without darkness or night. It was believed that the Messiah would be the light of the world.

During the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Lights, Jewish people re-enacted the wilderness wanderings, living in tents dotted around the temple. They lit enormous menorahs, hand crafted burning bushes, creating so much light that it was said to be daytime even though it was night.

C3: The Light of the World

Against this backdrop, Jesus boldly proclaims, 9:5 and earlier in 8:12 – "I am the Light of the World," while in the temple surrounded by blazing menorahs. It’s his claim that all that rich symbolism of light throughout Jewish history and scriptures - was fulfilled in him.

As John opens the book...

John 1:1-5, 9-14, 16-18 [limit this for the sake of time to minimum amount

The Light has entered the world

But not just for Israel - for the Whole World. He comes not just as the fulfillment of Israel’s Light-Story, but all of humanity’s light-search.

Radically Inclusive Claim: He is for the entire world (grk: cosmos) for everyone and anyone.

Singularly Exclusive Claim: While prophets, leaders, gurus of other religions or spiritual ways all utilize light image, what’s fascinating is that none of them get close to this claim – they may point to the light, or have the way to light but none of them to be the light itself.

Even deeper, He is not one embodiment of divine light we all share, he’s not one of many lights in the world, he doesn’t say the light is in me as early church fathers and mothers noted, that we can separate Christ/Messiah/ from Jesus the person. (Which is what author Richard Rohr and others have done over the past few years, ancient heresy, but new book deal)

He is “I AM” -

He is the Light – Revelation of the Creator God, the Illumination of Righteousness and Justice, the Shining of Salvation and Life, True Lamp of Joy and Gladness,

He’s what all of Israel’s Story and all of Humanity’s Search has been directed toward - that great search for light, illumination, direction, guidance in a world of Darkness has a name and it’s Jesus.

C4: The Light of Life

He is the Light of the World, and not just that, but back in 8:12, he takes it ever deeper…

John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.””

Our deepest longings are to live and to live an enlightened life - authentic, genuine - debate is about authentic unto what - self, state, tribe?

For those who follow Jesus (like Israel with the pillar of fire in the wilderness) he will illuminate your identity, show you who you really are, he will light up the search for the real you and you’l never again have to wander through pitch black darkness feeling your way to life...

Few years back, when I was a Youth Pastor / Director, Each summer load up a bunch of high schoolers to drive from Reno to Redding, CA (which is neck and neck with Bakersfield as California’s armpit) for Summer Camp. Old Church van without A/C, bunch of kids whose hygiene habits hadn’t caught up with what their bodies were capable of producing. Longer drive with a few stops for the sake of oxygen levels.

Created this tradition on way home stopping at the Subway Cave Lava Tubes – down flight of stairs, ~.5 mile through cave, flight of stairs to ascend. Shortly after you get down, turn corner turn off lights, pitch black. Utter darkness. No hand, no outlines. Uneven hard rocky ground, you all freeze until lights come back on.

Or, like some of my high school boys, start egging each other on to see who can get the farthest, fastest before lights came back on.

Imagine results, two brothers collided with each other, one walked face first into the wall, another fell bashed up his hands, one of them “tripped” into one of the girls.

In Jesus’ claim to be the Light of the World, Light of Life – that anyone who follows him will never walk in darkness – he infers that apart from him our searches for light and life – are a leg race in a lava tube.

But what, experientially does it mean for Jesus to be the light of and in the world? Surrounding story traces this question out through of the healing of a man born blind and the fuss it creates.

C5: Works of Light

Jesus outlines the mission statement of “the light of the world” in John 9:4 as "We must do the works of him who sent me."

Works of God, Works of the light, detailed in the opening 5 verses as first rooted in love for the man born blind and with him all those who are suffering, lost, and neglected in this dark world.

Second, works of confronting the darkness, not through abstract theological answers (disciples question) but by entering into dark situations as prime places for God to shine.

Third, Works are not optional for Jesus, (Must/sent), neither are they optional for his followers

“Not I, but We” - Disciples, those sustained, filled with the Spirit are children of light, enlightened, and the light of the world - we too must do, are sent.

Finally, urgency to work of light - or Jesus as he approached his Cross, while he continues to be the light of the world in the world through us - work sustains urgency - we don’t known when our life will end, the life of those we are sent to will end, or when time will come to a close, final redemption and justice arrive. “Pencils up”

As long as we are in the world, “we are the light of the world” - we must do works of light rooted in love, confronting darkness of the world.

Which brings us to the work itself...

M3: Gives Sight

C1: Physical Sight

Jesus, the Light of the World, is the God with dirt under his fingernails.

While he often heals with a simple touch or word, his act of making a saliva mudpie is a strange and puzzling one.

Seems to be an allusion to Genesis 2:7, God creates human beings out of the dust of the ground. Jesus, right after claiming to be “I AM’ in an act of recreation, again uses little dust to "make eyes" for a man who lacked them.

The same God who said, "Let there be light" to the darkness, now spreads mud on the man's eyes and sends him to wash in the Pool of Siloam, restoring what was broken and enlightening what was darkened.

“When Jesus expels demons and heals the sick, he is driving out of creation the powers of destruction [of darkness], and is healing and restoring created beings who are hurt and sick. The lordship of God, to which the healings witness, restores creation to health. Jesus’ healings are not supernatural miracles in a natural world. They are the only truly ‘natural’ thing in a world that is unnatural, demonized and wounded..” - Jürgen Moltmann, The Way of Jesus Christ

Physical healing was the work Jesus was sent to do, it’s the work he continues to do and it is the work "we must do"

As Jesus continues to bring healing through the intercession and prayers of his people, one of the primary places with our Prayer team during our response time each week.

GET PASTORAL HERE, name darkness, destruction, hurt, sick, pain

In the story of the man who was blind and now sees, we witness the immediate restoration of what was dark, destroyed, diseased, and sick.

C2: Spiritual Sight

Worth noting here, there is no Old Testament story of giving sight to the blind. (9:32, Throughout history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind)

Jesus was unique in healing blindness, and more instances of it than any of his other miracles.

Though he did all kinds of healings, Jesus seemed to have a particular “eye” out for the blind, not just because of his compassion - but because he (along with OT) understood their condition and life in darkness as perfect metaphor for humanity’s present spiritual reality. We’re all racing through lava tubes looking for the light.

Desperately in need not just of healing, but revelation of the Light of the World. To see, to believe, to know Jesus

And so, over the story the man not only regained physical sight, but also spiritual sight through a journey of progressive revelation. Like a dimmer switch, as the story progresses he moves along a journey...

From The man they call Jesus (11), to He is a prophet (17), (28) disciple, he opened my eyes (30), he is from God (33), and finally to, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshipped him (38).

Faith is a journey towards Jesus up to the point of commitment to him as Lord. When that happens sight is born.

Story illustrates, that though some may come to Jesus in one moment, for most it comes one step at a time.

For those sent to do works of light, to bring people to Jesus - wise to pay attention, swing for home runs (time for that) move from Person, Words, Works, Spiritual Authority, to God, to Worship.

For those investigating, skeptic: Take it a step at a time, read Gospel of John step at a time.

C3: How Others See You

As the Man begins to See, He is Seen Differently

Transformation to Point of Unrecognizable - he’s a different person

Like Moses after being in presence of God, face shown - healing of this man made him unrecognizable to others

C3: Grace

Both his physical and spiritual Healing were rooted in love - nothing he does to earn or deserve it - Grace that met him in his place of deepest physical and spiritual need, which is the primary reason of the other effect light has...

M4: Makes Blind

C1: Blind Unbelief

In John 9:39, Jesus declares that he came into the world for judgment, so that those who cannot see may see and those who can see may become blind.

when the light of the world shines: some, like the man born blind, are made to see, while others, who think they see, turn away, blinded by the light.

The Pharisees in this chapter, who make many confident pronouncements, are profoundly wrong and reject the true light when it comes.

Carson warns of the danger of "blind unbelief," which cannot see what is right in front of it, compared to the danger of "blind faith" or "blind belief."

The Pharisees, who thought they had it all together and had arrived, were actually blind. They did not realize their need or the darkness within them, so they adopted the external appearance of having dealt with sin but never faced the darkness of their hearts. In contrast, those who are blind are the ones who sense their darkness and realize their need for sight. The light exposes the wicked works of those who love darkness more than light.

The ones wandering in the dark are the ones who act like they are seeing just fine

The act of kneading was regarded as one of the Rabbi's thirty-nine forms of work that violated the Sabbath, which is involved in making mud from saliva and dirt. The Pharisees had already decided to reject Jesus and the man, blinded by their self-satisfied attitude.

However, the alternative is to name our blindness and bring it to the light.

John 9:39 “Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.””

John 9:40-41 “Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?” “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

The Light of the World - not just meeting the physical and spiritual needs of others; but also naming the darkness and deception of the so called “enlightened ones”

But those who see (which is Jesus’ cryptic and ironic way of saying ‘those who think they see’), like the Pharisees in this chapter who make so many confident pronouncements but who are profoundly wrong (vv. 16, 22, 24, 29, 34), inevitably reject the true light when it comes

This chapter portrays what happens when the light shines: some are made to see, like this man born blind, while others, who think they see, turn away, blinded, as it were, by the light. Carson, D. A.

For all our talk about the danger of a “blind faith” or “blind belief” - this chapter warns of the far more dangerous, “blind unbelief” - cannot see, even more they will not see what is right in front of it

Sabbath - the act of kneading (which is involved in making mud from saliva and dirt) was regarded as one of the Rabbi’s thirty-nine forms of work that violated the sabbath11

We Knows

“already decided” v2

v34 reject Jesus and the Man

They’ve got it all figured out, they see just fine, they’re the blind ones

Those who [are] blind are the ones who do not realize their need. Those who receive sight are the ones who sense their darkness. The Pharisees thought they had it all together, that they had arrived. Through their acquaintance with the Law they knew they were not perfect, but they did not understand how deeply infected they were with sin. So they adopted the external appearance of having dealt with sin though actually they had never faced the darkness of their hearts. They were self-satisfied. They said, “We see” when in reality they were blind

Jesus described judgment with these words, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed” (John 3:19-21).

The alternative is to name our blindness, Bring it to the light

C2: Bring Blindness to the Light

1 John 1:5–9 CSB

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Love is not blind; that is the last thing it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind.

G. K. Chesterton; Thomas Carlyle

C3: You Have to Leave Your Shoes Behind

Moses Shoes:

People were to approach God with solemnity and humility. Taking off their sandals expressed an inward reverence through an outward behavior in their worship. Showing such respect avoids anything casual, sloppy or rude. Some Eastern religions today still require bare feet when entering their temples. Anciently the Greeks, in the worship of Diana and Jupiter, required worshippers to take off their shoes

most people’s homes - help prevent visitors from tracking mud or dirt onto floors and rugs

Terror of foot smell, holes in socks - making yourself at home, staying a while, no pretending, letting hair down, taking your shoes off

God has a high, holy standard for approaching him, and it’s bare feet, total trust and surrender.

In the ancient Near East, removal of footwear, here probably sandals of papyrus or leather, was a sign of respect and displayed an attitude of humility. Priests officiated barefoot in the sanctuary; and to this day they remove their footwear before pronouncing the priestly benediction in the synagogue service.11 Sarna, N. M. (1991). Exodus (p. 15). Jewish Publication Society.

laid aside all covering and pretence to approach their god. Hence early Sumerian priests performed their duties naked, although the Israelite priest always wore a linen kilt, for modesty’s sake11 Cole, R. A. (1973). Exodus: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 2, p. 72). InterVarsity Press.

Allusions to Adam and Eve - Naked in the Garden - taking off their fig leaves.

Augustine - What we protect our feet with.

Gregory of Nazianzus: Let nothing come between man and God.

Taking off his shoes reminds us that God wants fellowship with us without any barriers.

With his bare feet touching the ground where God stood, Moses surely felt the divine Presence. He still wants to fellowship with each of us personally if we confess our sins and our need for him and approach him in Jesus' name.

Arlo and Emma with their Floaties.

“Only when I recognize and confess my sin am I in a position to recognize and respond to the God who saves me from my sin. If I’m ignorant of or indifferent to my sin, I’m ignorant of or indifferent to the great and central good news: “Jesus saves!” - Eugene Peterson, Leaping over Wall

“In the Christian life, our primary task isn’t to avoid sin, which is impossible anyway, but to recognize sin. The fact is that we are sinners. But there’s an enormous amount of self-deception in sin. When this is combined with devil-deception, the task of recognition is compounded. - EP, LoW

“Sin isn’t essentially a moral term, designating items of wrong doing, it’s a spiritual term, designating our God-avoidance and our god-pretensions.”

C4: Confession

Bring to the Light our Blindness

Psalm 139:1 “Lord, you have searched me and known me.”

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Ask God to search us because he knows us even better than we do. We can trust him to gently, lovingly reveal ourselves to us, especially the parts we don’t want to see, the things that may be obvious to others but hidden to us.

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Whatever God searched, brought to light, we name out light, we “bring it to the light” which weakens its power and calls on the power of grace for healing and freedom

Response

Prayer Team - Healing & Wisdom

Table - Revelation

Come Forward - For Sight or Name Blindness for Sigt

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