John 8:12 Yeshua spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.” 13 So the P’rushim said to him, “Now you’re testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” 14 Yeshua answered them, “Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony is indeed valid; because I know where I came from and where I’m going; but you do not know where I came from or where I’m going. 15 You judge by merely human standards. As for me, I pass judgment on no one; 16 but if I were indeed to pass judgment, my judgment would be valid; because it is not I alone who judge, but I and the One who sent me. 17 And even in your Torah it is written that the testimony of two people is valid. 18 I myself testify on my own behalf, and so does the Father who sent me.”
We saw before that Yeshua as Bread is your source of Life on the inside but here we look to the outside.
We had bread for living, and now we need to see where we walk. This is done in the light which gives life. What an interesting phrase. Light that gives life. Being able to see is life?
Yep.
In darkness you cannot see other people. There is only one that exists in the darkness and that's you. Bumbling around and bumping into everything and everyone else. Trying your best to survive. Compound that with all the other people in the world and you can see we have a very serious problem.
Try and explain to someone that's lost how everyone else in the world is more important than them. Do it. Then tell me about the look on their face and the words that follow. It's not going to be pleasant and it will most certainly not be received. You may even be hated.
Ignorance is not bliss. Not even close.
Living in darkness is the most destructive thing there is. And people love it.
What happens when the lights come on?
All of a sudden, you see people. You see the darkness they're in, you see their pain, you see their value. You can see! And it's a glorious sight.
Yeshua could see you in that same place. And to light up your life, His was darkened. But just briefly. He was part of a much larger plan to bring both you and me into the Light -- to bring us to Life.
Life and Life in full now has a path into your life. If only we trusted Him enough to let it come. Because when the light comes on, we are exposed. Every wound, every scar, every wart, every selfish thought, your true intentions -- all of it is out there to be seen. And that terrifies us. We don't like being seen, huh? If we did, we'd hunt down healing as if it could somehow set us free.
But do you know what happens then that light comes? You are made whole. You are made new. There is absolutely nothing to fear in this space. Imagine it. You uncover everything yourself so there is not one thing that someone else can uncover. It’s like making a mistake in front of others and being the first one to make a comment about it. It diffuses the entire situation. If we are the first to laugh at ourselves, then no one has leverage over your life at all. Or what about saying something or acting in a way you regret? Running to the front of the line and apologizing before anyone has time to form a judgment will release you (and them) from an offense.
How great would your relationships (and life, in general) be if you did these things?
But it’s when we pretend that thing never happened that we unravel and fear embeds itself into your entire being. That’s when others can now look upon you and form judgments about your character. That also opens the door to future judgments and ends with a subsequent “well, that’s just how they are” response to your life. The pride and fear dig down like a mighty oak so that even a hurricane can’t uproot it.
If only there was a way out of this destructive cycle. If only there was a path to freedom. If only there were a path to life.
Ah, but there is.
Healing is there for the taking, but we choose to keep our dirty little secrets intact instead of grabbing hold of Life. Such a sad, sad story. But we love it.
We can never fully understand how Life entered our lives that fateful (and wonderful) day almost 2000 years ago. Most people walking the earth today could care less. The rest of us care but take for granted the Light being made accessible in our lives.
People love the darkness. Yeshua said so. Even believers. We don't need to consider anyone else when we live in darkness. Life can be all about us. But that isn't really life, is it?
Think of the most selfish person you know. Is their life full? Are they content? Are they the servant Abba called them to be? Of course, not.
You know who this person is, right? Yeah, it's you. You can't begin to assess someone else's shortcomings when you choose to live in darkness also. Your vision is clouded. You think you know things but it's so hard to see.
"Not me," you say, "I can see clearly."
If that were true, you wouldn't have had someone in mind when I had you think of a selfish person. Someone with clear vision would instantly put themselves at the very top of the list. But you likely weren't even on the list, were you?
What evidence would be good enough for you to abandon the darkness?
We see here in John that you have two witnesses, Abba and Yeshua. If they aren't trustworthy, then look at your life for a third witness. Is that enough to shake you?
Not likely. As much as we know our lives could be so much better, we love our "lives", huh? My judgments, my familiar spirits, my lifestyle -- they are so comforting.
But shouldn't we be getting comforted by the Holy Spirit? Isn't that enough to fill the need for comfort in our lives? Isn't He enough?
Can you see? Can you see how all of this is woven together so beautifully?
Oh, I forgot -- you can't see in the dark.