The Light of Life

John 8:12

Then 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.”

Jesus made this comment just after He encountered the woman caught in adultery. When the Scribes and Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus to ask if she should be stoned, He began to write on the ground and instructed the person who was without sin to cast the first stone. Her accusers left the scene because none of them were without sin, and they all walked in their own measure of darkness. While Jesus was the only one qualified to throw the first stone, He, instead, did not condemn the woman and instructed her to go and sin no more. At this point, He turned to the crowd and stated this verse.

The woman caught in adultery was walking in darkness and had landed in a trap. Many Bible scholars believe the Scribes and Pharisees had arranged the incident in order to trap Jesus. If He commanded her to be stoned, He was not loving and compassionate. If, however, He did not condemn her, He would be breaking the law. Either way they thought they would discredit Him in front of a crowd. Instead, they were discredited by their own trap because they were not without sin themselves.

Jesus is the light of the world, and when we follow Him, we can avoid the traps of the enemy. Adultery is risky business and always leaves someone hurt. Many times, the adulteress, herself, is the one hurt most from the sin. By telling this woman to go and sin no more, He was releasing her from condemnation and empowering her to live without adultery and the guilt, shame, and pain it brings.

We choose who we follow. We can choose the lust of the flesh and the attractions of this world that lead us into darkness, or we can choose to follow Jesus, who gives us the light of life so we are not trapped by the snares of the enemy. True happiness is found in the light, not in the dark. If it must be hidden, you cannot enjoy it with integrity.

Choosing to follow Christ also means that we choose to set others free, rather than condemning them when they are caught in sin. If Jesus could love the woman caught in adultery while rejecting her sin, should we not do the same? People are hurt by our stones but healed and empowered by our mercy. We become the light of life when we choose to heal and empower those who have fallen into the traps of sin. He who has shown us great mercy expects us to follow in His footsteps and do the same.

Have a blessed day!