Can I Get a Light?

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” What kind of light is he? There are warm lights. Think of the morning sunrise and how it gently bathes the landscape. Think of the setting sun and how it reluctantly releases the day into night. One of my favorite lights is a soft reading light from and old-fashioned lampstand like my grandparents had in their house. Keep your fluorescent bulbs to yourself. I’ll take that warm, incandescent glow any evening. The only thing better is candlelight – a single candle flickering in the darkness. And the only thing better than a single candle is the candles of sixty campers at a vespers service the last night of camp; or the sanctuary filled with worshippers on Christmas Eve, every face lit by candlelight.

I would like, now, to illustrate a different kind of light. Can I have two volunteers?

Harsh light. Harsh light is light that is unflattering. It’s not like the glow of a lampstand or candlelight which enhances everything. Harsh light makes things look hard and out of place. Harsh light accuses. It brings a glare but offers no warmth. There is a Seinfeld episode in which Jerry is dating a girl who, in good lighting, is a pleasantly attractive woman. But to Jerry’s surprise, when she is caught in bad lighting, her features turn harsh and unattractive, almost to the point where he doesn’t recognize her. It’s a different woman. Harsh light has a way of doing that.

There is quite a bit of difference between warm light and harsh light. What kind of light is Jesus?

I think many people fear God’s light. Like cockroaches fleeing the room when the light is turned on, we flee the light of God’s truth, afraid of what the light might show about us. Like the Jack Nicholson character in A Few Good Men, we are afraid that, “we can’t handle the truth!”

In John 8 we read that the scribes and Pharisees bring to Jesus a woman who has been caught in adultery. You need to know that in Judaism at that time adultery meant sexual relations outside marriage on the part of a married woman. Her husband could cheat on her, but it was only considered adultery if his affair was with another married woman. Another thing to keep in mind was that adultery was an offense very difficult to prove, especially by the standards of Jewish law, which required two witnesses to everything. You had to be “caught in the act” by not one, but two people. It had to be indisputable.

So they bring a woman who has supposedly been caught in the act by two witnesses. This raises an immediate question. Where is the man? It takes two to commit adultery. The woman can’t do it all by herself. Unless, this was a trap for the woman. Unless previous arrangements had been made to allow the man to slip out undetected and unpunished. Here was the woman, a known sinner, and the religious folk wanted to see her punished. The law said to stone her to death. Well, the law didn’t mention stoning in particular. That was a later addition. What the current law of the land, the Roman Law, said was that the Jews needed the Romans permission to execute anyone.

So the scribes and Pharisees go to Jesus and ask him, “What do you say we should do?” If Jesus says go ahead and stone her, he has not only come across as uncaring but also as teaching rebellion against Roman rule. If he says let her go, he is soft on sin and condoning of adultery. Not only has the trap been set for this poor woman, but the trap has been set for Jesus.

This is truth in a harsh light. This is the Pharisees brand of truth which tricks and hurts people. Their truth tells people how bad they are but never gives them a way to be better. It diagnoses disease but offers no medicine. Unfortunately we have our modern day Pharisees. We have people who use the Bible and God to beat others with “truth”. But Jesus never uses truth that way. The closest he comes is in preaching against the very hypocrisy of the religious leaders.

With Jesus, truth doesn’t harm us. Truth heals us. It’s true that the light of truth will reveal sin in us.

“You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.”
Psalm 90.8

The sinner’s biggest fear is that they will be found out. David was worried that someone would find out about Bathsheba. That was his biggest worry and he did everything he could to cover up his sin. Adam and Eve were worried that God would find out about their disobedience. They covered themselves. They hid. What David and Adam and Eve didn’t know was that the worst thing that could happen to them was if no one found out. While in their sin they are comfortably on the path of destruction. They are hidden from the light of truth. They are not found out. Which is another of way of saying, they are lost.

Having our secret sins revealed can be an uncomfortable, disconcerting experience for us. But it is not hurtful to us. It is the first step in healing.

David Seamands, who was a professor of mine in seminary, and wrote some fine books on Christian counseling, told us about a young woman he had counseled once. The woman had come to him because she couldn’t change her life and didn’t see anyway out. She lived a promiscuous life and was weary of it but didn’t know what to do. She felt like she was a slave to lust and need for physical love. Seamands counseled the woman that her behavior was sinful and damaging to her, but indeed, it was possible for her to change. He counseled that God could give her power over these sinful impulses. The woman’s response to this was telling.

She said, “You mean, I don’t have to do what I feel like doing?” The relief in her voice was evident. The burden was lifted by the truth of God. The darkness of her life had been lifted by the light of Christ.


Scholars tell us that when Jesus made this great statement, “I am the light of the world,” it was in the aftermath of the great Jewish festival in Jerusalem called the Feast of Tabernacles. Another name for it was the Festival of Lights. The highlight of this feast was the lighting of the great candelabra. There were four of them and they were filled with oil by young men who to do this climbed ladders that, according to the Talmud, were fifty cubits high. This light from the lamps was so brilliant that, the Mishnah says, “there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect the light.” Such brilliant illumination was a great occasion and seen but rarely in the ancient city. Have you ever been to Pittsburgh on Light Up Night? It was light up night in first century Jerusalem.

When the feast was over, of course, the great candelabra was extinguished. All the lesser lights were extinguished. Jerusalem went dark. And it was in this post-festival darkness that Jesus spoke:

“I am the light of the world.” It’s dark outside in the world, and Jesus is the candle.


We need to stop being afraid of truth and light. We need to stop believing stuff like, “You can’t handle the truth!” Lots of people live like that every day, all their lives, hiding from truth and light because they are afraid that the truth will be too hard, too ugly, too depressing. They want to keep the truth about themselves hidden in the dark.

But Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8.31-32

The truth and light of Jesus showed a woman in adultery and the crowd of accusers that there is a better way to live. There is forgiveness and there is healing. Go and sin no more. Surely this woman was ready for truth. It was the darkness, not the truth, that she couldn’t handle anymore.

Who are you going to believe, Jack Nicholson or Jesus?


“O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.” Psalm 43.3


“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Psalm 36.9

Holiness of Heart And Life

Jesus has just told Peter “You are going to die a painful for the sake of the Gospel. Glory to God.” In fact, Peter would crucified. Tradition has it that Peter requested he be crucified upside down. He didn’t deem himself worthy to die in the exact same manner and position as his crucified Lord.

Peter gets this news and then looks at John and asks Jesus, “What about him?”
Jesus certainly implies no such death for John. In fact, Jesus says if I don’t want John to die at all, that’s my prerogative. Don’t you worry about him. You follow me.

Our first responsibility as disciples is always to follow Jesus ourselves. How and what others do to follow is ultimately not our concern. We can’t control other people’s decisions. We can only be witnesses to Christ and pray the Holy Spirit leads others as well as our selves. If we want to save the world, we must first convert ourselves.


What does a convert look like? Do you dress a certain way? Do you speak a certain kind of churchy language?

Ned Flanders is one the characters on The Simpsons. Ned is the one fully-devoted Christian among the cast characters and Ned is known for using lots of heydiddlydoodly goofy talk. He’s also known for using a lot of religious language often in ways that are incomprehensible to others. He’s the one that sent his kids, Rod and Tod, off to summer church camp “to learn how to be more judgmental.”

Homer Simpson is not anyone’s idea of a good Christian. Ned is lecturing Homer one day when Homer answers, “Cram it, churchy!”

Does a person have to become weird like Ned Flanders in order to be a good Christian?

Let’s look again at Peter, a real disciple. We mentioned a couple things last week about Peter:

He didn’t have his life altogether when he started to follow Jesus
Peter began to change as he lived with Jesus.
This change didn’t happen overnight but over the course of years.



Peter became the leader of the Church. He grew into his name, Rock. He writes to the church in his letters about new birth and a godly life:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to in inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.. .” 1 Peter 1.3-4

Peter taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ – you must be born again. You can’t drift into a relationship with God. You can’t just be religious. You must become new.


Listen to what he says later in that same chapter:

“as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct” 1 Peter 1.14-15


The word passion is used frequently these days. We want passion. We want passion in our work. We want passion in our marriages. We want passion in our leisure time. We even want passion in our down time. We want passion. We need passion.

But passion can be misdirected. Thus Peter says, “Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.” Before you met Jesus and began to follow, Peter says, you were passionate about all kinds of things that were not worthy of your passion.

What passions might not be worthy of us? Anything that leads us to sins of commission. Anything that leads us into sin and error. I read recently that the porn industry brings in between 10 and 20 million dollars in the United States alone every year, and $60 billion worldwide. It is everywhere. We see things all the time that would have turned our grandparents faces away in disgust and shame. Billboards and commercials use skin to sell everything. I find myself crying out, “Hey, my sons are here! Who’s responsible for this?” It seems today you need a naked woman to sell toothpaste and dish washing liquid.

Those people who do this should be made accountable. Who are those people? Those people are us. We allow this stuff in our homes and communities. One survey suggests that 90 percent of 8-16 year olds have viewed pornography online. Ninety percent.

So much for the holy mystery of the human body and God’s sacred gift. By sins of commission we pay the price “of our ignorance.” We lose innocence that cannot be regained. We damage purity and character that take so much healing and training to restore. We waste time in sin that could be enjoyed in holy living, joyful, fulfilled living.
Sin is such a waste of time and people.

The lie is that holiness is dull and difficult. Holiness may not be easy, but it is not impossible and it is surely not dull. Peter reminds believers that God’s power and resources are ready and available to everyone who seriously takes up the call to a holy heart and life.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” 2 Peter 1.3

How do we access this power? “Through the knowledge of him who called us to his glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1.3b

Peter reminds us that true disciples gain access to resources and power for a changed life. If we truly want “the good life” then we must devote ourselves to the practices, attitudes, and passions that will produce holy living in our lives.

The disciple who knows Jesus will become like Jesus in purity and character.

I remember a few years ago for Duncansville Community days we provided cards with questions on them for people to answer at our display table. These questions were an attempt to get to know our community a little better. Two of the questions we asked were, “What needs do you see in our community?” and “What would you like to see happen?”

Several people responded with “Community swimming pool”, “free cable tv” “greater emphasis on Pastor Appreciation Month” Well, actually I was the only person to put that last one. I suspect many people didn’t know what to put. But I wonder if you found a way to get deep down in the heart’s desires of people in our community and asked, “What do you really need?” The answers you would get would be things like:

“I want my husband to stop cheating.”

“I want my daughter to know she is loved – she doesn’t have to go looking for it.”

“I want to have real peace in my life.”

“I want to know that what I do matters.”


Don’t you agree those are better desires than a swimming pool or cable tv?

If you could give people these things – faithfulness, love, peace, hope and meaning – wouldn’t you give it to them?

These are the very things that holiness of heart and life produce. A disciple of Jesus learns to live life in holiness and experiences the blessings that go with it.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6.33