“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life”, said my Jesus to a group of people that gathered around Him to hear what He had to say. This group of people was made up of a mix of people who believed Him, people who were just curious to hear what He had to say, people who did not believe Him, and people who were outright out to frustrate His ministry. The Pharisees were the group of people who kept antagonizing Jesus, they just always attacked and criticized everything He did and said.
On this particular day, as Jesus shared that He is the light of the world, these Pharisees were swift to respond that Jesus was a liar and His claim about being the light of the world was invalid. Something noteworthy is that these men did this to Jesus publicly. If someone called me a liar in the midst of a crowd or insinuated that I am not what I claim to be, I’d probably or most definitely feel horrible and bullied. But my Jesus handled it with so much grace and I strongly believe that He wants us to learn from Him.
So as the Pharisees bashed him with the accusation of being a liar and not knowing His identity, Jesus responded to them that His claim about being the light of the world is valid. He was absolutely sure of the validity of this identity because He knew for sure where He came from and where He was going- John 8:14. In my interpretation, Jesus knew His source, Knew His identity, and definitely knew exactly where He was headed with His life. All of this He knew and was so sure of because of His communion, fellowship with the father, and His study of the word about His life.
As children of God, we should be armed and rooted in our identity in Christ Jesus. We should know for sure and for ourselves the adjectives which our father uses to describe us. If we are not armed with our identity, the enemy could try to sell or dump on us identities that do not belong to us. He could even do it in a subtle and seemingly loving manner and if care isn’t taken, one may be found drowning trying to figure out his or her real identity. Imagine if Jesus Christ wasn’t exactly sure that He is the light of the world…. the Pharisees’ statement could have discombobulated Him but thank God Jesus Christ had taken His time to learn about His identity.
Perhaps God is calling you to a place where you take time to learn about yourself through His word and in His prescence. It would do you a lot more good than you can imagine learning and to keep learning about yourself in Christ Jesus. Being self-aware in and through Christ Jesus is a lifelong process, so I hope that you commit to learning and staying rooted in your identity in Christ Jesus.