John 8: 12
” When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
There are a lot of things Jesus says that might be considered subtle. Take his parables for example; you have to think about them to discern their meaning. They are often quite subtle. Of course, some of them were less so, but at the very least their meaning was veiled in metaphor. Not so in this verse.
Here Jesus says quite bluntly and plainly: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Now when someone claims to be “the light of the world,” they are, at the very least, pointing to themselves as something both unique and important. This is the opposite of being subtle. This is being unsubtle! Jesus already had a following among the Jews when he said this. Those who believed in him probably understood that this was the way Jesus talked. Those who were curious about him would have seen this as confirmation that Jesus was indeed a unique teacher as they had no doubt heard of him. Those who didn’t believe and felt threatened would have bristled at these words.
Q: Was Jesus promoting himself or just stating a simple fact? How do you respond to such a statement?
I love when Jesus gives powerful statements or displays declaring himself to the people/disciples. I respond in belief. It is encouraging to see these clearer statements among the parables.