It was the feast of tabernacles, about four months before He would go to His sacrificial death on the cross. It was a glorious feast, of those prescribed in Scripture it was the last on the Jewish calendar. It was so joyous and climactic it was often simply called the feast. It consisted of seven days and nights of celebration, with all 450 or so priests called into service.

Every day at the temple, according to divine prescription, sacrifices are made, starting with 13 on the first day and decreasing in number until seven are offered on the seventh day, for a total of 70. What's more, the whole city is filled with tents to remind them again of the time they lived in tents during those 40 years in the wilderness and how the Lord led them by pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.

To remember the Lord's leading and the fiery pillar, the tradition developed among the Jews that on the last night of the feast (some are of the opinion it took place every night) four huge candelabras were lit up like giant torches in the meeting place of the temple. Immediately the levitical orchestra would break into song and pious Jews would revel and dance with joy in the streets, carrying their own torches. They called this the "joy of the feast."

As the temple area was ablaze with light, it would shed its glow over all of Jerusalem and, therefore, symbolically into the dark night of heathenism. For many it became a solemn protest over against heathenism — "We have the light" was their smug conviction. But shouldn't these festivities also have made them long for the Messiah whom Isaiah had prophesied would be a light also to the Gentiles?

Do you hear now what the Jews heard when after this glorious feast had run its course, Jesus stands in the very place where the blazing lamps had been lit and says — I am the light of the world!

You do hear what He's saying don't you? God's people were remembering the light and the lead­ing of Jehovah, their covenant God. They'd been taught to sing the words of Psalm 27 — Jehovah is my light and my salvation near, who shall my soul afright, or cause my heart to fear? And now, in the face of all of this, Jesus stands up and boldly proclaims: all of it is fulfilled in Me! I AM. I am the light of the world!

It's an emphasis we need to hear from John's Gospel. In Him was life and the life was the light of men (John 1:4). That was the true light which gives light to every man who comes into the world (John 1:9). At the feast of tabernacles we get to hear it from Jesus' own lips. Again He is very emphatic, effectively saying, I AM and no one else is. Jesus is saying: I am the light of the world, and not for you Jews only but for men and women and boys and girls of every tribe and tongue.

The Pharisees were not the least bit impressed with His witness about Himself, but He goes on to make plain that He is indeed Jehovah's true witness. He makes bold claims in verse 24: "Therefore I say to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." And in verse 28: "When you lift the Son of Man up then you will know that I am He..." In the original language Jesus simply said, "I am." This was, of course, the typical way of speaking and we shouldn't read more into these words than is necessary. But was Jesus perhaps being provocatively ambiguous at this stage of His self-revelation? He soon removes all doubt, puts an end to the discussion and unequivocally proclaims: "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58). Make no mistake, the Jews know exactly what He's say­ing. To them it's blasphemy, and they pick up stones to stone Him I am the Light of the world. There is no understanding, no right understanding of anything in the world, no joy, no blessedness, no life apart from Him. If you don't receive this testimony about Him you are lost in the dark. In connection with this self-revelation, Jesus goes on to say: "He who follows me shall not walk in (the) darkness but have the light of life."

Just as the Old covenant people were led about through the wilderness and into the promised land by Jehovah, their light, so if we are to know life we need to follow Christ, who is the true light. Christ is not simply a light to look at; He is a light to follow. It's not enough for us to say, I believe Jesus must be God. We need to show we really believe He is God by following Him in every aspect of our lives. The light is not just for our eyes but for our feet as well. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" (Ps 119:105).

There is also wondrous promise and comfort for us in Christ's light. Those who walk in darkness don't know where they're going (John 12:35), but following Him we know exactly where we're going. Because we have the light, we're not afraid of the dark. What we see around us is often quite dark, sometimes very dark, but we may live as light and shine brightly, in confidence because in Christ we can sing — Jehovah is my Light, and my salvation near, who shall my soul afright or cause my heart to fear?