From where I am writing, I can see a Christmas card bearing a stylised picture of the night sky pierced by a few gold and white stars. Central to the card, bright white against the navy background, are the words of Jesus as recorded in John’s Gospel: “I am the light of the world.” (John 12:8)
It’s one of those claims that should make every reader sit up and take notice. What sort of arrogant madman says such a thing and expects to be believed? Well, if we consider the rest of the things Jesus said and the wise teaching for which many people hold him in high esteem, we would be hard pushed to conclude that he was either arrogant or a madman. So maybe these are not the words of a madman after all.
Perhaps these are the words of a devious – nay, devilish – scoundrel who seeks to lure people away from the truth with clever deceit and who ultimately wishes to do them harm. That makes some sense, but again, if we look at Jesus’ life, with his compassion for the outcast, the broken and the lost, the idea that he is in any way wicked simply doesn’t hold.
The only other option is that the words, however improbable, are true; that Jesus is, as he claimed, the light of the world. Some have proposed a fourth option, namely, that he is a good man who is “genuinely mistaken,” but I think this really falls under the first option – it is quite hard to conceive of someone in their right mind genuinely believing they are the light of the world. So Jesus, the good and wise teacher was telling the truth…
What does it mean? For a start, it means that Jesus cannot reasonably be ignored. For a person to know about the light of the world and to ignore it would be the equivalent of them choosing to live in the darkness. It would not be unreasonable for others to question the motives of such a person. What is it about the darkness that they find preferable? What are they hiding and do not wish to be exposed?
On January 6th each year, the church remembers the “Wise Men,” the star they followed and the gifts they gave. It seems to me that their action is a reasonable response to the light of the world – to seek it out, to draw close to it and ultimately to walk in it. The compassionate character of Jesus offers both a compelling and convincing case for any who might be concerned about the consequences or cost of doing so. Two thousand years ago, the Wise Men made their decision and undertook a long and costly journey to explore the light. What about you? Will you join them this year? What’s stopping you?
May 2026 be for you a year of light and love and laughter.