Jesus, the Light of the Word
Our series has presented how we can have an enlightened life guided by the one True Light, Christ, as He declares in His Gospel. Now, how can that help us? How can that change our lives? Let’s find the answers in the passage according to John 8:12 to 20. I invite you to also read it in Spirit and Truth, under the light of the New Commandment of Jesus (John, 13:34-35): “Love one another as I have loved you. Only by this shall all of you be recognized as my disciples.”
That is our objective and what we were trying to do daily. To be His disciples, following His steps, His light. Since Christ is this Light of the world (Gospel according to John 8:12 to 20):
12. Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
13. The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself. Your testimony is not true.”
14. Jesus answered them, “Though I bear witness of Myself, My testimony is true. For I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.
15. You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.
16. Yet if I do judge, My judgment is true. For I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.
17. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true.
18. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me bears witness of Me.”
19. Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”
20. Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as He taught in the temple. No one arrested Him, for His hour had not yet come.
Ideals
In this strong passage, Jesus does not mince words about the Truth that He is bringing to this world. Many people, such as the Pharisees, will question how Jesus can be the light of the world?
Others also bring messages of goodness, happiness, and love, preaching about how we can become better versions of ourselves in this life. But one thing that needs to be clear is that Christ is not competing with any of them. That's not the case.
Jesus is considered the ultimate example of our lives because all examples of connection to God culminate in Him. To understand this, we first need to reflect on the ideals we follow.
All of us have at least one ideal. Something that we work for, and that, in some ways, is a light for us. The reason is in our actions to follow a path that will make us become that very own ideal. Which, most of the time, is someone that we truly love, and then we put them as an example for our lives.
By reflecting on this, we can further our understanding of how Jesus is the Light of the world. Everyone praises someone in such a way that your will is to become just like that person. Such is that we start to portray ourselves as that person, by talking as that person, thinking, and dressing too.
At first, we will find ways to connect to the person we idolize. That is a natural phenomenon. It can be our father, our mother, our brothers, our sisters, or anyone we see and think, “I want to be like that person. He makes me feel something different and makes me want to change myself. Follow a path that will transform me.”
Jesus as the incarnated ideal
That’s exactly what happens when Jesus Christ appears in our lives as this Guiding Light, as the Light of the World. He invites us to change, transform ourselves, and follow a path we wouldn’t think about because we have a perception of ourselves, of how we are. The decision to follow Him as this Light for our lives, as this Ideal, is as natural as we do with other people or ideas.
But, here is the caveat: we are choosing to follow Jesus. This decision opens for us a path of Truth, where we can truly know our destination.
14. Jesus answered them, “Though I bear witness of Myself, My testimony is true. For I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.
(Gospel according to John 8:14)
It is not then, a blind decision, because we are following someone who can see the path before us and guide us through it. That condition is what makes Christ the Ultimate Ideal for all of us. Because He understands His past, present, and future.
Not only that, but He lives it and incarnates it because it is all God, and God is neither past, present, nor future. He is this One Being that is present in all dimensions of time—He is the present itself. That makes Jesus, His Beloved Son, in the same spiritual condition of overseeing everything, understanding it, and living it. He helps and guides us through the path and the challenges that come with it.
Since Jesus incarnated (became flesh) the Divine Ideal as the Word of God, He brings us to Life. To truly live, we must follow the Light of Christ.
Imitation of Christ and Ecumenical Habits
Jesus, the Divine Master, invites us to a change that takes away from our comfort zone. Even though that change can in the future become a new comfort zone, Christ is always challenging and giving us the incentive to reach another level, evolve, and grow in a way that our progression takes us towards being with God.
It is a journey that, empirically, has to continue throughout Time. Taking us to a state beyond the material timeframe.
This path of continuous progression involves actively imitating Jesus. If we want to follow Him, we will naturally imitate His actions.
It is true when we decide to follow someone as an ideal self. There is a need to become like the person and every time we bestow on someone the authority to conduct us that will happen. Now, when we do that with Jesus the work is to become a better version of ourselves in Christ, which is the same as being in God.
When we last see, we will overcome our fears, despair, and suffering to act in the world and bring the Goodness of God. Taking from darkness a light that will bring life, just like our Good Shepherd, Jesus, is doing with us. Making us pursuers of Light, disciples that do not get tired of walking towards and to reach the Light.
As we said, it is not the same as working to be accommodated with our surroundings. But, to always look for what can be improved and how can we manifest this Divine Light in our lives. Of course, there are things that there is no need to change. That needs to be maintained. Now, it doesn’t mean it can’t be improved, that it can’t have updates. That is a reality for technology, right? You don't change the foundation, you grow over it.
Just like the tree. You don't cut its roots. You leave it there. But the tree will grow and will change according to its environment. Getting stronger and adapting itself to keep the structure and the roots alive.
That notion takes courage, sometimes even the attitude of looking yourself in the mirror and saying: “Go! Walk! Take the step to follow the Light of the Christ.”
An attitude that will start a process of looking at your habits and finding what needs to be changed so you can bring Christ more to your life. You will perceive universal habits, ecumenical habits, that can be brought forward and you can start doing it. Habits which every human being is doing to be more connected to God and are working to extract, to materialize what is Good in the presence of God.
Maybe we are already doing it, but not for the right reasons. Sometimes, we maintain habits for the wrong reasons or don’t do them at all. By becoming open to this experience, we can start seeing what is good in other people, what Christ is showing us, and what we have to do to extract goodness from them.
It can be as simple as going to the gym and seeing people working out and trying to repeat their movements, trying to repeat the exercise to make our bodies healthier. Or it can be complex. But we are not alone because Jesus is helping us.
Preachers of the Light
He shows us what are the universal habits that are common to everybody and to become a better version of ourselves. Not feeding arrogance or pretentiousness that impedes us from looking back to help our friends or family, spitting on our plate. No, Jesus calls us to be Preachers of the Light as well, because once we perceive that the new habit is being good to us, that is changing us into a healthier person, more present, more awake, and more conscious of our own being. We will naturally become Preachers of the Light with our examples, and our words, because we will have that willingness to share.
Share the good news. What is happening in our lives and that is good. It is an act of communion and, thus, creates the feeling of being part of a universal community of reincarnated and disincarnated beings. That is, those that are here on earth and those that are in the heavens acting as our spiritual guides, guardian angels, or spiritual friends, whichever name you prefer.
This act of sharing and being in communion helps us to persevere on the path that Jesus Christ is leading. Full of challenges, but mainly full of great victories. Being a Preacher of His Light and, thus, willing to share the Good News, makes us imitators of Christ because that is exactly what He did and is doing.
Our Divine Master is preaching to everybody about the Good News of manifesting in this world the Kingdom of God through work and dedication. As He is the Light of the world, what He brought in His Gospel and Apocalypse has been topics for discussion throughout the eras. Topics that can change our lives and as a consequence change the lives of our friends, our family, and the world itself. It is incredible to think that Jesus is the person who liberates us from the shackles of ignorance, wildness, of darkness and stands in front of us, giving His hand for us to reach, pulling us up so we can follow Him, so we can also know where we are all going. The journey opens up our minds and hearts to understand our origin from God, from the spiritual realm, and by being eternal spirits working for what is eternal. The Celestial Statesman makes us work for what is eternal, not for what is material and that will pass with time.
Let us keep in mind this quote from Brother Paiva about Christ acting to liberate us: “Jesus is the Divine Liberator, who first frees us from ourselves, showing us the path to the Celestial Light.”
That is the work of Christ, as He cries out loud for us to hear His voice, to follow His light, and to become Pursuers of the Light and overcome the darkness in our lives (John 12:44-47):
“He who believes in Me believes not only in Me, but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”
Be open to see what Jesus has prepared for our salvation. Be willing to change ourselves, looking at our own lives, so we can be in Him, follow His Light, and work for an enlightened life.
