Reflection: The Light of the World

Sukkot/ The Feast of Tabernacles. It’s cubby-building time in Israel. The annual seven days of backyard-camping, when we remember forty years of desert camping. We’re intimately feasting with friends, worshipping and celebrating, history-and-hope rehearsing, storytelling. Snakes and sacrifices, Moses, manna, miraculous water, God in cloud and fire … 

It’s one of the three festivals when we go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And this year, who should be in the Temple but the latest sensation, Jesus of Nazareth. Seven days of celebration, of song and dance with torches, and priests worshipping with loud instruments. It’s day eight: final day of the feast, and to emphasise this, as a holy and solemn assembly, the three seventy-five-foot-high candlesticks in the Temple Treasury/the public ‘Court of Women’, are extinguished.* There and then, in the dimness, Jesus announces a sort of ‘Let there be light!’ And there was, because, says he: 

“I am the light of the world.  

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (see John 8:12 and John 1:9-10)

The Temple’s been dim, without God-light (God-in-cloud-and-fire) for years! You’d think this was great news.** But the awakening passed us by. We were too caught up in semantics to capture the life-light. 

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, … was in the world, 

 … yet the world did not know him.” (again, see John 8:12 and John 1:9-10)

Prayer:

Wake us up again with the sunrise today, to The Light of our dim world. As we follow in your light, transform us to be transparent. Alluring. Fearless. Assured. I wonder who will follow you fresh into life-light today? Many, Lord. Illumine many and soften their hearts to follow you. (Pray for someone in particular.) 

(For further reflection, watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCRunZGYBi4)

 Notes:

*(erected and lit on the first day of the feast) https://wordofmessiah.org/the-light-of-tabernacles/ 

**No sir! But for Jesus’ mission being not yet over, they’d have arrested him, said John.