Internal Sharing Of Jesus’ Light

Internal Sharing of Jesus’ Light

John 8:10-20

Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “aYou are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 “You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. 16 “But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 “Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. 18 “I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” 19 So they were saying 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 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Jesus is the Light of the world, meaning his teaching is enlightening and straightforward to understand. If you ever asked, “how do I please God?” the answer is “read the Gospels.” The core message of all four Gospels is Jesus being the Light in the world. Jesus brings understanding to a complex book, the Bible. So, the best way to live and prosper is by following the Torah and Prophets in the manner that Jesus teaches.

My initial experience with churchgoers was that they were stuck-up people who thought they had all the answers about life. They claimed to follow a man who preached peace and repentance, but they did not follow his teaching. Before becoming a believer in Jesus Christ, I pondered from time to time the hypocrisy of Christians. However, every religious organization has people who do not believe the Laws of the LORD apply to them.

Luckily or by divine grace, this fact did not disturb me when Jesus called upon me. In my vision, I was told to learn the Gospels and then go out and preach the original message of Jesus Christ. I went into pastoral ministry with the naïve attitude that everyone would be Christ-like and treat me well. Since I was a Jewish convert, I should have been received with open arms. What is a better victory there for a church? No matter the background, a new follower of Jesus, is fantastic for the Kingdom of Heaven.

I became a licensed local pastor in the United Methodist Church and then an ordained elder. I was so thrilled to be appointed to my first parish. What a train wreck that place was. I was appointed as the Associate Pastor. The Senior Pastor was not up to par (I am trying to be nice). Unfortunately, I experienced anti-Semitism at every church I was appointed to. I became discouraged from time to time about being a pastor in a church.

My loving bride encouraged me to continue on. She would remind me about the wonderful souls I was able to help and encourage to walk closer to Christ. I had many victories. It is so easy to dwell upon the harsh conditions of the church. It is difficult at times but extremely satisfying to remember the victories. So many pastors would say something similar to my statement. Pastoral ministry is challenging because the majority of the people do not follow the example of Christ.

I wished, at times, to have the power to force the people to read Kempis’ book “My Imitation of Christ” and make them accountable for their words and actions. Reading this book and genuinely attempting to be like Christ would not only individually improve many Christians, it would also shine the Light of Christ into the World. Since Jesus is not here to shine the Light of the LORD into the world, it is up to us. Remember that true Christians need to carry the Light of Jesus into the world.

I like the Christmas hymn “Go shout it on the Mountaintop” because that is exactly what the church needs to be doing. Every Christian following Jesus’ teachings should shout out his or her love for Jesus and the world. It is not that difficult to emulate Jesus. It is the most rewarding thing that one can do.

The charge is for every Christian to live a life that is an imitation of Jesus’ life. It is not a difficult thing to do. Anyone can do it! The hardest part of imitation is to see all people positively. Yes, it is difficult, but not impossible. Even disconnected Christians have goodness in them. That goodness, when brought forward, becomes the Light that Jesus spoke. Every person who was baptized into Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has at least a spark of Jesus’ Light in them.