WYSIWYG

I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12

Light of the World – Jesus just doesn’t make sense. How can He be the light of the world? The world is already full of light. I can perfectly well see what’s happening. I know my way around. I can see the path ahead of me. I don’t need some kind of Jesus-light. I have politics and education and science and commerce to guide my way. I might understand Jesus if He said He was the light of the soul. I might grant Him the place of spiritual light. But when He claims to be the light of the world, that is just crazy. The world is opposed to God, so how can Jesus be its light?

To phos tou kosmou, says Jesus. The light of the world. This is not just spiritual light. Jesus is not saying that He comes into the world to give it a spiritual beacon. He says a great deal more. He says that WYSIWYG is wrong. What you see is not what you get. The entire world and everything about it is in the darkness. Jesus is not just spiritual light. He is the only light. WYSIWYG is a lie!

Did you notice that Jesus says the world is in the darkness? It’s not just in darkness. It’s in the darkness. This is much more than nighttime. This is moral, physical, emotional and relational death. The darkness is the realm of evil, the home of Satan, the place of utter destruction. It doesn’t matter that the world appears to be enlightened, illuminated, elucidated and revealed. The truth is far more chilling and far more terrifying. What You See Is NOT What You Get. Jesus is the light. All of the rest is the darkness.

Did you think that Jesus’ light was only about forgiveness of your sins? Did you imagine that His light simply added the spiritual dimension you were missing? Wrong! Every action you take in this world that is not based on the light of Jesus is blind catastrophe. Every relationship, every plan, every decision, every choice that is not flooded with His light is part of the darkness. There is no twilight in this world. There is no mixture of spiritual light and worldly light; a place where we can operate according to the world’s view and just hold on to Jesus along the way. That is the worst of all lies. That makes us think that somehow Jesus is not the only authority over all of life. If Jesus is the light of the world, then anything that is not of Him is absolutely black.

Go play the WYSIWYG game if you must, but don’t bump your head in the dark.