Jesus seems to frustrate our idea of logical reasoning. How do we figure whether or not he really was the Son of God? Can there be any direct, logical approach? It seems like everyone who already believes in him finds all the proof they need, while those who don’t believe simply cannot be convinced. Are we seeing something others don’t? Surely it’s not because we’re deluding ourselves, right?
The Pharisees wondered what testimonial evidence Jesus had. (Apparently they had already forgotten his answer in chapter 5.) To their credit, witnessing about oneself is usually invalid, but this was an exception, because Jesus was God and thus fully truthful. The problem was the Pharisees not seeing that in the first place, when they absolutely should have. They were still looking for signs; Jesus said that, as those with proper judgment would see, the signs they had were sufficient. Jesus was way past the idea of signs. He was saying he is the authentic, divinely verified picture of God the Father himself.
But then how are we supposed to see that? The same way we see anything else: by light. And as Jesus said in this passage, he is the light of the world. He is the one by whom the character and works of God are illumined for us. He is the one who penetrates and dispels the darkness of fear and folly. He is the light by whom we may see the beauty of the Lord and know the ways we should go. And he is not just any light; he is THE light, which all the world fundamentally, desperately needs.
Most of the world walks in darkness; in fact, to some extent, all of us have. But when we see under the right light, the futility and horror of lives enclosed in darkness become clear. Christ is our hope, our joy, our life, our access to the Father, our everything—and when we trust in him and see the world by his light, we know that to be true. Praise God for the light of life we have in Jesus!
