Last summer, my wife and I went for a bike ride along the beach near our home to a restaurant for dinner. After we finished our meal, we realized we’d lost track of time and the sun was setting. That meant we'd have to make much of the ride home in the dark, and we hadn’t thought to bring headlamps or flashlights. So, we found ourselves in a precarious situation. It was difficult to see where we were going and to avoid colliding with obstacles in the bike path. After making it home, we decided that in the future we’d stick to doing our bike riding in daylight.
Jesus used a similar illustration as he spoke to the crowd in John 12:35-36. He ignored the question they posed in the previous verse when they asked, “Who is this Son of Man?” He’d already addressed that issue with them on several occasions. So, instead of engaging in another attempt to explain his messianic mission, he chose instead to address the root cause of their failure to comprehend it.
They didn’t need more information. They needed to make a choice.
He told them it was time to walk in the light they’d already received. And since he’d twice previously described himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:1; 9:5), they’d have understood what he meant. It was time to step forward and begin their faith-journey while he was still present to illuminate the path. But he told them that wouldn’t be much longer. Unless they began advancing into the brilliant glow of belief, they’d soon find themselves groping in the dark.
Then, he added this mind-bender. He said if they would place their faith in the light, they would become its offspring. What did he mean by that? Well, again, the crowd would’ve understood he was referencing himself. So, they wouldn’t have missed his meaning. He was inviting them to become his children by placing faith in him as their messiah and promising if they did, his light would become more than an external phenomenon. It would become their identity.
Then, to illustrate the urgency of what he’d just said, we’re told he departed from them and concealed his whereabouts. Although he’d likely just gone back to Bethany for the night, it was a dramatic way to leave his audience considering the impact of his message.
I think this passage leaves us in the same state, pondering how to respond to its truth. And it’s clear this is about more than just our initial step from darkness into light, that moment we first cross from doubt into belief. It’s about every step of faith that follows that one.
As we live our lives in pursuit of Christ, we’ll frequently find ourselves entering pools of his illumination as we face circumstances, read his word, or hear the voice of his Spirit pointing the way forward into new dimensions of trust. On those occasions, it’s not usually more information we need, it’s a choice we need to make. And the time to make it is while Jesus is lighting it up because there’s often a time limit on those moments of his revelation.
You may be experiencing one right now. If so, I challenge you to stop hesitating and step forward with faith that the light of the world is not only with you to lead the way but to deepen your identity as his child.