May 23, 2010

John 8:1-30
At around 40 years of age I was forced to admit that my eyesight was getting worse--presbyopia--old eyes. My watch battery died. I needed a new one. Going into the drugstore to purchase a battery I popped the back off of my watch, pulled the battery out and examined it for a number so that I could purchase a replacement. "There is no number on this!" I exclaimed. My oldest grabbed it from me and then read it out very quickly. I took it back and replied, "You're making that up. There is no number on this."
"You can't read that?" He queried.
"There is nothing to read." I replied.
"It's as plain as day!" He rebuffed.
He went over to the battery isle and got a replacement. I shuffled off to the reading glasses display, taking the old battery with me. Looking over the reading glass display I selected the magnification that seemed appropriate from the instructions on the display. I looked at the old battery again. Sure enough there was a number there and it was the number my oldest had read out. I soon found out that the amount of light had a great deal of effect upon how well I could see smaller things.
In the last ten years my vision has become so bad that I can no longer read my Bible without glasses. I even have the so-called "large print edition." However, without glasses, if I go outside at noon on a cloudless day, I can usually read my Bible--if it is a familiar passage, so that I have a sense of what words to expect. Light makes a huge difference in being able to see what is really there. Spiritual light makes a huge difference in being able to see what is really there.
Jesus is the light of the world. The Pharisees were trying to catch Jesus in a falsehood in order to accuse Him publicly. They knew that He was a friend of sinners. They also knew the requirements of the Law. For all that they knew, they still had horrible spiritual sight. You know the story. They brought a woman caught a woman caught in the very act of adultery. (Hmm. . . how did they know when and where to catch her?) There was some light to be shed here. At first it seemed that none was emanating upon the men. But then slowly it began to dawn, and they all left. The woman was forgiven and instructed to cease sinning.
The interesting thing about the glory of Jesus is that as we focus upon Him, we begin to see our own sin. When we have seen it, confess it before Him, and repent of them, they dissolve away. As we continue to gaze upon His beauty, we begin to realize that we are also seeing the Father. All that Jesus does is done to reveal the Father. But we cannot see Him in our sinful state. His light is there to expose our sin and take it away. What a glorious thing! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John