NOTES for Joh 8:12-20
In today's passage from the Gospel of John we encounter some of Christ's best-known words, in which He Himself speaks of who He is and what His purpose is. He is the light of the world, and that says an immense amount! It means that He lies at the foundation, at the center of the world (for our universe is arranged so that everything "revolves" around sources of light), and therefore He must be at the center of every life; and it means that through Him warmth appears in life, a fire that feeds our strength. And here He Himself says that His light shows us the way, and even when darkness surrounds us, it still cannot overcome us (see John 1:5) if we walk in His light.
This light is so bright that our hearts are cleansed from sins by it. And in this same light we see light (see Ps 35:10) - at last we learn to distinguish good from evil, receiving the very knowledge for which humanity once fell away from God (see Gen 3).
If we abide in the light of Christ, our purpose is fulfilled and life finds meaning, for only in the light of Christ do we see the Father (see John 14:7) and can finally stand before Him in fullness.