Reflecting on John 1:6-13
“He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” (John 1:8)
John, like the other OT prophets, and the NT writers, were not the true light.
The recorded witness of these prophets and writers are not the true light.
In other words, the scriptures are not the true light, the Word of God.
I know this sounds wrong, but hear me out: Jesus is the Word of God.
Jesus challenges the Pharisees for focusing on the Scriptures but ignoring Him.
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)
Jesus, not the Bible, is the light and life of God made available to us.
The church needs to focus more on Jesus stories, and less on rest of the Bible.
We use the Bible to find Jesus, but we follow Jesus, not the Bible.
Moses, Paul, David, Isaiah, Peter, John – they are inspired witnesses, NOT the true light.
We interpret these witnesses through Jesus, not the other way around.
The Jesus stories are the greatest witness to Who Jesus is, and Who God is!
He has come to us and the world to reveal God, so why do we not receive Him?
Instead of studying the witness statements so much, let’s study the true light!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, may Your Church on earth be more like You, and less like Paul or Moses. May we join with Moses and Paul as witnesses to the light. And help us not to equate the witnesses with You, the true light that gives light to everyone!
